Future Possibilities

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 33, 28 February 1930, Page 26

Future Possibilities

Our Ondeveloped Market AN interesting article outlining the tremendous possibilities ahead of power boards in expanding their service to the public, and increasing their revenue, is given in a recent article in the "Manawatu Daily Times." This article took as its text the amusing statement by a business man, who happens to be a member of the Palmerston North Borough Council, that "everybody knows everything about electricity," and that there was consequently no need for. the Palmerston North Borough Council to take any steps to secure extra supply or popularise the expansion of electricity. In a trenchant article the "Manawatu Daily Times" points out that the great electrical firms of Hurope and America, where electricity has been in use for many years longer than in New Zealand, still spends hundreds of thousands of pounds every year in edueating the public in the varied uses and advantages of electricity. Their very existence as business houses depends upon increasing their consumption of electricity and the sale of electrical appliances. From that introduction the paper points out that the saturation point in Palmerston North has by no means been reached; that even in houses which are electrified, and contain, say, an electric stove, an electric kettle, hot water system, electric iron, eleciric cleaner, washing machine, radiator and lights, there are still a dozen other electrical devices not yet installed; and alongside houses so equipped are many others without a single electrical appliance whatsoever. Then, coming down to figures, the paper points out that in ManawatuOroua Power "Board’s area there are 40,000 persons, or approximately 10,000 households, all potential consumers of electricity. Only 10 per cent. of the present consumers of electricity have electrical ranges, and only 19 per cent. have electrical water heaters. In the face of those figures it is obvious that the potential consumers in this area do not know "all about electricity." In conclusion, it is pointed out that the supply authority needs revenuc, and needs it badly; and that, in the face of inadequate revenue from the sale of power, there had even been talk of striking a rate. So far this is a course which has been taken only rarely in New Zealand, and it is extremely undesirable in the interests of electricity that it should he adopted in any more cases. ITfor full success

every electrical venture should be self: supporting. It should be made selfsupporting by increased turnover, and that increased turnover can best be secured by adequate advertising and popularisation of service supplied. The points from the foregoing article are quite sound, and can be commended to the attention of every supply authority which has not yet given its support to the combined advertising scheme, The time is fully ripe for intensive effort in both rural and urban areas to popularise electricity. The countryside is becoming in many districts completely denuded of timber supplies, and the problem of farm heating is quite intense in many districts, Hlectricity comes as a timely substitute, ‘For radiators, water heating, and power and light purposes, it is unrivalled, and as the Hon. E. A, Ransom, Minister of Public Works, recently pointed out, this factor alone constitutes a very definite argument in favour of electricity in rural areas.