War Precautions (Electricity) Regulations 1918 (Cth)

STATUTORY RULES.

1918. No. 250.

REGULATIONS UNDER THE WAR PRECAUTIONS ACT 1914-1916.

I, THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL in and over the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, hereby make the following Regulations, under the War Precautions Act 1914-1916, to come into operation forthwith.

Dated this eighteenth day of September, 1918.

R. M. FERGUSON.

Governor-General.

By His Excellency’s Command,

G. F. PEARCE,

Minister of State for Defence.

 

War Precautions (Electricity) Regulations.

Short title.

1. These Regulations may be cited as the War Precautions (Electricity) Regulations 1918.

Definitions.

2. In these Regulations, unless the contrary intention appears—

“Chief Engineer” means the chief engineer of any electric supply undertaking and includes any person who performs the duties of a chief engineer in connexion with any such undertaking;

“Electric supply undertaking” means any company or body of persons corporate or unincorporate, and whether constituted by or under the law of the Commonwealth or a State or not, which is engaged in the generation, distribution and sale, or distribution and sale, of electricity for public or private purposes within any supply area specified in regulation 7 of these Regulations, and includes the Hydro-Electric Department of the Government of Tasmania;

“Plant” means the machinery, mains, plant and apparatus used by an electric supply undertaking for generating, distributing or supplying electricity.

Chief engineer may refuse to supply electricity.

3. (1) A chief engineer may, notwithstanding the provisions of any law governing the electric supply undertaking, refuse any application for the supply of electricity.

(2) The chief engineer is hereby required to exercise his discretion in dealing with applications for the supply of electricity in such a manner as to insure that any useful plant capacity of his undertaking unused at the commencement of these Regulations or resulting from the installation of new plant during the operation of these Regulations shall be conserved in such a way that it shall be available for the supply of essential industries or for purposes of national or economic importance.

 

Appeals to director of munitions.

4. (1) Where a chief engineer has refused an application for the supply of electricity the applicant may appeal in writing to a Director of Munitions.

(2) A Director of Munitions shall, as soon as practicable, consider the appeal, and any representations made by the chief engineer, and shall thereupon determine the matter.

(3) The determination of a Director in pursuance of the last preceding sub-regulation shall be final and conclusive.

Undertaking buying from another undertaking.

5. In the case where an electric supply undertaking purchases the whole of the electricity distributed in its area from any other undertaking generating electricity (which last-mentioned undertaking is in this regulation referred to as “the principal undertaking”) all applications for the supply of electricity shall be referred to the chief engineer of the principal undertaking, who shall deal with them in the manner required by these Regulations.

Relief of undertakings from liability.

6. All electric supply undertakings and their responsible officers are hereby relieved of any liability, statutory or otherwise, for the payment, of penalties or damages which may arise out of any refusal to give a supply of electricity, made in the exercise of the discretion of a chief engineer under these Regulations.

Areas covered by these Regulations.

7. The following areas shall be supply areas within the meaning of regulation 2 of these Regulations:—

(a) the areas comprised within a radius of twenty miles of the General Post Offices at Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth (Western Australia);

(b) the areas comprised within a radius of twenty miles of the Post Offices at Newcastle and Fremantle; and

(c) any other area specified by the Minister by notice published in the Gazette.

 

Printed and Published for the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia by H. J. Green, Acting Government Printer for the State of Victoria.