Time to Stop Power Drift

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26120, 24 May 1950, Page 6

Time to Stop Power Drift

In his weekly review of the power situation (printed yesterday), the general manager of the State Hydro-electric Department confirmed that at the present rate of power consumption and inflow to the lakes which feed the hydroelectric stations the South Island’s “ usable ’’ water storage will be exhausted by the end of July. The department obviously cannot allow this deterioration to continue. If the South Island were forced, in the most severe months of the winter, to subsist from day to day on the power that could be generated from each day’s river flows without assistance from storage, there would have to be power cuts on an unprecedented scale. Industry would be dislocated, domestic and other consumers would have to put up with extreme inconvenience and possibly hardship, and “ peak-loading ” difficulties might interfere with the ’supply of power to essential services. The situation calls for vigorous action by both the department and the local supply authorities. An improvement in the water supply cannot be I counted upon; on the contrary, if the winter in the high country is severe the present low river flows may be still further reduced. Unless there is heavy and sustained rainfall in the catchment areas very soon, the department will be bound to cut still further into the allocations to supply authorities. That will be uncomfortable for every user of electricity; but no one should object because of discomfort.. The alternative is almost certain hardship and economic loss later. But the time has come for the department to do more than fix allocations. It should see that local supply authorities keep within them. One of the reasons for the

heavy draw on storage in the last few weeks is that allocations have been exceeded—by 5.41 per cent. last week, 7.91 per cent, the week | before. It may be true that it is! easier for some authorities to keep J within the allocations than it is for i others. Some have succeeded bet- t ter than others in securing the co- ' . operation of their consumers; but ; all have the same responsibility. It is time the department told authori- ; ties which are unreasonably exceeding their quotas that they will ( be debited, according to the degree ; of their excess, when rationing has j to be tightened later.