POWER SUPPLY INTERRUPTED.

Putaruru Press, 5 January 1928, Page 4

POWER SUPPLY INTERRUPTED.

TROUBLE AT HORAHORA. Inconvenience to Farmers. Considerable annoyance has been caused to farmers and residents in the Morrinsville district through interruptions to the electric power supply during the early part of the week. On Sunday, Monday and Tuesday many of the farmers were compelled to milk by hand, due to the failure of the supply, a task which, always irksome, is still less welcomed on a holiday.

The poor supply is consequent upon the diversion of the Waikato river on Sunday to its new course at the Arapuni power works. The unexpect-edly-large amount of silt that has eroded from the new bed blocked the two screens at the intake chambers at the Horahora works and made them for a time unworkable. It was found necessary to use only one screen while the other was being cleaned, so that only half the usual power supply was available. Between 4 a.m. and 4 p.m. Horahora’s usual supply is 4000 k.w. and the actual amount available is only 2000 k.w. Morrinsville and the surrounding district is now being fed from the Grand Junction mine, Waihi. There are two circuits from the Waihou sub-station, No. 1, feeding Ngarua, Diagonal road, Kereone, Kiwitahi, Motumaoho and through Morrinsville to Waihou again, and No. 2, which feeds Springdale, Tahuna, Hoe-o-tainui, Mangateparu and Tauhei. The power is not sufficient to supply these two circuits simultaneously, so they have been fed alternately at intervals of between an hour and an hour and a-half.