QUALITY OF STREET LAMPS

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27407, 21 July 1954, Page 8

QUALITY OF STREET LAMPS

CRITICISM OF PRODUCT OF N.Z. INDUSTRY (New Zealand Press Association) HASTINGS, July 20. - Criticism of the New Zealand-made low wattage street lamps was expressed by Mr M. S. Chambers, a member of the Hawke’s Bay Electric Power Board, at the meeting of the board at Hastings today. Representations are to be made to the electric supply authorities in a remit to the forthcoming annual conference. Mr Chambers said that he had satisfied himself that the New Zea-land-made lamp had only about onethird of the life of the English lamp of comparable low wattage. “The consumer in New Zealand is paying a terrific price for the benefit of having a secondary industry in New Zealand to manufacture these lamps,” he said. He suggested that perhaps the best way of getting an improved article would be to permit the importation of lamps. “I see no reason why we should go on paying through the nose for an inferior article when we can get a better one,” he said. The chief engineer (Mr T. E. Kelly) said that the component parts were imported from England and assembled in New Zealand. Mr Kelly suggested that the trouble might well be overcome by having a higher voltage for the lamps to meet the different “stresses” and conditions under which the lamps were used. “The trouble might well be in the assembly, then,” said Mr Chambers.