The Waipawa Mail FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1939. THE DEMAND FOR POWER

Waipawa Mail, Volume LXVII, Issue 69, 24 February 1939, Page 2

The Waipawa Mail FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1939. THE DEMAND FOR POWER

JpiJAR of a shortage in the power supply of the North Island has been expressed more than once in the past twelve months, and the question whether in the future the demand for power may not outrun supply was raised in a letter before the Auckland Power Board. The writer, Mr E. W. Swain, secretary of the Electric Power Boards and Supply Authorities Association, considered that in spite of the assurance of the Public Works Department to the contrary, the position in the North Island was likely to be most embarrassing to the authorities, if not this winter, certainly in 1940. Mangahao was completely loaded, he added, and the Stratford-Palmerston North transmission line carried 33,000 to 35,000 kilowatts, when it was designed for 20,000 kilowatts. Arapuni was taking the whole of the Waikato with nothing going over the spillway. With their stand-by plants, no doubt, Auckland and Wellington are fairly safe for the time being, but the new industries mentioned by the Minister of Commerce (Mr Sullivan) will add to the demand for power which has already grown beyond expectation. The seriousness of a shortage in supply could well be realised after the inconvenience of the temporary breakdowns in the Wellington district recently. The authorities are aware of the need for extension of existing services and a new station is being provided for further development of , Waikaremoana, while preliminary surveys are being made for another plant on the Waikato near Cambridge. The Waikato is still capable of greatly increased development, but there is no other source of water power on a large scale visible in the North Island. As hydro-electric power takes years to develop, there seems certainly an urgent need to look ahead.