D.—l

The total amount of the loans authorized by the forty-one districts (including Bay of Islands not yet in active operation) which have taken polls is £14,162,202. The population of the districts concerned is 911,700 (including the population of separately licensed boroughs forming part of the electricpower district and represented on the power board), so that the loans authorized amount to £15-54 per head of population, as compared with £13-74 last year. The unimproved valuation of the districts is £210,215,311, the loans authorized amounting to 6-74 per cent, of the unimproved rateable value of the lands pledged as security for the loans. The aggregate voting at the polls totalled 76,957 for and 13,942 against the respective loan proposals. The total capital outlay by the forty Boards which are in operation is £14,328,671, practically all of which is on works in service. The gross revenue from the sale of electricity by these Boards was £2,846,053. The general result is a profit over the whole business of the Power Boards of £206,880 for appropriation to reserve funds, &c., after paying working-expenses and capital charges for interest, sinking fund, and depreciation. During the last year four of the Boards struck a general rate, which was collected in two cases, and the following table gives details of the rates levied and collected:—■

Rates collected by Electric-power Boards for Year ended 31st March, 1939.

LOCAL ELECTRIC-SUPPLY SYSTEMS. Including the eight Government plants, there are now (31st March, 1939) thirty-nine public electricpower stations operating in the Dominion with forty-eight classified as standby stations. 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 : —

98

General Rate. Availability Rate. Special Rates. Name of Board. Amount Levied. Collected. Levied. Collected. Levied. Collected. c °U® c ted. d. £ £ d. £ £ Banks Peninsula .. 0-02 and 2,284* .. .. .. .. 2,284* 0-16j Malvern .. .. y ? ¥ 1,877* .. .. .. .. 1,877* Marlborough. .. .. .. .. 82* .. .. 82* Manawatu-Oroua .. .. 9* .. .. .. 9* Otago .. .. .. 76* .. .. .. 76* Taranaki .. .. .. .. .. 26* .. .. 26* Waimea .. .. 10* .. .. .. .. 10* Wairere .. .. i and 20* .. .. .. .. 20* Wairoa .. .. .. 135* .. .. .. .. 135* Totals, 1939 .. .. 4,411 .. 108 .. .. 4,519 „ 1938 .. .. 5,935 .. 153 .. .. 6,088 * Includes arrears for previous years.

Using Government Supply (65). Class of Local Authority controlling Using Electric-supply System. | Non-Government Wholly. Partial. Total. Sll PPty < 26 )- Power Board .. .. .. .. 30 (a) § 3 (b) (d) § 33 7 (c) § City Council operating own reticulation 3 (e) 2 (/) 5 1 (g) Borough Council operating own reticulation 15 (h) 5 (i) 20 8 (j) County Council operating own reticulation 2 (k) .. 2 3 (I) Town Board operating own reticulation .. 2 (m) 1 (n) 3 Company .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 5 (o) Private .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2 (p) Tourist Department (Rotorua) .. 1 .. 1 Public Works Department, Southland .. 1 (q) .. 1 54 11 65 26 V J 91 For notes, see next page.