LITTLE RAIN AT COLERIDGE.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20039, 22 September 1930, Page 11

LITTLE RAIN AT COLERIDGE.

COLERIDGE.

ONLY .231 N. RECORDED SUDDEN CHANGES IN WEATHER. LAKE LEVEL MAINTAINED. Only .23in of rain had fallen in the watershed of the Harper river on Saturday evening, when the weather veered from north-west to north-east, and thence to south-west. Last evening, it was calm and cloudy at Lake Coleridge, and no further rain had fallen during the day. In the meantime, the level of the lake has been maintained for. Six days in succession, and there is a temporary rise in the inflow from tho Harper river. In summary, the position is now.— Saturday. Sunday. Lake level .. I,SSS.Bft 1,668.8 ft (steady) Flow of Harper river 290cu3ecs 320cusec* (riling) Rainfall .. Nil. .23in Total output .. 262,093 units 23G.C30 units Max. demand 17,300 k.w. 15,820 k.w. Note: Units and maximum demand »re calculated to 12 o'clock on previous night. Temporary Improvement. On Friday evening and until noon on Saturday, a light north-west wind was blowing at the Harper river, giving promise of a heavier 'storm and rain. In the afternoon the wind changed to north-east, and thero was a slight drizzle, followed by heavier rain in the night. The weather then changed to the south-west, and the sky was overcast all day yesterday. The rainfall for the 24 hours ended at 9 a.m. was only .23in, quite inadequate for anything but a temporary improvement. The inflow from the Harper river, which. had fallen to 290 cusees on Saturday morning (a" fall of 65. cusees in two days), was yesterday morning restored to 320 cusecß. The output from the Coleridge power-house showed aa in- • crease of nearly 10,000 units for the 24 hours ended at midnight on Friday,, but in the following 24 hours it showed '

a considerable fall, partly because the day was Saturday. The maximum demands show decreases on both days. In announcing its bulletin on Saturday, the sub-committee set up by the conference of supply authorities urged that the position was serious, and that,,, if 'there was no improvement in the 1 ' • level of the lake, the full meeting of the committee, which had been Called for 3 o'clock to-day, would be forced to make further restrictions for conserving power. ■ » "

No Men Out of Work. Although as a member of the deputation which waited on the Minister for" Public Works (the Hon. W. B. Taverner) on Friday, Mr J. McCombs, s M.P., stated that a number of men had already been 'put out of employ- - ment by the power shortage, the Publie Works Department has not manufacturers to reduce their staffs, nor is it likely to have to do so. Aulse- ' brook and Company, Ltd., which closed for three days last week,'took ibis step, on their own initiative, partly because they were fully stocked. No economies * or restrictions have yet been asked , which involve putting off of men. I A number of employees -of the, Christchurch Tramway Board are under notice -, of temporary dismissal if the tramway •" services have to be reduced, but not one ': so far has been put off. It was stated '; by the chairman (Mr H. T. Armstrong,;; M.P.) that the Lyttelton Harbour,"Board's electric capstans ' were not being used, but this restriction, It itunderstood, has not been put into effeeti\ .- t The reversion to a steam-service be* tween Christchurcb, and -Heatheote oh ,' the Lyttelton line has resulted in a '; saving of about 3000 units a day, Or. of .a continuous load of about 120 k,w, /_

The Stand-by Plant. "'^ The Department has already in, nand t .' plans for the steam plant which U to, *' be installed before, next winter as' &a auxiliary to Lake Coleridge. The loea-, tion has not yet been deeided. The '' plant must be as near as possible, .to .■ supplies of both coal and water, and : the selection of such a site Is diffioult. ~ No specifications of the N auxiliary .are * yet available, but it will h&veVtapaeiiy adequate for tho situation. v : ■> Churches Curtail T-%fttlng. , . Some of the churches in Chrißtchurea have decided, in view of the;'power ■' shortage, to discontinue evening ;,«eiH *- ; vices and hold them in the afternoon. '■ St.- Mary's (Papanui) and St.* kukeV-, have been carrying out this polieysince last Sunday, find it is possible that others will fall «into line next week if the shortage isjnot alleviated. In most cases the matter' has been • left to the discretion of individual minis- v ters, but many of them take up the attitude that in attending the churchjes i families effect a greater economy than * would result from the cessation o'f the evening services. A church attended" by 50 families uses only 10 lights, one Anglican clergyman pointed out. Many of the churches are economis- < ing in other directions. Power organs are being used as little as possible, and . galleries closed. Social functions are being postponed in many cases.