JUBILEE EXHIBITION.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 10636, 21 April 1900, Page 4

JUBILEE EXHIBITION.

THE LIGHTING QUESTION.

A meeting of the Executive Council of the ' Jubilee Exhibition was held last night. \ Present —Mr R. Allan (in the chair), Messrs V Beaven, Horsley, Frostick, Minson, G. R. • Hart, McDougall, J. L. Scott, Charters, ■ Bishop, C. Louisson, A. G. Howland, the , Mayors of Christchurch, Lyttelton and ', Sydenham. The Chairman said that the Minister for Railways had been written to with referi ence to the carriage of exhibits on tho rail- . ways, and the Minister had replle<i that he would be happy to do all that he could. Block plans of the permanent buildings and the proposed annexes had been prepared and would be issued shortly. Mr Minson, the Chairman of the Home . Industries Committee, reported that he had been in communication with the Maori schools, and it _ad been suggested that tlie Minister for Education should be approached to see whether the Department would, as stated, take up space for the Maori school exhibits. His Committee would, of course, only charge entrance fees, and make no charge for space. The President said a number of the large exhibitors were applying for space already. The question of the lighting of the building was next taken. The report of the Lighting Committee was read as follows: —"The Lighting Committee have held two meetings to consider the resolution of the Executive Council, and have given the subject their careful consideration. In view of the doubts expressed as to the satisfactory distribution of light by the 2000 c.p. arc lights, the Committed have obtained from Messrs Turnbull and Jones an amended tender, substituting for the 48 2000 c.p. arc lights provided in their proposal tlie following, 'viz.,"s-4 2000 c.p. arc lights and 48 1000 c.p. arc lights for the' same price as the original tender, thus giving a much better distribution of light, and your Committee, having gone over the plan of the avenues and buildings, are of opinion that these lamps will give a good and ample light to all parts. They recommend that if any extra space is required to be lighted the contractors shall be notified not later than June, that they will be required to provide lights for such extra space in the proportion of one 2000 c.p. light to four 1000 c.p. lights, price for same to be pro rata, according to c.p. payment in present proposal. Tfie Committee recommend that the plant shall be ready on 21st October." Mr Bevan, Chairman of the Lighting Committee, moved the adoption of tho report. The Executive Committee had) had the matter under their consideration for some time and the Lighting Committee were now satisfied that the proposal would give the best light to the Exhibition. No exhibitor would be handicapped unfairly, and the light would be a good one. As time was of the greatest importance, a great deal of the plant having to be ordered from England and the San Francisco mail leaving, the Committee' had told Messrs Turnbull and Jones that when sending to London it would fee necessary for them to mention that the matter had to come before the Executive before being finally settled. He wished to say with regard to the report appearing in the "Lyttelton Times" that he knew nothing of it, and he>ad seen the contractors, who also stated that they had not given the information. -—„ Mr Louisson seconded the motion. tie pointed out that the lights would be now half the distance apart that they were proposed to be in the original plan, bo tar as they could see, except the exhibitors built up a partition to the full height, in which case they thought the exhibitor should, provide the additional light he might want, the light proposed would be sufficient. As to incandescent electric lights, the expense was aeainst this being adopted, besides which, one-sixth of the light was lost by incandescent electric lighting. In reply to questions, Mr Bevan said that the Committee considered that the offices, r etc -in the front, would be far better lit by\ gas. The price of the extra light to be supplied to exhibitors was intended to be reserved for the Committee, or the. Executive to consider. _ Mr Hart pointed out that the Executive was the body ultimately responsible to the public as to the proper lighting of the building and, therefore, it was necessary that they should look at the question from all points before deciding. There was just one question he would like to be satisfied' about. This was, that the Lighting Committee had made such enquiries as satisfied them that the arc lights proposed would be a success, so far as giving the exhibitors a fairly good light into their bays. They must not forget that tlie success of an Exnibition was the variety of exhibits, and, therefore, the smaller exhibitors must, in view of inducing attendance, be encouraged equally with the large ones. If the proposed lighting by arc lamps solely would not give exhibitors a fair light for their bays—and judging from what had occurred at Brisbane Exhibition, where arc lights, he was informed, had been a failure, this was .what it would come tothen it meant an increase of the cost to exhibitors, which would mean, perhaps, tlie refusal of many to exhibit. Mr Louisson said that he took it that the Executive only undertook the lighting of the building, and the avenues, and not to light up the different bays to the satisfaction of individual exhibitors. There was no light, so far as he knew, that would do so, because each exhibit would be in a kind of room, or shop, with partitoona between. To do what Mr Hart wanted would not be able to be done, but exhibitors must provide the extra lights wanted to light up their bays.

The Chairman pointed out that in the Auckland Exhibition the whole light cost £270 13s lOd for 100,000 ft space, while they were proposing to spend £750 to light their Exhibition. The lighting in Auckland was done by incandescent gas lighting.

Mr Horsley said the president and himself had visited the Exhibition during the evening several times, and it was very well lighted. Mr Bevan said, as several members of the Executive were not present on the previous occasion, he desired to quote the figures again. For electric light for seventy-eight nights the cost would be £455, and for gas £310.

■- Mr Scott was of opinion that the dual system of lighting by gas and electricity would be the best in the end. He thought that 'if the incandescent lights could not be got from the present contractor, than they proposed, their best course would be to recom-' sider the whole question, having some arc lights and some incandescent gas lights. This, he thought, would be tbe most successful method. Though they would not get a flood of light like the now proposed arc lights, the incandescent gas would be by far the most pleasant light. Another pointwas that- he did not think that they would accept the proposed tender till they knew what the price wrs to be to exhibitors. So far as he remembered the figures, the Gas Company proposed to give them the incandescent light at one-third the cost proposed by the electric light contractors for incandescent lisjhts, and he hoped yet to see the proposal he had mentioned carried out. a . Mr Louisson said that- he would like to remind the Executive Council that they were the Lighting Committee that evening, and were taking the responsibility of accepting or declining the recommendations of tlie Committee. The Committee had made the best recommendations they could on the point.

Mr Triggs agreed with Mr Scott as to the advisfWeness of the Lighting Committee adopting a dual system of gas and electricity. Mr Scott mentioned that his firm had been the first to use electric lighting in Christchurch, and they had to do away with arc lighting in their workshops, and had to remove them, as they were unsuccessful, and they were replaced by gas. Mr Hart moved as an amendment—"That the Lighting Committee be requested to consider the question of the desirability of a dual system of incandescent gas lighting and electric lighting being accepted for the Exhibition, to report to an adjourned meeting of the Executive Council, to be held on Friday next." Mr Howland seconded the amendment. Mr Louisson pointed out that the difficulty would arise that neither the electric lighting contractors nor the Gas Company would accept half the tender.

(Mr Beaven said that he took- it that the difference between tho cost of electric light and the gas would be more than covered by the increased number of visitors who would come if the electric light was used, particularly as it would be summer time. So far as he saw, the lights they proposed would give them a good light to the bays near the avenues, not, however, if partitions were put up and the bays are boxed in to any great extent. In those cases the exhibitor would have to receive some additional lighting. The proposal for a dual system would, he felt sure, place the Executive Council between two stools, and' they would not, so far as he saw, get a contract at all. He was also of opinion that in the dual system of arc lights and incandescent, the latter would look quite yellow. He did not therefore think that the Executive ought to adopt the amendment, but he hoped that the recommendation, of tho Lighting Committee would be adopted as brought down by them.

Mr Scott said that there might be arc lighting in some parts of the building which would' be successful, and some which would be unsuccessful. He was of opinion that the still further subdivision of the arc lights AVould be a good tiling. He was quite certain that the amendment of Mr Hart could be carried out, and that-the system proposed therein would be far fhore successful than the one now brought before them by the Lighting. Committee. The amendment was then put and carried. Messrs Horsley, O. Archer, and J. L. Scott were added to the Lighting Committee. The meeting then terminated.