BAY OF PLENTY BEACON Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1949 POWER CUTS PENDING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 53, 14 February 1949, Page 4

BAY OF PLENTY BEACON Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1949 POWER CUTS PENDING

Unless we cut our power consumption in this district considerably within the" next few days, power cuts will be imposed without further warning—and they will be severe cuts. Mr F. W. Lysaght, Borough electrical engineer, left no doubt about that in a statement he made to the Beacon for publication.

But it is not his fault, not the fault of the Council. At this moment and in this locality, it is the fault of individual consumers. If we seek the reason for the Dominion-wide shortage, we can lay the blame elsewhere, but we cannot help ourselves at this stage with useless recriminations. 1

This is a time for drastic, selfdisciplinary action. As has been repeatedly mentioned in these columns, Whakatane, on account of its phenomenal progress over the past few years, has outgrown both its residential capacity and its services. That fact does not seem

to be fully realised outside, with the result that it is often difficult to get the consideration that our just claims deserve. To a degree that is so with elec-

ric power. The bulk allocation

to this district is inadequate, and based on statistics that the rapid growth of our district has.rendered obsolete.. Still, there is no immediate prospect of improvement in the bulk supply position, and our problem in that regard is by no means unique. That means we must make the best'of what we have, and use it with a full appreciation of its scarcity.

Many do not realise that any over-consumption now will be debited against this district in the winter, when correspondingly more drastic cuts will'have to be imposed to keep the average right in the months when the need is greater and the supply to each household of more vital importance even than it is right now.

Present economy is only possible assurance of future supply.

We have experienced 'he inconvenience of power cuts here before. We have had some narrow escapes this summer. Unless we take Mr Lysaght s warning seriously and act upon it, we have no chance of escaping without unprecedentedly drastic cuts in the coming winter. Already there have been two warnings from the Electricity Controller. We shall do well to remember that the Electricity Controller has too big a job, too heavy a responsibility, 10 worry too much about the personal inconvenience of citizens in a small and, in his eyes, no doubt relatively unimportant community such as this.

That, he feels rightly, should be our own concern. \ And he has told us we had better do something about it.