ELECTRIC RANGES

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20986, 13 December 1939, Page 10

ELECTRIC RANGES

CONCESSIONS SUSPENDED POWER BOARD DECISION HEATERS ALSO AFFECTED A decision to suspend the concessions on the installation of electric ranges and water heaters as from February 1, 1940, was made at the monthly meeting of the Central Waikato Electric Power Board today. The special concessions were instituted in October, 1935, for the purpose of “boosting” the domestic load, and today’s decision was made owing to the restricted number of ranges and heaters now available. In a report prepared by the engineer-manager, Mr J. R. Ellis, and the secretary, Mr H! J. Beeche, it was stated that the concessions allowed by the board on ranges and water heaters from March 31, 1936, to March 31, 1939, amounted to £3143 3s 7d. For the same period the concessions on service lines were £550 6s lid. The discounts received by the board in that period amounted to £3489 5s Id. The special efforts were successful in inducing an increased demand for electric ranges, said the report. Foi the year ended March 31, 1937, the installations numbered 128, and foi the following year the number was 247. For the year ended March 31, 1939, the number rose to 285, and for the eight months ended November 30 last, 261 were installed. Margin of Discounts “The discounts received covered the concessions allowed on ranges and water heaters, and left a small margin of £346 over the three and a-half years toward the cost of servicing the ranges and water heaters,” said the report. “In addition to this the allowances toward the cost of service lines amounted to £550. The position has now arisen that, with import restrictions, the board cannot expect to obtain sufficient ranges to meet the demand fully, and we believe the ranges that will be available can be readily disposed of at ordinary retail prices, without the board offering special concessions.

“The board would receive several advantages from the discontinuance of the special concessions under the present circumstances. The saving in concessions would to some extent offset additional working costs, and would leave a larger sum available for the very important work of improving the service, so as to give better supply for the increased domestic load, and for maintenance generally. It must, of course, be realised that the cost of maintenance is increasing each year, owing to the additional age of the lines.” Inducement To Traders The discontinuance of the concessions would enable electrical traders to enter the field again in supplying ranges to the board’s consumers. While the board would be able to receive only a quota of its requirements from the New Zealand manufacturers of electric ranges (there will be a total prohibition of imported ranges from January 1 next), it was quite possible that electrical traders might be able to arrange for some supply also. The discontinuance would induce wiring and building contractors to become active canvassers for electric ranges if they were able to arrange for supply through the ordinary trade channels. “While we believe that some encouragement was necessary in this district to push forward the use ol electric ranges, we would point out that the other boards in the district have continued to make substantial progress, and we know that some of them offer no special inducements,” continued the report. “We would recommend that the two years’ free service be continued. “As the people of the Raglan special area (Te Akau-Waimai district) were promised that the concessions would be available to them, and it will be necessary to obtain all possible load, we would recommend that, if the reticulation is decided upon, the special concessions be renewed for a limited period later on, open of course to all applicants within that period.” The recommendation for the continuance of the two years’ free service was adopted.