HUTT POWER BOARD

Evening Post, Volume CXXXV, Issue 67, 20 March 1943, Page 6

HUTT POWER BOARD

DEMAND FOR CURRENT

"It is ridiculous that with the shortage of labour we should be asked to answer such silly questions; they are silly because everyone knows that we as a board are not trying to .increase our load. On the one hand we have requests from the Government to keep down the consumption of electricity, and on the other demands from the Government to supply current to various war industries and hostels and to buildings erected by the Government," said Mr. J. W. Andrews at Thursday's meeting of the Hutt Valley Electric Power Board, referring to a letter asking for details of the demand for electric current for the coming year, and another letter pointing out that the board had increased its demand beyond the extent allowed. Mr. E. F. Hollands, Engineer-General Manager, said that for the past twelve months the board had been carrying out defence work and that the demand was extraordinary and was already working up to the figure of increase for the previous year. He gave details of defence demands and said that even the provision of cooking and heating facilities for the girls' hostel meant a very considerable load. He anticipated that the present year's demand would increase by 12J per cent., instead of the 10 per cent, allowed. Mr. R. W. Bothamley suggested that the board should refuse to connect up Government buildings; to which Mr. Hollands replied that the functions of the board in that direction were entirely over-ridden by the Government. I