POWER SHORTAGE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 74, 22 May 1945, Page 5

POWER SHORTAGE

POSITION LIKELY TO DETER-

lORATE

WARNING BY MAYOR

Discussing a letter from the Electricity Controller setting out the load control for 1945 His '9 Worship the Mayor at last Monday's meeting of the Whakatane Borough Council stated that from information he had received he understood that the position would become definitely worsie this year ; and consumers as a whole were asked to cooperate in the matter of conservation. Possibly all community lights and window display lights would have to be cut out.

Cr Warren asked what the real cause of the. continued shortage was due to. He queried very much the suggestion that tlie consumers' load had increased during the war.

Tile Mayor stated that consumption had definitely increased. In 19:57 when Whakatane possessed its own generating plant it generated only :iSO Iv.V.A. to meet the demands of the town. Now the same community absorbed 085 K.V.A.

Cr Sullivan pointed out that there had been a huge increase in the use of electrical devices even since the war and the same bulk supply had to be increased to maintain pace with the demand. It was estimated that the North Island was 200,000 K.V.A. behind the actual demand though in the South Island there was ample. The shortage could not be met. until such time as Karapiro was repaired and the additional unit at Waikaremoana completed.

"Why I said Cr Warren "was because, this Borough alone is short of 100 houses and these must be built eventually. It will all mean an extra demand on the power load."

The Mayor observed that, at the time the Borough was included in the P.W.D. the Government demanded that the whole plant be scrapped and that the full requirements be taken from the Government mains or none at all. Thus Whakatane was forced into an agreement when all that was actually required was a supplementary supply. They were suffering lor it now.