POWER SHORTAGE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3993, 23 September 1930, Page 56

POWER SHORTAGE.

POSITION IN CHRISTCHURCH.

NO RISE IN LAKE LEVEL.' CHRISTCHURCH, September 16. There has been no more rain in the Lake Coleridge catchment area, and today there was no appreciable rise in the lake level as a result of the rain on the previous day.

Economies are still being maintained. Steam trains are to be run on the Lyttelton line, but not through the tunnel. A further appeal is being made to shopkeepers to close on Friday evenings. A conference was held to-day of representatives of the authorities distributing power from Coleridge and also of representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and Manufacturers’ Association. The most important result of the conference was the setting up of a committee which will confer regularly with the Public Works Department and indicate to the supply authorities what economies are necessary. This committee’s duties will be to ensure that economies shall be uniformly observed over the whole area. At the conference, the Public Works engineer (Mr Mac Gibbon) said the department was taking steps to provide for an extra load next year, but what they were he was not prepared to say. It was quite possible that the department would continue to impose restrictions until the lake level was restored to normal. A motion was carried urging the department to offer compensation to private owners operating their own standby plants.

LIGHT RAINFALL IN COLERIDGE AREA.

CHRISTCHURCH, September 21. A light rainfall amounting to a quarter of an inch was experienced in the Lake Coleridge region last nigbt. To-day it is reported that the level of the lake is unchanged.