POWER FAILURE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 20 January 1939, Page 6

POWER FAILURE

ANOTHER BLACKOUT IN WELLINGTON SERIOUS INCONVENIENCE IN HUTT VALLEY THOUSANDS OF WORKERS IDLE I United Press Associationl WELLINGTON, This Day. Wellington’s blackout at 9.20 and lasting till 9.35 last night was followed by a far more serious one at 1.55 this morning, for not until midday was the voltage restored in the city The load was taken over by the Evans Bay steam plant so that apart from a few minutes while the station was getting under way and the city load was being sectionised there was little inconvenience, but inconvenience in the Hutt Valley was very serious indeed. The cause was again the shorting of 110.000 volt power over salt-encrusted surfaces of insulators on the main transmission lines from Shannon to Khandallah.

A special force of Public Works linesmen from various parts of the Wellington area was added to by linesmen of the Hutt Valley Power Board, who worked all day yesterday cleaning salt crust from insulators on sixty odd miles of line, end are continuing to-day. A shower of rain would do the job in a few minutes, but there is no sign of rain.

Yesterday’s laborious pole and tower climbing and hand polishing covered twenty miles of one line only, and there are two lines over sixty miles long: but the salt crust is not bad over the whole length. The worst sections are apparently north af Paraparaumu.

Some thousands of workers in the Hutt Valley were thrown idle, and nearly all industry was at a standstill this morning Each of the large motor assembly plants are almost entirely dependent on electric supply as well as Wills. Ltd.. Slippers. Ltd., Lever Bros., and many other industries. In the railway workshops men were standing by cleaning machines and doing other odd tasks, but in the majority of factories the employees lost time. The managers of several factories express the opinion that the question of standby power for the Hutt Valley should receive some consideration, but it is recognised that iust because of one failure there is no need for panic and a standby plant might not be an economic proposition Heads of factories all agree, however that it is the duty of the authorities to give industries the earliest possible information regarding the probable length of failures It was pointed out that in case of war standby plants would be essential, as the destruction of hydro plants would bring all industry to a standstill

Some dislocation was caused to the Wellington-Johnsonville electric tram service A limited supply of power was made available to the railways from Evans Bay station this morning, and it was found possible to operate the line, but at considerably reduced speed.

Extra buses were sent out to Johnsonvillc to assist passenger transport, but were not required. It is understood the majority of the people reached the city in time for work