HOSPITALS AND ESSENTIAL INDUSTRIES PROTECTED

Chronicle (Levin), 21 March 1947, Page 8

HOSPITALS AND ESSENTIAL INDUSTRIES PROTECTED

WELLINGTON, Marcli 20. A definite obligation to ensure that sufficient electricity is supplied for hospitals, cool stores, freezing works, dairy factories, railway signald and farming purposes is imposed on the electric supply authorities by the Electricity Control Order requiring them to reduce their weekly unit consumption of electricity by 20 per cent. on the quota allocated hy the Electricity Controller for this year if it hecomes necessary for the supply authorities to disconnect power used for the thermal. storage. water-heat-ing service which for the purpose of the order is described~as any waterheating service in which heated water is stored or renjains in a container With a capacity of more than three gallons. There will be a number of exemp tions from this restriction. The ordei states that power shall not be diseon nected if it is used to heat water foi farming or dairy factory purposes, foi any industrial or commercial purpos*

for the purposes of any hospital or surgery, of any medical praetitioner, lentist or veterinary surgeon, or the purposes of any hotel, boardinghouse, lodginghouse, apartment house, reptaurant or eating house. " "For the"" purpose of disconnecting water heating services any authorised ofticer may enter on any premises to ascertain Avhether such service is installed and to disconnect it. It shall be lawful for the supply authority until disconnection of every such service is completed to employ on this work any of its eleetrical • servieemen or wiremen and any person usually employed by it on outdoor work. The ehief executive offieer of the supply authority may on application. made to him for reconnection of any such service authorise this to be done if he is satisiied that refusal of the application wonld by reason of sickness or iniirmity of the ' applicant, or of some member of applicant's family, cause substantial hardship to any person. No fee is to be charged for .disconnection or re-eonnec-tion of water heating service. Far heavier cuts in power than those at present operating will come iuto force in Wellington city and suburbs within the next day or so. Thoy will follow the issue by the Government . today of the Electricity Control Order requiring the supply authorities to redpce their weekly unit consumption by .20 per cent. on this year's quota. The City Eleetrical Engineer (Mr, R. 3, Maunder) said this evening that the existing schedule of power cuts as already an- • nounced would continue' until anotlieT! modification of the schedule was .made! ■ This would probably be done ths • weekend. The major cuts wonld hav? to come in next week.