D.—l.

So far only one of the four main cities —viz., Auckland—has been included in the inner area of an electric-power district, but of the secondary centres the cities of Wanganui and Palmerston North, and the boroughs of Timaru, Napier, Hastings, Blenheim, Greymouth, Gisborne, and Oamaru are included. The advantage of Power Board organization is more obvious to rural than to urban ratepayers, and yet the above position indicates that some of the more important centres have realized that it is to their advantage generally to be associated with the country in undertaking the work of reticulation of electric power on a comprehensive scale. Table VIII gives details of the gazetted date of constitution, the area, population, and rateable value of each of forty-five power districts already formed, also the amounts of the loans already authorized, and the voting on polls taken. The total amount of the loans authorized by the forty-one districts (including Bay of Islands not yet in service) which have taken polls is £13,344,700. The population of the districts concerned is 972,477 (including the population of separately licensed boroughs forming part of the electric-power district and represented on the Power Board), so that the loans authorized amount to £13-74 per head of population, as compared with £14-22 last year. The unimproved valuation of the districts is £208,121,505, the loans authorized amounting to 6-3 per cent, of the unimproved rateable value of the lands pledged as security for the loans. The aggregate voting at the polls totalled 76,160 for and 13,835 against the respective loan proposals. Table XI shows the capital outlay incurred by each Board up to the end of the financial year 1937-38, together with the revenue and annual expenditure. The total capital outlay by the forty Boards which are in operation is £13,607,497, practically all of which is on works in service. The gross revenue from the sale of electricity by these Boards was £2,580,956. The general result is a profit over the whole business of the Power Boards of £179,252 for appropriation to reserve funds, &c., after paying working-expenses and capital charges for interest, sinking fund, and depreciation. During the last year three of the Boards struck a general rate, which was collected in all cases, and the following table gives details of the rates levied and collected : —

Rates collected by Electric-power Boards for Year ended 31st March, 1938.

LOCAL ELECTRIC-SUPPLY SYSTEMS. Including the eight Government plants, there are now (31st March, 1938) forty-one public electricpower stations operating in the Dominion. Ninety-one local electric-supply authorities are directly engaged in the retail sale of electricity, and the following table shows the proportion using Government-generated power : —

103

—.—_ - . —JGeneral Rate. Availability Rate. Special Rates. j Name of Board j ; I Amount collected Levied. j Collected. Levied, j Collected. Levied. Collected. I ' ! d. £ £ d. £ £ Banks Peninsula .. 0-02 and 2,449* .. .. .. 2,449* 0-18 Malvern .. .. -fa 1,927* .. .. •• 1,927* Marlborough .. .. . • • • 128* .. •. 128* Manawatu-Oroua .. .. 25* .. .. •. • • 25* Otago .. .. .. 348* .. .. • ■ • • 348* Taranaki.. .. .. • • • • 25* .. .. 25* Wairoa .. .. A- 1 > 186* • • • • • • • • 1' 1®®* Totals, 1938 .. .. 5,935 .. 153 .. .. 6,088 1937 .. .. 13,358 130 .. .. 13,513 * Includes arrears for previous years.

Using Government Supply (63). . Class of Local Authority controlling No n-Govwnment Electric-supply System. g ! (g8)< Wholly. Partial. j Total. Power Board .. .. .. .. 29 (a) § 4 (b) (d) § 33 7 (c) § City Council operating own reticulation 3 (e) 2 (/) 5 1 (g) Borough Council operating own reticulation 12 (h) 7 (i) 19 9 (j) County Council operating own reticulation 2 (k) .. 2 3 (I) Town Board operating own reticulation .. 1 (m) 1 (n) 2 1 (o) Company .. . • • • • - • • • • • • 5 (?) Private .. ■ • • • • • ■ • • • • • (?) Tourist Department (Botorua) .. 1 • • 1 Public Works Department, Southland .. 1 (r) .. 1 49 14 63 28 V J Y 91 For notes, see next page.