Saving for a rainy day

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33453, 7 February 1974, Page 12

Saving for a rainy day

The concessions extended to Christchurch during the Com unonwealth Games have come to an end; Christchurch must join the rest of New Zealand in an e.ffiort to avert a serious power crisis this winter. From today the restrictions on lighting for advertising and for commercial displays — which were imposed on the rest of the country on January 7 — v zill be enforced, in Christchurch. From Monday, throughout New Zealand, television hours will be curtail ed and the hours and intensity of street lightin;? will be reduced. But the savings from these measur es will not reduce over-all consumption by the 5 per cent judged necessary by the Electricity Department. The Minister of Electricity (Mr McGuigan) has asked householders to reduce their consumption by 10 per cent. The threat of winter shortages is so serious that every householder should' heed thi s plea.

The shortage of oil and the dry summer could not have been predicted; recriminations by political parties a. re pointless, and argument between those who favour economic growth and those who have tried to protect the countryside against the full exploitation of New Zealand’s hydro-electric resources is not relevant, ’.rhe great majority of consumers will have to make do with less electricity than they want, regardless of extreme points of view. The problem is not one of’ restricting growth; it is a matter of keeping the economy going at its present momentum. Last year, throughout the country, business firms co-operated well with the supply authorities in reducing their use of electricity. Domestic consumers were much less co-operative. The simple devices for saving power — putting out unnecessary lights, being frugal in the use of hot water, defrosting refrigerators regularly and opening their doors less often, improving the insulation of houses before winter — are worth while. If every consumer made such efforts to save electricity the effects would be dramatic: New’ Zealand would be spared power cuts in the winter months.

A community which works well because its members co-o perate voluntarily is much to be preferred to one in which compulsion is necessary. Industry should be guaranteed the electricity it needs to safeguard the full employment which has spared New Zealand so many of the social ills that plague other countries. Eventual!}’, New’ Zealanders will have to face up to a need to use energy, and other resources, more efficiently — even when the weather and international, politics are more favourable than they have been in recent months. The immediate need is much simpler, and by following the advice of the Minister and his department, many New Zealanders will probably discover that shallower baths, economy of lighting, and care in the use of all household appliances do not diminish their comfort More important, these savings will protect the employment and production on which their standard of living depends.