N'.Z. POWER BOARDS NOT AGREED ON CUTS QUESTION

Grey River Argus, 20 March 1947, Page 5

N'.Z. POWER BOARDS NOT AGREED ON CUTS QUESTION

WELLINGTON, Mar. 19. No submissions have been made to the Government by the Electric Power Boards’ and Supply Authorities’ Association of New Zealand concerning the cessation of domestic water heating as a means of meeting the power crisis. The explanation is that there is a considerable difference of opinion among the boards and authorities on the necessity for this course of action which would be bound to be highly unpopular and equally certain to cause great inconvenience and hardship to large numbers of consumers. When the emergency committee of the. Association decided yesterday upon a number of power conservation recommendations, the question of domestic water-heating was omitted and left open for discussion with the State Hydro-Electric Department.

Later, when the commitee presented its recommendations to the Department, its members found that the Government already proposed to issue an order dispensing with domestic water heating. Numbers of power boards and supply authorities were reported to be flatly opposed to the elimination of water heating, even for a brief period, generally thought to be about two months. On the other hand, other boards and authorities consider that this course of action would be justified in the national emergency. The association hopes that the Minister of Works, Mr. Semple, will take an early opportunity of making a frank expression of the situation. Three points on which specific information is desired are: Technical means of conserving power, how long conservation will be necessary, and why there has not been sufficient coal at the Evans Bay (Wellington land King’s Wharf (Auckland) power plants.