Power Board Pleased With Consumers' Help

Chronicle (Levin), 21 July 1949, Page 6

Power Board Pleased With Consumers' Help

It was rather interesting to note that the domestic load, which constituted two thirds of the board's eonsumption,1 had over the past three months increased over the same period last year by only three per cent., thus showing that consumers were co-operating 100 per cent., said the chairman of the Horowhenua Electric Power Board, Mr. T. G. Vincent, at yesterday's meeting of the board. He would like to publicly thank the consumers for without their aid and wholehearted co-operation in the rationing scheme the board could not have kept its load down so well. • On the other hand, he said, the commercial load had increased 20 per cent. and this had concerned him greatly. On going into the matter thoroughly, 'however, he arid the executive officers had found that half of this amount was attributable to a Government institution (the Levin Farm), which was growing in size all the time. The rural increase had been 12 per cent. for three months and for June 22 per cent., but he thought this was attributable to the fact that this year was an exceptioiial one for the dairy iarmer in that last May most of the herds were dried off and that was not the case this year.

Some Exceeded Ration. ; ^ The managing-secretary, Mr. R. A. Frederikson,; reported . that . the first periods in electricity rationing had been treated as a settliiig down period, but he felt that' it was necessary with the June readr ing to bring to the notice of consumers who had not kept within their quotas the need to make'a' reduction. Consequently a nUmber of consumers had been advised that their eonsumption had beSii excessive, and requested to make a reduction. He was pleased to "report that for • the south reading, covering approximately 3720 :accounts, 182 notices only were necessary. It would appear that in some cases rationing had been entir.e'Iy ignored, and a close check would be kept on those consumers not keieping within the -quota. The replies he had received showed that in many cases the increase ha.d been justified, mainly through sickness although 'there was one who was just not worrying about the rationing. .; The north was being done in'the same way, said Mr. Frederikson, but so far the position was not as bad as in the south. ! JHe had noticed a surprisingly low, eonsumption in power for water heaters outside the controlled area, ahd the offences in the main were for power other than water heatingl. With a total net revenue of £27,543, the statement for the first three months of the new firiancial year showed an increase of £1370 compared with last year. During iatter years heavy rationing had been in force, particularly during the first quarter, with the position lmproving for the remainder of the year. This year, however, rationing had not been so severe, but it was expected to continue throughout the year. Under the circumstances the comparative statement did not indicate the true trend of electricity saies. The engineer, Mr. J. F. Bryce, reported that the accumulated units purchased to the week endfng July 3 were 15,390,700, and the allocation was 15,041,700, the excess eonsumption being 2.3 per cent.