POWER SHORTAGE EASES

Chronicle (Levin), 6 March 1946, Page 8

POWER SHORTAGE EASES

;* BIG STRAIN ON SYSTEM WELLINGTON, March 5. The shortage of eleetrie power easecl a little todav with slightlv wanner weather over most of the Xorth Island. but the utinost eeonomy by al! consuniers is still necessary. The failure of a nnit at Arapuni and a fault in one of the boilers at the Evans Bay steani stalion in Wellington meant that 25,000 kilowatts of power were lost from a system alreadv seriouslv handieapped oy ou-k f)f water at the hydro stations. The repairs at Arapuni are expected to Uike three weelts and at Evans Bay at least a week, [lossibiv more. "If evervone had done what they were asked to do, we would not have got into this trouble," said Mr. A. C. A. ('aldwell, district electrical engineer of the Works Department, at Hamilton today. ''The weather was eohl yesterday and instead of the iO per cent. reduction of load, for whieh we asked, there vvas an inerease. A 10 per cent. reduetion would have enabled us to manage without the generator whieh failed. As it is, this is the toughest time we have ever had." The restrictions imposed on Wellington yesterday were severe, said the general manager of the City Electricity Department (Mr. L. B. Hutton), for the figure set as tlte permissable deinand was about half what the demand would normally have reached on such an afternoon. Gonsidering the briet notice, he was pleased with the response made by the consumers. The voltage was reduced ali dav to a not unreasonulile degree in view of the circumstances, and though admittedly the iigiits were not so bright, it was a comparativelv painless treatnient for an acute condition. Direct calls were made on larger consumers and on some who did not respond without abrupt prompting.