EMERGENCY EXISTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25215, 30 May 1945, Page 6

EMERGENCY EXISTS

APPEAL TO CONSUMERS MINISTER'S STATEMENT (P.A.) W.ELLINGTON, Tuesday The Minister of Supply and Munitions, Mr Sullivan, announced today that, commencing on Thursday, all consumers throughout the North Island are requested to reduce electrical consumption by at least 10 per cent throughout the whole day. This restriction will apply from Monday to Friday in each week and a cut of 5 per cent will be made on Saturdays. The Minister says: "The river ports of Westport and Greymouth are unworkable on account of shoaling of the bars and, rough seas. This difficulty, which has persisted for some weeks, has delayed sailings of colliers scheduled for Auckland, with the result that stocks of coal at the moment are insufficient to maintain the King's Wharf station there at full running capacity after Wednesday of this week. Every endeavour is, of course, being made to speed up coal deliveries to the station, but until we can do this the generating plant will have to shut down for most of the time each day. "The demand for electricity has increased this vear at a most remarkable rate. 1 would appeal to all consumers to reduce their demand for power in view of the emergency which has arisen. A reduction of 10 per cent each day in power consumption should not be difficult to achieve if industrial and other consumers will do their best to help, and the inconvenience should not be really serious to anyone. Every endeavour is being made by the Minister of Mines - and myself to rectify the position. "In the meantime all consumers, domestic, industrial and commercial, are urged to switch off every appliance, light and power, which can possibly be done without and, at all events, to reduce the total use of electricity by at least 10 per cent, Consumers will please remember that- if the plant becomes overloaded there is very grave risk ot a complete interruption m supplies ot power and light. I ask everyone, thereFore, to help to the very best of their ability in overcoming the immediate crisis."

DANGER TO PLANT OV ER LOAI) 1N G SYSTEM The nature of the consequences of overloading power generating plant, by increasing consumption beyond its enective output, was described last night by Mr A. Main, manager of the Waitemata Electric-Power Board. Generators were built to carry a maximum load, he said, and if the load increased beyond their capacity there was grave danger that the windings would fuse and burn' out. Small plants were fitted with automatic trip-switches, he stated, which would cut out if the load passed beyond a set limit, "but in the larger plants operators stood a constant watch ant. threw out the switches manually if the load became too great. The country had already experienced _ the consequences of overloading equipment, one of the generators at Arapuni having broken down last year through being loaded bevond its effective capacity. Fortiinatelv that trouble occurred in September,' after the coldest months had passed. NORTHLAND -DISTRICTS REDUCTIONS IN LOADING (0.C.) WHANGABEI, Tuesday No districts in the Bay of Islands Power Board's area were entirely cut off from electricity today, but by taking off the hot water and heating load a reduction in voltage was secured. In hot.li the North Auckland Board and the Whahgarei Borough Council areas the reduction in loading during the peak was secured by cutting off districts in rotation, for ten minutes. It is anticipated that this method of saving power will be continued in the.se areas. The stand-by steam-generating plant at the Awanui dairy factory is now operating for 14 hours daily, but will have to close down before the weekend unless further ooal arrive#.