of general supply to private consumers under the provisional order or special Act or the Board of Trade regulations, and obliges them also to furnish and lay any electric lines necessary for supplying the maximum power with which any such owner or occupier is entitled to be supplied under the provisional order or special Act, provided that the owner or occupier himself defrays, if required by the undertakers, the cost of so much of the electric line as may be laid upon the property belonging to the owner or in possession of the occupier, and of so much of the electric line as it may be necessary to lay for a greater distance than 60 feet from any distributing main of the undertakers, although not on that property.

Every owner or occupier of premises requiring a supply must serve a notice on the undertakers specifying the premises in respect of which it is required, and the maximum power required, and the day on which the supply is to commence, which must not be earlier than a reasonable time after the service of the notice. He must also, if required by the undertakers, enter into a written contract with them to receive and pay for a supply of electricity, for at least 2 years, of such an amount that the payment to be made for the supply, at the rate of charge for the time being charged by the undertakers for a supply to ordinary consumers within the area of supply, shall not be less than 20 per cent. per annum on the outlay incurred by the undertakers in providing any electric lines required under this section to be provided by them for the purpose of the supply, and, if required by the undertakers, give to them security for the payment of all moneys which may become due to them by the owner or occupier in respect of any electric lines to be furnished by the undertakers, and in respect of electricity to be supplied by them.

The undertakers are empowered also to require security after they have given a supply in respect of any premises. The provision on this matter is similar to that in the case of gas under section II of the Gasworks Clauses Act, 1871.

If the owner or occupier of any premises uses any form

of lamp or burner, or uses the electricity supplied to him by the undertakers for any purposes, or deals with it in any manner, so as to interfere unduly or improperly with the efficient supply of electricity to any other body or person by the undertakers, the supply to such premises may be discontinued so long as the lamp or burner is so used, or the electricity is so used or dealt with.

It is further stipulated in section 27 that the undertakers shall not be compelled to give a supply to any premises unless they are reasonably satisfied that the electric lines, fittings, and apparatus therein are in good order and condition and not calculated to affect injuriously the use of electricity by the undertakers or by other persons.

Any difference arising under section 27 as to any improper use of electricity or as to any alleged defect in any lines, fittings, or apparatus is to be determined by arbitration.

Section 28 provides that the maximum power with which any consumer shall be entitled to be supplied shall be of such amount as he may require to be supplied with, not exceeding what may be reasonably anticipated as the maximum consumption on his premises. When a consumer has required a maximum power of any specified amount, he is not entitled to alter the maximum, except upon I month's notice to the undertakers, and any expenses reasonably incurred by the undertakers in respect of the service lines by which electricity is supplied to the premises, or any fittings or apparatus of the undertakers on the premises, consequent upon the alteration, are to be paid by the consumer to the undertakers. Any difference as to what may be reasonably anticipated as the consumption on the premises, or as to the reasonableness of the expenses, is to be determined by arbitration.

Section 29 requires undertakers who are not the local authority to supply electricity, if so required upon reasonable notice from the local authority, to any public lamps within 75 yards from any distributing main of the undertakers, in which they are for the time being required to maintain a current of electricity for the purposes of general supply under the provisional order or special Act or the

Board of Trade regulations. The supply is to be given in such quantities as the local authority may require.

Section 30 imposes penalties on the undertakers for failing to supply electricity to owners or occupiers or, where they are not the local authority, to the public lamps, or for failing to supply it in accordance with the Board of Trade regulations. A proviso is inserted to the effect that in no case shall any penalty be inflicted in respect of any default if the court are of opinion that the default was caused by inevitable accident or force majeure, or was of so slight or unimportant a character as not materially to affect the value of the supply.

CHARGES FOR ELECTRICITY.-Sections 31 to 34 deal with the price to be charged for electricity supplied.

Section 31 provides that the undertakers may charge for electricity supplied to any ordinary consumer (otherwise than by agreement) :

(1) By the actual amount of electricity supplied; or
(2) By the electrical quantity contained in the supply; or
(3) By such other method as may for the time being be
approved by the Board of Trade.

As originally enacted the section went on to provide that, where the method came under heading (3), and the consumer objected to it, he might by I month's notice in writing require the undertakers to charge him, at their option, by the method under heading (1) or that under heading (2), and thereafter they might not, except with his consent, charge him by any other method. This provision was, however, repealed by section 22 of the Electricity (Supply) Act, 1922.

Before commencing to supply through any distributing main for the purposes of general supply, the undertakers must give notice, if they are not the local authority, to the local authority, and, if they are the local authority, by public advertisement, by what method they propose to charge for supplies through that main, and, where they have given such notice, they may not change the method, except after I month's notice of the change has been

given by them, if they are not the local authority, to the local authority, and in any case to every consumer supplied by them from the main.

Section 32 provides that the prices shall not exceed those stated in that behalf in the provisional order or special Act, or, in the case of a method of charge approved by the Board of Trade, such price as the Board determine on approving the method.

Sub-section (2) of section 32 gave facilities for obtaining a revision by the Board of Trade of the maximum prices or the methods of charge at intervals of 7 years. Section 10 of the Electric Lighting Act, 1909, reduced the period to 5 years. Now, both sub-section (2) and section 10 are repealed by section 22 of the Electricity (Supply) Act, 1922, which makes a new provision as to revision of prices. This provision is to be applicable to all electricity undertakings, whether in the hands of local authorities or not, whether already established or not, and whether or not section 32 of the 1899 Act applies to them. The new provision is to the effect that, if either:

(a) the undertakers; or

(b) such number of consumers not less than twenty as the Minister of Transport considers sufficient, having regard to the population of the area of supply; or

(c) in a case where the local authority are not themselves the undertakers, the local authority; or

(d) in a case where the local authority are not themselves the undertakers and the area of supply is situate wholly or partly within the county of London, the London County Council,

at any time after the expiration of 3 years after the order or Act by which the prices or methods of charge are authorised comes into operation, make a representation to the Minister of Transport that the prices or methods of charge stated in such order or Act, or approved by the Minister, ought to be altered, the Minister, after such inquiry as he may think fit, may make an order varying the prices or methods of charge so stated or approved, or substituting other prices or methods of charge in lieu thereof,

and the prices or methods of charge so varied or substituted shall have effect, on and after such day as may be mentioned in the order, as if they had been stated in the order or Act by which the prices or methods of charge were originally authorised. A further alteration may be made in like manner at any time after the expiration of any or every period of 3 years after the last alteration.

Section 22 of the 1922 Act also enables undertakers who have, before the passing of that Act, obtained an order varying the price to be charged by them, to apply to the Minister of Transport for an order varying the methods of charge, notwithstanding that a period of 3 years has not elapsed since the making of the order varying the price. It further provides that where a joint electricity authority, such as is contemplated by the Electricity (Supply) Act, 1919, has been established, then, on any revision of prices to be charged by undertakers who receive a supply of electricity either directly or indirectly from that authority, regard shall be had to the benefit to the undertakers of any reductions in the cost of electricity attributable to the establishment of the authority.

Going back again now to the Electric Lighting (Clauses) Act, 1899, section 33 provides that, subject to the provisions of the provisional order or special Act, and the Electric Lighting Acts, 1882 and 1888, and to the right of the consumer to require that he shall be charged according to some one or other of the methods mentioned in section 31, the undertakers may make any agreement with a consumer as to the price to be charged for electricity, and the mode in which those charges are to be ascertained, and may charge accordingly.

Section 34 provides that, where the local authority are not themselves the undertakers, the price to be charged by the undertakers for all electricity supplied to the public lamps, and the mode in which those charges are to be ascertained, shall be settled by agreement between the local authority and the undertakers, and, in case of difference, shall be determined by arbitration, regard being had to the circumstances of the case, and the distributing or other