POWER CUT OFF

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 71, Issue 6144, 3 October 1945, Page 5

POWER CUT OFF

TREES FALL ON LINES NIGHT MINOR DAMAGE IN TE AWAMUTU DISTRICT The danger of trees in the vicinity of power lines was again demonstrated when as a result of several falling across the lines power supply to various parts of the Te Awamutu Electric Power Board’s district was interfered with. Mr E. Bryant, electrical engineer of the board, stated this morning that while minor damage was done the power in the southern area was cut off as trees had. fallen on the 11,000 volt line. In the northern area trees again fell and it was necessary to cut out the supply for an hour this morning to enable repairs to be effected. Minor damage was done at Kihikihi and Hairini. The two butter factories at Te Awamutu were affected, the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company having to switch over to their own standby plant at 2 a.m. to-dqy. The Te Awamutu Co-operative Dairy Company’s operations were suspended for a period. Legislation is coming before Parliament in the near future seeking to give power boards the power to deal with the menace of trees growing near power lines. In view of such repeated happenings as last night it is hoped that the legislation will become law. The breakdowns that occur with frequency during periods of storm are uneconomical as they prove costly to power boards, and result in loss of time (to say nothing of tempers) to dairy farmers.