CITY ELECTRICAL SUPPLY.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15335, 20 July 1915, Page 5

CITY ELECTRICAL SUPPLY.

COUNCILLOR SCOTT MAKES

CHABGES.

Tbe following report from the Electric Light and Power Committee was submitted at the meeting of the City Council last night: — Aerial Copper Wire—Tbe department in now practically denuded of aerial copper iWiro, and although tho Austrauan market has teen tried, tne engineer has been unable to eecu-o any. T ho contractors sUto that they received a cab.egran" on the _*J*.h ultimo t-i.it it. was hoped to fchip a quantity in two weeks' time, which means mat-it will probably be about two months under the moit favourable, conditions before it ia available for U£©. , . „ . -_ Wire for Rouse Lighting Services-The department is abso'.ut-e.y out of the propei ei-o of wire for hou.-- lighting eervioci.. Tuere are only two courses open, either to erect smaller wire and then take it down, which it will not pay to do, or to cease extending thc mama until a supply is available. This i__ very much to be but it is absolutely beyond the control of tho _--_-_B_ttCr.. Government Contract—Tho committee « approaching the Public Works Department with a vkw to having an alteration mado in the ryethod of paying the Government for current, thc proposed alternative being that ;r.6tend of pa vim; £r> '•«- few. per -M-m the maximum dem-nd indicator be read every three months and tho Council pay 25s per kw. every quarter. Borough Lighting for Spreydon—The consulting engineer for the Spreydon Borough Council has asked for a quotation per unit on a eliding scale and the following fccale has been adopted;—Up to 160 units per k-.v. of maximum' demands 1.33 d per unit; UD to 200 units. 1.2 d per unit; up to 240 units, .Od per unit; over 2K> unit!., .7d per unit. This quotation is available for any other local bcoj. HaJf Watt Lam***-—The electrical engineer has been informed that half watt lamps are now being manufactured suitable for 230 volts in 100 candle power and for 100 volts in 50 candle power. The prices are very reasonable, and tbo committee has authorised tho engineer to purcha_=e somo. Heating tho Baths—As the electrical department has no longer any use for water from tho well which was sunk to supply the baths, the existing ..rrsngement between the two committer for thcsupply of hot water ia not now required, and thc department cannot afford to'produoe steam for the baths for nothing. The department wil! also have I to be paid a larger sum for destroying refuse, | aa it receives very little benefit therefrom. .The- question of allocating the charges has been referred to a sub-committee to deal with. Delay in Supplying Consume*?* —There are * considerable numVr of complaint* received from prospective oon-umors _ oi what thoy consider unnecessary delay in making the final connexions for their pervice, but this cannot be held to be the fault of the department, except in such cases where the delay is cau.cd through pressuro of work. There are four or five connexions being made every day, and tho staff cannot carry ont the work faster than it U, now doing. There is another cause which the en"nneer states hns a greater effect in creating delay, namely. Clause 29 of the Council's licenßo, which provides:—"The Council shall not uee any portion of the electric lines authorised by thia license, or permit the same to be used, for any purpose until the Minister has given notioe in writing to the Council that he hr_s r**eeived from ths li-Bpecting Engineer a certificate that the said works in respect of that portion have been satisfactorily carried ont." Applications for certificates th-V-, clause ba/ve never ac yet been complied wa'h. Progresa During Pf»t Fortnight—Two Isrge contracts have been siirned, one for 125 h.p. and the other for 50 h.p., both tin "er contract to keep off the peak load. Thirty-two j connexions have been made and hejd nn for | the approval of the Pnblic "Works T)ermrtm«nt. Estimates havo rven given for thirty j in.Ttpllations. nine installations are in hand, and ei-rht were completed. j Department—Meters installed: A'Wnn-m-r current 37, direct current 24. j "Wnxinitim d«m-i--d inrliratoas: Installed 19. Met?T*s te»ted; Alt~-natintr ciirre-nt 20. direct ennv-nt 132. Fnrfr?-on« comnlaint- have heen at*end"-.d to. In the central direct en-rent ar/Ti 58 meters havo been removed, tested, and t-*t. laced. .... T-*nd-*rs for Meters—T*"* committ*»e na« accented the tender of M.-*-***.. Tun-buTl and .Ton~i f**r single and poln>ha«© meters, it being the lowest. CURRENT FOR LOCAL BODIES. Ct. Taylor (chairman of the Committee) said the Council, was not going to the other local bodies cap in hand, entreating them to take the current. The Council had nothing to gain by reason of other local bodie s taking the current. All that was desired was that one big system should be built np. He regretted that some local bodies were going in for installations of their own. That would lead *■<> difficulty in the future. The "Waimairi Council wa s taking current direct from the Government, although they could have got it on better terms from the City Council. Tho Council and the other local bodies should come together in a common-sense way and take part in the general scheme. The City Council waa approaching the other local bodies simply from tho Greater Christchurch standpoint. ALLEGED BREACH OF FAITH. Cr. Scott said he realised that the rates offered were as low as the city could afford. The Heathcote Council supply was inaugurated before the Lake Coleridge scheme was completed It was felt that the Council was not keeping faith with tlje people in the matter of rates, fo r it was stated by the Mayor himself in 1912 that the charge would he 3d per unit, or half what the rates were then. The Council had not kept its agreement with the ratepasers. for instead of a flat rate of 3d, it was od. Furthermore, tho maximum demand bnsis had been raised from 39 hours to 40 hours. The fi-jcnres showed that the Council's s*\hcnie was not financially sound, and that a new and bettor contract should he entered into with the Government. "VV.-i.q it any wonder that the outside bodies were shy of coming into *-ho

Council's scheme? The time had arrrred when the Council should approach the matter in a proper. businesslike way. He had asked that the engineer should prepare an estimate of th* oost of the completion of the'work, bnt he was told that the engineer was too bn-**y to do it. If the scheme was to be made a" emcoess, the Council should put in a commercial man to manage it. The engineer -should not be expected to do the commercial work as well as his own. The conditions relating to charges were not- such as would encourage the u-?e of th._ current. The outside lo"*al bodies had been exceedingly careful in coming into the Council's scheme. The undertaking today was in a mosrt serious position, and should b e placed on a proper commercial footing. A DENIAL. The Mayor denied that he had ever quoted a flat rate of 3d. He reiterated that the average price for lighting would not lie mors, than 3d per unit, and that was proved by actual cases. It was not correct so say that the City had £200,000 in the scheme. The amount authorised was £120.000. and only part of that was spent. The Council had opponents to contend with, for the echeme wa3 hitting certain electricians and engineers. He regretted exceedingly that a member of the Council should go outside and try to damage the Council's scheme. Some time ago he had rjeomrcondecl the Council to discharge the then Electricity Committee on account of the opposition to everything made by Cr. Scott. Cr. Scott bad attacked the present engineer, yet since the engineer took office the load factor had risen from 22J per cent, to ■to and 50 nor cent., which was a magnificent record, and one which the people should be intensely proud of. While the peak load had iiot risen the sale of units had gono up hy leans and bounds. Mr Black had estimated that by 1916 the load would be 3000 kilowatte. The figures were 4000 now. although tho scheme had started a year later than Mr Black contemplated.* He did not think that Cr. Scott was acting loyally to the Council at all. THE DUTY OF COUNCILLORS. Or. Hay-ward said if tho Council had a bad contract with the Government it was the duty of every councillor to stick to the committee, and insist in having an alteration- made. Ho regretted that Cr. i*>-ott had gone out of his way to run down the Council's scheme. Tho fact was that users were paying considerably less now for power than they did before, in 6pito of what Cr. Scott said to the contrary. During the last six months new connexions were mado at the- rate of 120 per month. That did not show that tli3 people were turning down the scheme. Outside local bodies could not procure current at a cheaper rate from the Government than from tho Council. Tho charges would be tlio same. It was greatly to the benefit of all concerned that there should bo ono common scheme for tho whole of the city and outside districts. 1+ was not the right thing for a councillor to refuse to assist the Council in carrying through tho scheme. If Cr. Scott felt that he could not support +**-*• Council, then he should resign, instead of advertising and pushing forward other schemes. Cr. Reynolds said that Or; Scott was put on tbo Electr*ci , ~" Committee on account of his special knowledge, yet the committee bad -*•--* —-" no benefit whatever: what they had pot, was continued criticism and opposition. A PAYING PROPOSITION. Cr. Taylor- said the financial position was that at the end of the year the scheme would show a surplus cf £0000 after allowing for all operation charges, interest and sinkiner fund. That was an effective reply to what. Cr. Scott had said concerning the financial outlook. Taking it all round, the contract with the Government w»? a «y*tisfactorv one. and he did not think there would be any difficulty in securing the alteration pronosed. "I am quite content to await result-*." commented Cr. Scott. The report was adopted.