Excerpt from Naugatuck Daily News – Saturday, August 31, 1946
World War II - History Edition

Electric Output Increased Despite Manpower Dearth; C. L. & P. Receives Award

Gas And Power Provided In Sufficient Quantities To Meet Demands

The Connecticut Light and Power Company’s wartime effort was largely that of supplying the huge amounts of electric power and gas demanded by bustling war industries in Naugatuck and other key manufacturing cities in Connecticut.

The company’s main responsibility, of course, was to produce gas and electricity in such quantities that Connecticut’s battle for production would never be hampered. That responsibility was successfully met, and at no time was war production hampered by inadequate amounts of gas or electricity.

After three years of war the company’s electric output had increased 60 per cent. At the same time the company’s personnel had been reduced approximately 20 per cent by demands from the armed forces. Yet despite these opposing factors the Connecticut Light and Power Company continued to furnish adequate and dependable supplies of electricity and gas to the highly industrialized area it serves.

As one precaution against any shortages of electric power, the Connecticut Light and Power Company, anticipating a shortage of coal, accumulated a huge reserve during the early stages of the war.

In the Naugatuck River valley, small in area but of great industrial importance, factories were producing all types of extremely vital war equipment. Naturally, as a possible objective for enemy air attacks, the industrial Naugatuck area was conspicuous. Adequate dimout and blackout precautions for the valley were a necessity.

Special engineers were detailed by the Connecticut Light and Power Company to experiment with and devise satisfactory dimout shields for the many types of street lights in its territory, and the company was the first of comparable size in this area to complete its dimout program. To further cooperate with dimout and blackout regulations, the company, in newspaper advertisements and customer bill enclosures, urged all residents of the state to comply fully with the War Production Board’s orders. The response of the residents of Naugatuck in observing these regulations was exemplary.

Conservation was also a key word. Naugatuck home-owners, accustomed to having their electric and gas meters read each month, were quick to cooperate with the Connecticut Light and Power Company when it announced inauguration of the Quarterly Meter Reading System. Under this plan, meters were read once every three months, thus saving considerable amounts of highly critical gasoline, rubber tires and auto parts. A manpower shortage which was beginning to become critical was also lessened by the new plan.

Conservation of food was important, too, and to stretch the home-maker’s point budget without loss in nutrition, Connecticut Light and Power Company home service advisors worked closely with the nutrition committee of the Naugatuck War Council.