HOPING FOR RAIN

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1074, 11 September 1930, Page 1

HOPING FOR RAIN

POWER PROBLEM SERIOUS IN CANTERBURY LAKE STILL FALLING Press Association CHRISTCHURCH, "Wednesday. No good news came from Lake Coleridge today. The weather was fine and clear, but the falling barometer gave hope for a northwesterly wind with rain. The level of the lake fell again to* day, but Public Works engineers are not now giving exact figures. Several meetings in the city today showed the concern of power-users. Retailers have agreed tentatively to cut out the late shopping night provided all retailers abide by the decision. Street lighting in the city tonight was cut down to a minimum. Most streets were in complete darkness, but a few lights still showed in Cathedral Square and at the busiest intersections. The picture theatres may be greatly affected by the power failure. All except the two newest theatres have stand-by plants, but these were installed for silent films and are not sufficiently powerful to operate talking pictures. The Drainage Board today ran its own suction gas pumping plant, but unfortunately it can carry only half the load. A new pump is being obtained for the water supply, but it cannot operate for some weeks yet. The most substantial economies ara possible in the domestic use of current, but the authorities are believed to be at a loss to discover how to enforce economies which would admittedly cause serious hardship.

| NO NEW STAND-BY PLANT GOVERNMENT’S DECISION Press Association. WELLINGTON, Wednesday. In reply to a question asked by Mr. ' E. J. Howard (Labour —Christchurch i South), the Acting-Prime Minister, the Hon. E. A. Re»tsom, stated in the ; House of Representatives today that ■ the Government did not intend at present to instal a steam Diesel or other t plant at Christchurch as a standby plant. In view of the dry winter period experienced this year the Government had already commenced work on the diversion of the Acheron River in order that the supply might be augmented. In view of the tact that the Waitaki power scheme, providing for an ultimate installed capacity of 75,000 h.p., was in such an advanced stage of construction and that it would be connected with the Lake Coleridge system, there would appear to be no ' necessity for Christchurch to harness the Waimakariri River for power. Moreover, the information at presj ent available would indicate that it was not the desire of the City of Christchurch to enter into such a large expenditure as would be involved in the Waimakariri scheme