RADIO SERVICES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 251, 5 August 1941, Page 3

RADIO SERVICES.

RESTRICTED HOURS SUGGESTED. PLAN FOR SAVING POWER. (P.A.) AUCKLAND, August 4. The suggestion that the national and commercial broadcasting stations should operate on restricted hours in view oi the power shortage in the North Island is contained in a resolution passed by the Power Boards Association in Wellington. This was communicated to the Auckland Electric Power Board in a letter received at its meeting to-day. The letter from the association stated that before the resolution was forwarded to the Government it had been submitted to the Electricity Controller, who had requested an estimate of the saving in units.which would be effected if this resolution were put into operas xtion. As a result of investigation made by the Manawatu-Oroua Electric Power Board some years ago it was estimated that, considering the loading occasioned by the 250,000 radio licences then in force in the North Island, together with the additional lighting accompanying it, a demand up to 40,000 kilowatts would be created. With a shut-down of two hours a day in radio broadcasting there would he a saving of 80,000 units daily. It was also estimated that this saving would allow for the installation of an additional 16,000 ranges annually in the North Island alone. The letter concluded that the association was continuing negotiations with the Government. “If this were carried out it would mean 16,000 ranges a year, instead ol a lot of hot aii',” remarked Mr H. T. Goldie, when the letter had been received.

The chairman (Mr jlarhutt) said it was a question of diverting power from radio to cooking and other purposes. The number of ranges had been given merely as an illustration, and the saving might he used for industrial power plants.