POWER FROM HORAHORA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18678, 7 April 1924, Page 12

POWER FROM HORAHORA.

CURTAILMENT AT EASTER. PROTESTS BY DAIRYMEN, [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] HAMILTON. Saturday. As the result of complaints at meetings of suppliers' committees connected with the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company, Limited, concerning the proposed action of the Public Works Department to cut off the electric power for four days at Easter from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., representations have been made to the department asking that the period during which power will not be available be shortened from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. A reply has been received from the district electrical engineer, Hamilton, stating that it was not possible to accede to the request. The importance of minimising interruptions in the , supply was recognised by the department, said the engineer, but the work to be done at .the power station at Horahora consisted of removing the wall between the old headrace and the extensions, which contained about 800 tons of concrete. Before any work could be done thg race had to be emptied, and a considerable amount of preparation undertaken, and before the power house could start up again all tools and material had to be removed and the race filled. The engineer said this made it difficult for the workmen to get more than six hours of work done in the ten hours, and the alterations suggested by the dairy company meant thafi only four hours' actual work would be done per day. When this reply was discussed at a meeting of suppliers at Waharoa yesterday, Mr. F. JS. Hughes, of Manuwaru, said that dairy farmers with large herds were going to bo placed under a severe hardship, and the scheme proposed by the Public Works Department meant that the farmers would be working in the dark at both milkings. The Waharoa committee decided to ask the dairy company to approach th 9 department * again, and point out that it would be better in the interests of the farmers to restrict the hours of closing to from 8 a.m. to 5 Tj.m., even if it took the department two Says extra to do the work.