Orders of the Day — ELECTRICITY (SUPPLY) BILL [Lords].

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons am ar 25 Gorffennaf 1922.

Danfonwch hysbysiad imi am ddadleuon fel hyn

Mr. THOMSON:

May I ask his attention to Section 12, which we are seeking to amend? Section 12 says: A joint electricity authority shall have power to supply electricity within their district subject to the following limitations, that is to say, the authority shall not supply electricity in any part of the area of supply of a power company for any purpose for which the company are therein authorised to supply electricity without the consent of the company. It goes on to say, the consent of the company may be withheld on certain conditions. The whole substance of my speech and of my objection to this Clause is that the conditions under which that consent may be withheld are radically altered; Section 12 of the 1919 Act says that consent may be withheld in an area of supply, quite apart from any generating station, if the power company are not prepared to supply at a reasonable price, and a reasonable price means on the same terms practically as the joint electricity authority or authorised under-takikng can supply. Now you alter that condition entirely, and the power company can withhold its consent to the joint electricity authority supplying in their area of supply if the power company can show that they are willing to supply on these new terms, and the new terms are not a question of reasonable price, but of giving an adequate return on the capital expended.