GAS CRISIS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27041, 28 March 1949, Page 4

GAS CRISIS

STOCKS DWINDLE

HIGH CONSUMPTION

SHUT-DOWN POSSIBLE

A warning that gas supplies might have to be cut off this week was issued yesterday by Cr R. F. Barr, chairman of the City Council’s Gas Committee. Beoause of the cold weather during the week-end, the Gas Department was unable to build up the usual reserve stocks. In fact, Cr Barr said, 150,000 cubic feet more gas was supplied on Saturday than on the corresponding day of last week. “ Unless consumers co-operate by using the minimum amount possible, it is doubtful whether we can continue without shutting down altogether for certain periods each day. This is in spite of the reduced pressures now in force,” he said. The department would shut down only in the last extremity, Cr Banadded. Everything possible to avoid it was being done. He appealed to consumers to economise as much as they could and at the same time warned them that supplies might stop during the week. If this happened, users would need to be careful to close all taps as, in the event of a tap being left open, they would run a serious risk of a fatality when the gas was restored. Cr Barr said that the modern vertical plant, at present being reconditioned and only producing half its possible, output, would not be in full use again until May. The old horizontal plant was being used more than it would be in normal times, but it required a larger labour force to operate. The crux of the problem was the shortage of labour.