MANGAHAO WATER SHORTAGE

Shannon News, 20 January 1928, Page 4

MANGAHAO WATER SHORTAGE

WAIKAREMOANA ONLY ADE- \ QUATE SOURCE OF RELIEF. STREET LIGHTING MAY BE RESTRICTED. The significance of the present water shortage at the Mangahao electric works was referred to at the meeting of the Horowhenua Power Board yesterday. The chairman (Mr Monk) drew attention to this condition, a factor in which, he pointed out, was the circumstance that the new dam was not completed in time to catch the spring rains. He stated that the Board's engineer (Mr Smith) had made every effort to flatten the peak load and so help the Department by restricting the demand on the water power. The chairman thought that Mr Smith had been successful in this respect to the extent of inducing some of the larger consumers to change over to the night load. This change, however, brought those consumers on to a lower rate, and* so the revenue of the Board would probable be affected. While the Board was anxious to assist the Department over this crisis, members must not lose sight of the prospective financial loss. Mr W. E. Barber: Will they meet us on that point

The Chairman: If this is continued we may have to ask them to meet us to some extent. We also have to hear in mind the fact that-we have a pretty high consumption in this district. We can only hope that it will not come to an ■ absolute crisis, where the power has to be cut down. The chairman added that it had been suggested to him by Mr Smith that the street lights might be restricted as to hours instead of, being given an all-night service. The Department had asked that this might be done; and during the fine weather it could be done without any inconvenience. '

Mr A. Seifert remarked that if all the Boards that were drawing supplies from Mangahao effected a restriction of the street lighting, a large saving of current would be brought about, as the district now served extended from Wanganui to Wellington, to the Wairarapa, and up to Napier. For the Board the transferring of power consumption to the night load, was really a serious matter. However, the outlook for the- Department was also a serious one, and the Board had to do what it could to help. The position was hardly what they had anticipated, and there might be a shock awaiting the Board at the end of the year when the finances showed the effect of reducing the receipts without reducing the expenses. Mr Morse: Is there likely to be a recurrence of the trouble after the top dam is completed?

The Chairman: I don't think so. Mr Seifert: Waikaremoana power wi' come on later.

The Chairman: The top dam holds more than the other two together, but the stand-by plant will not go out' until Waikaremoana comes on; that is quite evident now. He added that the Department, in taking the surplus power to Hawkes Bay, had misrated the position as far as Boards in this district were concerned, and now the Department was finding a difficulty in fulfilling its obligations in Hawkes Bay. Waikaremoana could have been speed-ed-up much faster than it had been. The key to the position was the time when Waikaremoana could be added to this system. The demand had evidently grown somewhat faster than' the Department anticipated.