POWER SHORTAGE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 50, Issue 149, 5 April 1930, Page 8

POWER SHORTAGE.

RESULT OF DROUGHT. NEWi PLYMOUTH CONDITIONS* (Per Press Association.) NEW PLYMOUTH, April 4, New Plymouth is suffering very, serious inconvenience owing to a shortage of hydro-electrio power. Normally the Borough Council's own supply is supplemented by power from- theTaranaki Power Board's station at Tariki, but, owing to the xiyer being low, Tariki cut off the supply to New Plymouth on Friday,. Street lights have been off since Saturday night, together with the community shop lighting system, and. the tram service was completely suspended from 11 a.m. to noon yesterday. Only two trams were run for the rest of the day, and the service was suspended again in the evening from 7 to 10 p.m. In order to cope with the traflio, a service of borough buses and private buses has been running to the tram time-table. The position was the same The power available during the day has been cut off at intervals for 10 or 15 minutes to allow the plant to pick up These breaks during the day have caused much inconvenience in factories and workshops relying on electric power. Some factories are starting work earlier in the morning. > Following a motor-car hitting a stationary and unlighted tramcar at nifiiht when the power was suddenly stopped, the trams now carry hurricane lamps as a warning to motorists. The local broadcasting station, 2Yts, has been closed until a regular supply of power is assured. A SERIOUS POSITION. PALMERSTON N., April 4. Mr J W. tDeem, director of the Fields Division of the Department of Agriculture, who has just returned from an extensive tour of the North. Auckland, Waikato and Taranaki districts states that ram is badly needed throughout the whole country. .Last March was the driest for many years, in some districts for over 50 years.