LIGHTING THE PARK

Wairarapa Age, 9 February 1927, Page 5

LIGHTING THE PARK

POWER BOARD AND BEAUTIFYING SOCIETY. I AN ALLEGEDLY EXORBITANT CHARGE. PERMANENT INSTALLATION PROPOSED. A complaint by the Masterton Beautifying Society that it had been overcharged for a temporary electrical installation at the Park Oval on the occasion of its last carnival, was discussed by the Wairarapa Power Board yesterday. The board had before it a report fro'o its Finance Committee / advising that the Beautifying Society should be recommended to put in a permanent installation, and also a .'otter from '«he society in which it was pointed cut that in 3225 the charge made for 1li? carnival lighting instillatioi, including electricity, was £7 9s lid. In 1926, the charge was £25 Ils 7d, with an additional charge of 13s 5d for electricity. The society complained that the later charge seemed to be exorbitant in view of the recovery by the board of much of the material used. The secretary-manager (Mr. Brown) eaid that he had realised at an early stage that the practice of putting iu these temporary installations on an estimate basis was unsatisfactory. The policy had therefore been adopted of doing such work only on a and material” basis. In 1925, the Beautifying Society probably had been charged much less than the work had cost. Last year the society was credited with the value of all material returned. In answer to Mr. Jordan, the secre-tary-manager said he was satisfied that the 1926 charge was quite fair. A detailed account would be furnished to the Beautifying Society. The chairman (Mr. Benton) said that it would be wise for the board to pass a resolution covering all similar installations, so that no questions could arise in future. Mr. T. V. Moore said that the Park Oval was one of the places where a charge for admission could be made only fifteen times a year. The Beautifying Society had the use of the ground only once a year. If the society put in a permanent installation it would have no possibility of recovering its outlay, but if all the bodies concerned combined in getting such an installation they could be treated by the board in the same manner as it was treating the Carterton Amateur Athletic Society. No doubt the board would have to deal in the matter with the local body—in Masterton with the Borough Council If the proposal of the Finance Committee were approved a much more satisfactory installation could be provided than at the present time. The recommendation of the committee that the Beautifying Society be recommended to ptit in a permanent installation was approved.