EFFORTS OF BOROUGH COUNCIL TO INCREASE POWER ALLOCATION AT WHAKATANE OUTLINED BY MAYOR

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 2, 22 June 1949, Page 5

EFFORTS OF BOROUGH COUNCIL TO INCREASE POWER ALLOCATION AT WHAKATANE OUTLINED BY MAYOR

As a reply to recent published correspondence in the Beacon about the power situation at Whakatane the Mayor, Mr ,B. S. Barry, has released the following statement concerning the efforts of the Borough Council during the last few months to have the power allocation increased. Mr Barry refutes many of the statements of some correspondents and outlines the power position as it stands today. He says:—

“The Council has for a considerable time been making strenuous efforts obtain an

increased allocation.

“In October, 1948, an application containing very strong representations was made to the Allocation Committee. These representations were backed up with facts and figures such as the war-time black out restrictions, the increase in population, the number of new houses erected, the increase of electrical instalations, the large number of applications for electrical installations which the Council had been unable to grant, r “No Further Increases”

“An increase of four per cent was allowed and even though this was greater than most supply authorities received, it was still not enough. No further increase however, could be obtained. “During the period that the 10.30 p.m. cut has been imposed the consumption has exceeded the allocation by an average of 7.11 per cent over the whole period. Even if the Allocation Committee now allowed an increase of eight per cent the present restrictions would still have to be imposed in order to keep within the allocation. As there is not any chance of receiving an extra eight per cent it will be seen that unless there is a considerable saving further restrictions will be necessary.

“The amount of allocation is not in the hands of the Controller, it is decided by a Committee. Two members of the Supply Authorities Association are members of this Committee.

“Rationing schemes have not been an unqualified success in other places. If one had been instituted in Whakatane it would have been much more severe on most consumers than the present restrictions. At the present time, even with the water heating restrictions, 54 per cent of the domestic con- ■ sumption is taken up by water heating. “As the water heating is already severely rationed any further rationing will have to come out of the commercial, consumption and the remaining 46 per cent of the domestic consumption. It will be easily seen that for the rationing to be effective the use of power would be far more curtailed than it is at the present time. Long Honrs & Hard Work

“Many long hours . and much hard work have been put in by the Council and its staff studying rationing schemes and endeavouring to find a solution to the problem. Not many people realise the immense amount of office work that would be involved in the institution .of a rationing scheme, which would be fair to all and not penalise the consumer who has been endeavouring to conserve power.

“The borough office staff is, at the best of times, inadequate and with the first assistant away on two months sick' leave, J the Council is satisfied after going very thoroughly into the matter that It would be impossible to put a rationing scheme into effect. “Whakatane is not the only place which has an inadequate allocation. Most towns, which have made phenomenal growth such as we have, are labouring under the same disadvantages. The consumption of electricity in the Whakatane Borough in the past 12 years has, even with restrictions, increased by approximately 250 per cent. Appointing An Inspector

“The Council is appointing an Inspector who will investigate all cases where the monthly consumption of the consumer is unduly high and Who will inspect premises to prevent .wastage and to ascertain whether unauthorised appliances such as radiators are being used. “To briefly summarise the position.

“The Council has for a period considerably longer than the two months mentioned by one correspondent endeavoured to obtain an increased allocation. An increased allocation, as I have endeavoured to show, will not save restrictions. “The consumers themselves can assist to a large extent to obviate the necessity of further restrictions. The consumers of this district have not up to now, with the exception of the water heating, suffered very severe restrictions.

“The Council cannot supply more power than it can obtain and it has done everything possible to obtain

more power and to utilise that which it has obtained to the best advantage,” the statement concludes.