ELECTRICITY COMMISSIONERS. The Electricity Commissioners (Great Britain) were established in 1920 under the provisions of the Electricity Supply Act, 1919, for the pur pose of promoting, regulating and supervising the supply of elec tricity in the United Kingdom (limited to Great Britain in 1922 on the transfer of Irish services). The objects of the Act, which was largely based on the findings of the Electric Power Supply Committee of the Board of Trade, were to secure improvement in the organization for the supply of electricity and to con solidate the administration of the then existing acts and orders relating to such supply.
The Act provided for the setting up of Electricity Commis sioners not exceeding five in number responsible to the minister of Transport, with powers and duties which are indicated later; and for the transfer to the minister of the functions of the Board of Trade under prior acts, orders, etc., relating to elec tricity supply. It enabled the minister to exercise any of such functions through the commissioners, and provided that the minister should refer to the commissioners for their advice all matters connected with the exercise of the functions transferred to him, subject to certain exceptions.
The annual expenses of the commissioners, in accordance with an estimate prepared by them and approved by the minister, are defrayed by a levy upon the authorized electricity undertakings in the country, the expenses being apportioned on the basis of the number of units sold by each undertaking.
The principal functions of the commissioners are : (a) The preparation of technical schemes for the concentration of gen eration and the provision of main transmission systems, to be carried out by the Central Electricity Board constituted by the Act of 1926; and where necessary, the formation of electricity districts for the reorganization of supply therein under joint electricity authorities; (b) The sanctioning of the borrowing of money for such schemes by the Central Electricity Board, joint electricity authorities and municipal supply authorities; (c) The giving or withholding of consent to the erection of any new or the extension of any existing generating station other than a private station; (d) The granting of orders to authorize the supply of electricity in specific areas, the compulsory acquisition of land, etc.; (e) The framing of Regulations relating to the sup ply of electricity; (f) The prescribing of annual statements of account for all supply authorities, the collection of statistics, etc.
The commissioners advise the minister of Transport in the exercise of his powers connected, inter alia, with the granting of consents to the erection of overhead lines; the revising of maxi mum prices for electricity; the revocation of electricity powers in case of default, etc.; and reports to parliament on the provi sions of private bills relating to the supply of electricity.