POWER SUPPLY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22612, 2 July 1935, Page 10

POWER SUPPLY

THE MANAWATU DISPUTE A DEADLOCK REACHED (Per United Press Association) PALMERSTON N., July 1. Following the failure of the City Council and the Power Board to reach an agreement on the terms of bulk supply after long negotiations, the city at midnight refused to take power from the board under the conditions laid down. Acting under instructions from the board’s solicitors, the supply was interrupted on the No. 1 line (through which Palmerston North received its supply) at midnight, and the City Council was advised that if it wished to take further supply from the board all it had to do was to close the switch outside the powerhouse on the No. 2 line, which had been left unlocked to enable it to resume supply on this line with only a few seconds’ interruption. This supply, however, would be available only on the basis of the board’s last offer. Palmerston North did not draw any power and restored the city’s lights from its own plant. » The board’s point of view on the situation now is that both lines are alive to the powerhouse, and both switches unlocked ready for the council to resume taking power when it thinks fit. The mayoral statement, given just after the dramatic incidents at midnight, contained the following;—"At one minute to 12 information was given that the old contract had terminated, and that power wnuld be available by operating a switch which is the Power Board’s property, but only on the terras of the board’s last offer. First, this was not acceptable because, without legal advice, we would not interfere with the Power Board’s switches, and, secondly, because the terms are unacceptable to the City Council.” The City Council is to-day submitting the matter to the court at Wellington, and applying for an injunction. Already this morning several interruptions of the power supply have occurred. CITY GRANTED INJUNCTION BOARD ORDERED TO SUPPLY POWER (Per United Press Association) WELLINGTON, July I. Before Mr Justice Johnston in Chambers at the Supreme Court this afternoon, H. R. Cooper, on behalf of the Palmerston North City Council, applied for an injunction to enforce the Mana-watu-Oroua Electric Power Board to supply ihe council with electricity. The injunction was granted, and the board was forthwith ordered to continu- to supply power. The statement of claim set out that any interruption in the supply of electrical energy by the Power Board to the city would cause irreparable injury to the plaintiff city and its inhabitants. The plaintiff therefore prayed that the board should be restrained by an injunction or order of the court from refusing to sell and discontinuing to supply to the city such electrical energy as the city should notify the defendant board that it required at the price and on the conditions set out in the agreement dated February 17, 1931, or at such other price as the court deemed to be reasonable. POWER. RESTORED (Per United Press Association) PALMERSTON N., July T. As a result of the Supreme Court granting the City Council an interim injunction Mangahao power was restored to the city shortly after 3 o’clock this afternoon. The city’s own generating plant kept essential consumers and the residential areas supplied during the greater part of the time the bulk power was off. The Palmerston North City Council and the Manawatu-Oroua Power Board were thus for the second time within a year plaintiff and defendant respectively in injunction suits. The previous action, which was on the matter of a special rate levied by the board over the city area, was won by the City Council.