POWER SHORTAGE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 23, 12 November 1943, Page 5

POWER SHORTAGE

PROBLEM IN BOROUGH

INEQUALITY (>F ALLOCATION

The fact that so many persons withita the Whakatane Borough had had to be refused power connections during the past month owing to the limited supply available undter the rationings system now in operation was commented upon at the meeting of the Borough Council lasit Monday. The Electrical Engineer (Air F. W. Lysaght) stated that the Borough was using over its allocation already I . and it was therefore quite impossible to even consider linking up new units for consumption. The present allocation did not even meet the State housing demands and the Council was faced with a very serious and difficult problem unless a more liberal basis could. Be granted. Already the streets were only burning a light here and, there in order to help the position. Cr Armstrong: There's something definitely wrong somewhere. I was in. Thames recently and the streets there were a blaze of light. The position is most unfair! "The trouble is that the electric supply position has been allowed to drift by the authorities for so long,, that now we have got to start, to pay for it," said Cr Sullivan who went on to say that Wliakatane's allocation was .still based on the blackout, and compared with the inland towns this was most unfair and the Council should try to get it corrected. He mentioned also that if the position was already so acute in the summer what was it going to be like in the winter. He understood, that applications were in hand for something like 15 to 18 ranges to be connected up and all had been turned down on account of the limited supply.

The matter was left with Cr Sullivan and the Town Clerk to make representations regarding a fairer basis of allocation.