ELECTRIC LIGHTING.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 93, 23 April 1891, Page 2

ELECTRIC LIGHTING.

THE SYNDICATE'S PROPOSALS.

DISCUSSION IN THE CITY COUNCIL.

A SPECIAL meeting of tho City Council was held last evening to take into consideration the proposals made by the New Zealand Eloetrical Syndicate for the lighting of tho city of Auckland, and the introduction of electricity us a motive power for tramways. Thore wero present: His Worship fche Mayor (Mr J. H. Upton), and the following Councillors :-• Messrs Trenwith, Hewson, Garrabb, Warren, Farrell, Grey, Crowther, Holland, Cooper, Dignan, and Julian. Mr De Castro, accompanied by his solicitor, Mr E. Hesketh, was also present. The Mayor said the object of the meeting was to hear from Mr De Castro his proposals for lighting the city of Auckland by electricity, and introduced thab gentleman to the Council.

Mr De Castro aaid that though he had been engaged with Mr Heskefch preparing a Bill for bhe lighting of this town, unless this Corporation now approved of hie petitioning Parliament that Bill would not be presented. The syndicate proposed to apply to Parliament for powers to supply Auckland and the neighbourhood with electrical energy, first for electricity, bub in a town sach as this with very heavy gradients it would be of very great advantage to introduce electrical power. In mining districts ib would also be found of advantage to introduce electrical power for stamping, etc. He desired if possible to enter into a contract with tho Corporation for lighting the public streets. The Council had power under the Municipal Corporations Act bo enter into such a contract vow, and that would bo conditional only upon their obtaing a general Act;. The lighting contracts with Corporations would nob be worth having alone, To light this town for £1,500 per annum,the minimum, or magnificently for another £1,000, would leave vory little profit, and they asked for this lighting chiefly to obtain bhe moral support of Corporations in obtaining tho necessary powera for the introduction of electricity. It was generally supposed that as electricity was introduced for lighting purposes so gas disappeared, but experience proved that there was room for both. That they would take away some of the Gas Company's business he would nob deny, but that they would diminish the dividends of existing capital he did not believe. There had been some correspondence in the papers regarding overhead wires and the alleged danger thereof. In asaerting that the danger was nil, he must nob be taken to assert in the strictest sense that there was no danger, for there was some degree of danger in every motive power, but he did assert that there would be no danger in the wires which he proposed to erect overhead. So far as he knew, there was no electrical current which had nob been rendered perfectly aafe by insulation, and whatever had been said to the contrary was inaccurate. It might be asked, if the posts broke down, tlio wires broke, and persons caught hold of the. ends of tho wires, would they nob be killed ? Undoubtedly thny would, but the chances were over 1,000 to one agaiost the remotest possibility of such an event. There was provision made in the Act for bhopiotection of such posts and wires against accidents. First of all these wires would be suspended under a competent) Board of control in such a way that they could scarcely come to the ground if one of the posts did break. If the Council would appoint a Committee to test the question scientifically, he undertook to demonstrate that the risk was nob a million to one of any person being killed by electric lighting wires. He doubted the correctness of many reports of accidents from America, and asserted that whore such accidents had happened they arose through lack of proper precautions being taken, owing to the absence of the necessary legislative control. The Board of Trade in England allowed over-

hoad wires with the consent of the corporations, and that was all he was now asking for. In London bho streets were go crowded that there was not room for post« ; here the streets wore wider, ami the traliic was very much less. Ho therefore proposed overhead conductors, and asserted that if the Council objected to overhead wires they were virtually postponing lighting by electricity for the next twenty year?, on the score of expense. Superintendent Hughes had objected to overhead wires as interfering with fire escapes. Hβ (Mr De Castro) thought this was really straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel, that while there was no objection made to the endless multiplication of telephone wires for private purposes there should bo rai.-od such sorioua antagonism to two electrical wires for Uhe bonetit of the whole community. If tho Tramway Company usod tho electricity there would be one or t.vo tnoro wires ; probably an airangoinent might) bo made with tho superintendent of telofjraphs by which tho telephone and electrical wires could be carried along tho streets on an arch, on a much boiler system than at present existed. They proposed to ask tho Government to appoint a Hoard of Control for electric lichtinj.', to consist of tho PostmasterGeneral, tho Engineer-in-Chief of the Government of Now Zealand, and tho Superintendent of Telegraphs, which Board, he believed, would alwayßCOinm&nd the reepectof tho local nubhoritiee. The Syndicate oought for t.to monopoly, eimply an opon tiold and fair play. It tho Corporation would support suoh a Bill the Syndicate would assent to clauses beincf inserted in committee enabling the Corporation to tako ovor the undertaking eompulsorily at the end of 21 ' years or 43 years respectively, on terms (1), paying to the Syndicate at the end of 42 years, the then valuo of all lands, plant, and material used by them for their undorundertaking; ; or (2) if the Corporation elect to take ovor the business ab the end of •21 years, thon payinp, ia addition to the value of such lands, plant and material, a sum (to bo ascertained by arbitration) in respect of such compulsory taking over and for the loss by tho Syndicate of the goodwill and prospective profits of their business. It had been assorted thab there should be no contract with any Corporation for moro than seven years, but as a matter of fact no capitalist would consent to invest tho roquisite capital. In England there wae even now a very grave doubt whether a period of 42 yoara would compensate the great outlay of capital required there for electric Lighting, and thab term was only arrived at as a compromise botween 21 years and 63 years. If the Corporation supported the Syndicate, immediately he knew the Bill waa going to pass, machinery would bo put in hand, and twelve months later Auckland would be the beet-lighted city south of the line. llis Worship the Mayor said application had boen made for copies of the Bill, but so far copies had not been obtained, and until that Bill had boon submitted to tho Council's own solicitor to see whether there was anything in ita clauses detrimental to this city, the Council could not consider its provisions. It was open for any Councillor, however, to ask Mr Do Castro Cor further information.

In reply to Mr Cooper, Mr De Castro said separate Bills would bo asked for Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, for the reason that dilicrent provisions might be required by the difleront cities. Cr. Crowther asked tho different cost of overhead and underground wires.

Mr Do Castro replied four, five, or six tiiuen, according to the character of paving and other obstructions. Tho greab difliculty between overhead and underground wires was the insulation. All tho underground work had to be made absolutely watertight and insulated. The expense in this city would be six to eight times tho cost of overhead wires. Tho actual cnnh la,id in the electric lighting of Wellington was £15,000. Tho syndicate consisted of eleven gontlomen, who i>ufc down nine-tenths of the capital, and two scientific gentlemen, who put down half as much as each oi tho others, Cr. Garratt thought the Council should know who the members of the Syndicate were. Ho also asked whether to contract for the electric lighting of the city oi Auckland for 21 years was no» a monopoly. Mr De Castro said he was Chairman of the Syndicate, and the other members were 11. Grevving, Esq., W. Turnbull, Euq., R. l'ryor, Esq. (of Miles and Co.), James Alexander, Esq., Wui. Farmer, Esq., James Paxnsan, Esq., Evolyn V\ illiams, Esq., Win. Thackeray, Esq., Captain Price, and.M. S. Vanderbyl. All of these, ho believed, were substantial and well-known gentlemen. Hβ regarded a monopoly to moan that) the Company could alone sell ono particular article in the town, and lie asked for no such monopoly.

The Mayor said thero were two things before fciie Council—Uio electric lighting of the city and the approval of the proposed Bill. Hβ regurded with very s'reafe approval what Mr Dβ Castro had said about the establishment of a Board of Control. It was a sound and good idea and a right thing to do. Mr De Caatro had said it would be absurd to enter into such an undertaking on a short contract. Seven years might be too ehort a term for those who were risking their money, but ib was too long for the Corporation. Mr De Castro was nob asking for a monopoly, bub what ho asked lor was virtually a monopoly in a email town like this. He, personally, would object to the Corporation entering into any contract for electric lighting for over seven years ; as for 42 yoaru it was quite absurd. He would be very sorry to oppose any body of men who proposed to establish an industry coating £50,000 or £60,000, and when fchoy saw the Bill, if thero was nothing in it to the detriment of the city of Auckland, it would be their duty to give their consent to the Bill. That question they could nob deal with until their own solicitor had been through the Bill and,ascertained the effect of its provisions. Mr. Do Castro recommended a syebem that would cost about £2,400 per annum. The present cost of lighting the streets by gas wa? £1,212, and there was in addition the cost of lighting urinals, £26 2s 6d ; offices, £22 Is; library, £116 12s; pumping station, valve houso.and Fire Brigade station about £26. They had really to_ consider whether they would, instead of paying £1,200 a year for street lighting, authorise an expenditure of £2,400.

In reply to Cr. Warren Mr De Castro said ho had made his estimate on the same basis with regard to hours as existed with the Gas Company, but they would have for £2,400 per annum a light forty times better. Replying to the Mayor, he said the contract he asked for was simply an application to light the town for £2,400 per annum. They could nob undertake a contract to light the town from year to year, bub lie would be prepared to light the town for a vory short period. The 21 years and 42"years referred to a totally different matter, viz., to • tho period at which the Corporation might take over tho concern^ The Mayor said he had been under a misapprehension on this point. Cr. Garratb moved the adjournment of the discussion to obtain a report upon the Bill from the Council's solicitor. Cr. Crowther thought after the very able and satisfactory explanation given by Mr De Castro, they had heard ail they could hear that night. He imagined that if the proposed Syndicate once gob into the field they would have a very strong hold upon the city, and it behoved them to go into the subject very carefully before entering into any contract. Mr Hesketh said as solicitor fpr Mr Dβ Castro, he approved of the proposal mads by the Mayor to consult the Council's solicitor betore approving of bhe Bill. Me riad gone carefully into the question of overhead wires, and after going carefully into

! the English Acts, he was perfectly satisfied j that the safety of the publio was most eare^ fully secured by the legislation proposed to be eli'ected. ! The motion for adjournment was then I put and carried.