LOCAL BODIES TO DISCUSS POWER ALLOCATION

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 9, 8 July 1949, Page 5

LOCAL BODIES TO DISCUSS POWER ALLOCATION

Dissatisfied with the present allocation of power to Whakatane and to this part of the Bay of Plenty generally, the Whakatane County Council has decided to call a meeting of local bodies at Opotiki and Whakatane to discuss the question and, if possible, find some way of having the quota increased to meet the demand.

Because they considered the pow.er allocation authorities did not realise the true position councillors condemned the present midnight cuts, and suggested the Bay of Plenty was being rationed to the benefit of other districts.

The position was such at Whakatane that there was usually not even ■enough hot water to wash dishes, the chairman, Mr J. L. Burnett, declared. Through the cuts water heaters were off, on an average of 13 hours each day. Not Getting Fair Deal

“When travelling about the country and seeing the amount of electricity made available to other districts I came to the conclusion that Whakatane is not getting a fair deal in the allocation of power,” he added. “If there are restrictions in other towns they are not obvious to the visitor. If that is the case then it should be the same at Whakatane.” To have a bath now meant going back to the camp oven days, Mr Burnett said. It was useless relying on the electricity and water had to be heated in a copper. “It is -"hot a fair pop. Taking the increase in population and the ex-

pansion of the district into consideration I think we are' entitled to more power.” He considered that the best action to take was for all local bodies in the Bay of Plenty to combine and send a very strong protest to the power authorities in Wellington.

Mr Burnett said that it was common knowledge that the power board was doing its best, but he thought that more would be accomplished by a united action.

Worst In New Zealand Cr D. C. Butler said that the Bay of Plenty was the worst place in New Zealand for cuts. The individual quota system had been employed with some success in other places and he thought the same could be done at Whakatane. He believed that there was ' no shortage of power and really no need for cuts, Cr R. F. Wardlaw declared. Whakatane was being made to suffer so that other places like Wellington could have power. There appeared to be no cuts there and no lack of electricity. At the present time, Cr A. F. MeGougan said, Whakatane people could only have one bath a week and then it took a week for the water to heat up again. It was pointed out by one councillor that the whole of the Bay of Plenty needed a bigger quota. There were no cuts and no rationing system in Wellington. If that could be done there, then the same could be done at Whakatane. The whole country should be treated alike.

There was a lot of power being wasted Cr W. Hunter said. He thought that steps should be taken to make consumers save.

Cr Butler: Bring in the individual quota system and people will have to live within their quota. It was then decided to discuss the question with other local bodies as soon as possible to find what action could be taken.