Time to Save Power

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26064, 17 March 1950, Page 6

Time to Save Power

The general manager of the State Hydro-electric Department (Mr Davenport) has warned that unless rain falls soon in the South Island catchment areas the present consumption of electricity will have to be reduced. He has, it appears, been giving this advice to local authorities “ for some weeks ”. It is regrettable that neither the State department nor the local supply authorities have seen fit to make this information public, because only a public which knows the facts of the power situation and understands their meaning can help the authorities to guard what may prove to be an inadequate supply of water to meet the winter power demand. Voluntary power saving now, by conserving water behind the dams, may help to tide over a winter power shortage. This is

net to suggest that power restrictions or rationing should be imposed before such measures become necessary; the need now is for public co-operation in avoiding waste and in using power economicelly. The South Island has had a succession of very favourable winters, heavy nor’-west rains keeping the lakes at a high' level. In a normal winter, months may go by without heavy rain in the catchment area. There is. no doubt that an abnormally dry winter now would cause considerable power difficulties. Heavy rains may transform the position, but they cannot he counted upon. What can be counted upon, however, is a heavy winter demand for electric power. Surely it is no more than common sense to suggest that the should be bent to the certain—that the public should be asked to make reasonable savings now. If nor’-west rains later refill the lakes these savings will have proved unnecessary; but if there is no relief of this kind qvery gallon of water saved now will mean extra units of electricity available in the depth of whiter and a less stringent scale of rationing.