Separated, so far as its financial organisation is concerned, from the general municipal accounts, we have the much abused Electrical Department, and in rendering an account of its year's working the Council has again to come before the Public with the watchword "Patience."
The programme sketched'out bythe Chairman last year has been closely adhered to far as the writing down of the plant is thus out of the profit on working account of some Tls. 33,590, Tis, 20,000 has been applied to this purpose. leaving plant standing inthe Books at'Tis. and the Incandescent at Tls. 117,000. The fact. that the overdraft has risen to Tls. 12,000 is easily accounted for when it is noticed that Tls. 25,500 has been expended in new plant and that the value of saleable stock and stores was at the close of the year as high as Tls. 55,000, the year having opened with stores valued at Tls. 39,000. The book value of Land and Buildings is a low one and the balance sheet is undoubtedly assuming year by year a more satisfactory character.
The chief cause of public complaint, defective street lighting. would, we had hoped, have been remedied before the date of this meeting by the erection of 50 new are lamps which have been recently purchased, but unavoidable delays have arisen in placing the new circuits in position and it may yet be some weeks before you will have an opportunity of judging of the quality of the lamps.
This part of my speech was written some days ago, and since then 25 lamps have been placed in position, and I hope the others will soon be there.
In incandescent house lighting a reorganisation has been going on throughout, the year by the introduction of a system of substation transformers, and, thou: th some inconvenience has been caused while the transition was in process, the work is now completed and good results cannot full to accrue.
During the ensuing summer arrangements will be made for an all day supply of current provided the demand is sufficient, and 2 consignment of fan motors has been indented for in this connection.
Before leaving this subject I would mention that the Council is losing the services of its Superintendent, whose agreement has expired this month.' His successor is already en route from England and the future success of the Department will largely depend on his capacity for administrative organisation.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.