February 24, 19.5.
Under the existing system the Elctricity Department labours under disadvantages which in " purely commercial undertaking would render it serv inefficient and wasteful, The main causes underlying the desire for greater freedom of action in all questions affecting the Department are uncertainty and absence of direct touch. The exaggeration to say, always j reveil In fact the uncertain feeling as to what the Council's attitude may be from time to time in relation to the recommendations of the Electricity Committee always prevails, There is no doubt that whereas the Cemncil has often vetoed or delayed the Committee's recommendations, the same body would not have so acted had its members possessed the same personal new members of Council may require detailed ex lanation, and 80 year after year, as the constitation of the Council changes, the same lengthy explanations on matters of policy, supply rates, extensions and technical data, have Jo be given; the same ground has to be opened up time after time.
Then again there are more or less micer matters which have to be sent from the Committee to the Council, matters which have been duly considered by the Committee, but which may be turned down by the Council, not necessarily because of any particular fault in the recommendations as affecting the Electricity Dejartment, bat often because they are considered in relation to the manicipal service as s whole, Such rejection may be wholly detrimental to the Electricity Department bat the regulations, under existing conditione, apparently cannot be relaxed. This state of affairs practically reduces the powers of the Committee to a negligible. quantity and for all practiesl purposes it mixbt pot exist.
To depart from generalizations let concrete example be taken. For some few years past I have advocated the policy of paying the shift engineers in the power stations " bonus on monthly or quarterly results of the operation costs, with the object in view of getting closer atten! to detail and better feel economy, believing that a more direct personal monetary interest in the ranning of the stations would save money to the Department in the long rom The Committee shares these views but the Council has not been asked to a such s scheme becanre it is Known that it would not meet with success in that quarter. Not that the bonus system per so would be con-damped, but the bogey of ite upsetting manicipal servants in other departments of the Council's service, would be brought out, although there is no other department working under similar con-ions, furthermore the bonne system jis net recommended for the whole of the Electricity Department staff, bat only to the power station engineers. It seems absurd to prevent the Electricity Depart-efficiency, and y its earning powers, ment taking measures for incrossing its
merely beat o it is " municipal institation. A public company would not be so hampered, then why should department, which performs the same public service, Labour under restriction Tt may not be out ut place to reosll the delay which took place in the automa Inst year over the placing of an order for large transformers. Owing to the outbreak of the war six large traneformers ordered in the spring could not be obtained. A shortage of trans formers was a serious matter because it meant that without them the growing demands for electricity could not be met. The unobtainable transformers had been ordered in good time to meet these demands, and were actually due for shipment from Germany about week alter war broke out. Since, how-and intimate knowledge which the|ever, they could not be delivered the Committee, as being in closer touch, next best thing was to get others to has. Opposition not infrequently arises from a lack of knowledge of the subject replace them in the shortest possible oime. The need of transformers wae
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.