RATIONING OF POWER

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27443, 1 September 1954, Page 10

RATIONING OF POWER

CHANGE AT PRESENT NOT WARRANTED

GENERAL MANAGER’S. VIEW

In the existing circumstances there was no occasion for any change in the degree of rationing, the General Manager of the State Hydro-electric Department, Mr A. E. Davenport, said in Wellington yesterday. As he saw the position it was very necessary to maintain rationing, for only as a result of rationing and better flows was the department able to hold' reserves, but there was no reason for increasing the degree of rationing unless there was a drastic change in the inflows into storage areas—that was if there was a freeze-up. With the season getting further advanced, he said, the draw-off from storage areas had recently declined quite substantially. In recent weeks the weekly draw-off had been down to 3,700,000 and 2,700,000 units, which was in contrast with 10,000,000 and 11,000,000 units earlier in the season. There had also been an improvement in flows into storage areas. For the week ended August 8 the inflow into the Waitaki basin had been 52.5 per cent, of normal, for the week ended August 15 69.7 per cerft. of normal, for the week ended August 22 97.1 per cent, of normal, and for last week 80.9 per cent, of normal, a decline due to a fall of snow in the back country.

In the 24 hours ended at 9'a.m. yesterday water held in storage lor generation of electricity in the South Island declined by 380,000 units to 36,550,000 units. ‘‘There is no indication of any improvement in the position,” said an official of the State Hydro-electric Department in Christchurch yesterday. Cold south-westerly weather had been experienced in the back country, he said. Four inches of snow had fallen at Lake Tekapo, but he had received a report stating that there were signs of a clearing. Under these conditions there was a likelihood of freezing.- ‘ In the Municipal Electricity Department’s area power consumption was 0.9 per cent, within the allocation for the 24 hours up to 9 a.m. yesterday. The chairman of the Christchurch City Council’s electricity committee, Cr. George Manning, told the meeting of the council on Monday evening that a meeting of the emergency committee would be held on Thursday (tomorrow) unless the power position improved before that time.