THE LIGHTING QUESTION.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXVI, Issue 1380, 2 March 1900, Page 5

THE LIGHTING QUESTION.

WATER GAS, ACETYLENE, ELECTRI

CITY— (? OR KEROSENE)

A spocial meeting of the Borough Council was held on Wednesday evening, There were present — Messrs John M'Neil (mayor), J. G. Bentley, J. Wilkins, Geo. Smith, P. Nelson, and J. Ramnge

The Mayor said the meeting fihct been called to consider the lighting question in all its bearings. The first business wou'd/'be the reading of Mr.B&mage's report

The Clerk read Mr Ram go's report wiih regard to the test made in lighting the bridge lamps with acetylene. He commenced on January 17, carefully weighing the carbide, and using as much pressure as possible without causing combustion. There, were three points to no.te in the test: First, quality of carbide; second, as to whether a wet meter would register; and third, cost of light. The lamps were lit from moon to 'moon in v January and February. During the first month he used 'i^'bs of carbide, which, according to theory, should have given 110 cubic feet of gas. The meter registered 100 ft, which convinced him the meter did its work, and that the carbide was of fair quality. For the second month he used '20$lbs carbide, which should have produced 102J cubic feet of gas. The meter registered 75ft ; that is allowing 2£lbs of carbide to fill the pipes. There weie four lamp.?,- and, taking the carbide at 6d per pound, meant 10s per month, or 2s Gd per lamp. - Taking carbide at 4d per pound (price it was now offered a') the 401bs used came to 6s 8d per month, or Is 8d per lamp. This did not include cost of making, but it is clearly shown that the gas can be supplied at equal to 11s per 1000 ft of ordinary gas, or with carbide at 4d, 7s Bd. At 13s 6d as foi'mfrly charged, a margin of 2s Gd, carbide at 6d, and 5s lOd, with carbide at 4d was left for interest on every 1000 ft. For the corresponding nionth last year the price for the four larnp^ lit with water gas was 20s 3d. In the. event of acetylene being adopted, he recommended the laying of entirely new mains, 14in pipes, and new holder of say 1000 cubic feet capacity. Had the pressure been normal, the, consumption of gas would have been tnHih. les?. The light was superior, and the test thorough and satisfactory. ... • •

Mr Bamage said the CityGiis Engihen' (Dunedin) had courteously supph'pd him with all informaticn.he asked for. The engineer expressed himself as having\great faith in the utility of acetylene for lighting b country.'|;owns, which could not use coal.gJSs successfully, and. as against oil lighting whioh. was expensive, and was still of opinion that Bajclutha could be lighted successfully by carbide, so long as carbide could be got at-6d per lb.

Mr Bentleysaid so far as he could see) 'the report was very satisfactory.' It showed that acetylene could be profitably ■ utilised, for lighting. They were indebted to Mr Bam ige for the report, and for his trouble in the matter. He moved that the report be received.

Mr Nelson drew attention to Mr Ramage's previous report in which he said acetylene gas could not profitably be used unless the price of carbide was reduced by one-half. 4>fow he said that with carbide at 6d per lb ga? c % .n be supplied at about 7s 6d per 1000 ft.

Mr Bamage said the explanation was very simple. The recent experiment showed that it was a waste of money to put the gas into the present mains.

Mr Nelson : You said there was no. leakage in the first report.

Mr Bamage said -the.re was no leakage in the holder, and* so far as could be seen no leakage in the mains. It was very difficult to test the mains, as they had not been constructed with the ordinary facilities for doing so.

The. Miiyor said the test just made had been on a .very limited, it might almost b.e said domestic, scale. The question was would it be a success on a large, scale.

Mr. Gv Smith seconded the motion, which was carried. '

Mr Nelson said he bad opposed the matter from the beginning. He thought it was- ho business of the pouacil to experiment With the ratep/ayeVs' fljbnSy till they

knew more about acetylene, or knew of some town that was successfully lighted by it. The report was no doubt satisfactory so far as Mr Ramage was concerned. He had met an American the other day who was constantly travelling about, and he had asked him in regard to acetylene lighting iv America. He said that he had never ; c nit used for public lighting in a general way, only, for lighting private premises on a small scule.

; The Mayor could not say that Mr ll.i mage's i* pert had favorably disposed him towards the question. Like Mr Nelson he had opposed the experiment, not from any prejudice. The test had been on a very small scale. He had seen letters with regard to the matter at Home, but there they seemed to be in much the same position as we were in. And at Hrme they could get the best scientificopinion in the world. Even if the Council did decide to go into it the ratepayers were so much prejudiced against it that they would not vote for it. Personally he was inclined to water gas, to which all the present fittings were suitable. No man was prepared to say acetylene would be a success. They had a letter from Mr Watt with regard to water gas which they might CDnsider also. Mr Smith, said he did not know much about the matter, but the lighting on the bridge was a thorough success, and nccording to Mr Riimage the cost had not been too much.

The Mayor's o 1 j :ction 'o ace ylene gas was that it could only be used for lighting. \ Mr Itamage said that was a mistake. • I{; was usedjfor motive power and fox cooking^ for both of which appliances were advertised. Mr Nelson said if what Mr Bam age said could be borne out in practice there was a fortune in it. If he could supply it at 7s (>d he would have no difficulty in gettiug 15s for it — ICO per cent profit.

Mr Smith would like to know the cost cf laying down a new plant. Mr Ramage said there were towns to a population of upwards of 30,000 lighted by acetylene in England, Scotland, France, Germany, and Hungary, one cf them with 23,800 population. There were others not mentioned in the report from which be was reading. Mr Nelson had said there was a fortune in it. In reply to that he read a letter from h ch< mist showing that the cost was about the same as kerosene, but owing to its brilliant light, coolness, and safety' he preferred it to kerosene. In Germany one town had five miles of pipes and 93 street lamps. He h;\d the records of anoLher plant in Germany that turned out 14,000 cubic fe^-t per hour. In another place the tenders for supplying a lighting plant were— Coal ga«, L 550 0; electricity, L 4250 ; acetyline, L 2500.

Mr Nelson said he would place no reliance on these reports ; they were simply advertise-

ments,

.Mr Bamage said he was quoting from the London Journal of Gas. He also read an account taken from the Sydney Daily Telegraph of the successful lighting of the Sydney cricket ground with acetylene for a cycling carnival. There were 3000 lights. He thought the Mayor was quite right in saying there was considerable prejudice. For himself, he had no feeling one way or the other. If ordinary gas, or acetylene, or electricity was found to be cheapest, he was prepared to support either — whatever would put the lightest burden upon the ratepayers. He was prepared to support a proposal to call for estimates for the proper instillation of either system. It had been said they were no •further on ; tbey were' a good stride further on. The plant was offered to them at L3OO, and it was their bounden duty to test the thing. The only mistake they made was in not making the vendor bear a portion of the cost.

The Mftyor : I suggested that at the time. Mr Nelson : The Acetylene Company should have also stood in.

Mr Bamage said so long as the present prejudice existed there was no hope, he was afraid, of getting any light. He read a letter from' a business man in Kent in which every satisfaction was expressed with the lighting of St. Michaels, Asbford, Kent, by acetylene. At present they bad 1700 C.P. burners, and 80 mqre were being put on to illuminate the public clock. While the light was much better than coal gas, the cost was abou* the same with carbide at L'2l per ton. The mains were only one inch, and they considered this large enough to supply 4000 or 5000 C.P. burners.

The Mayor wondered whether it would not be possible to induce Mr Wood to t*ko up the matter on his own account.

Mr Bamage said they were inclined to regard the experiment as money thrown away. There were certain assets which reduced the outlay considerably. It would appear they were not sufficiently unanimous on any scheme. They must submit the whole matter to the ratepayers, and with that view they could call for tenders and then submit the matter to the ratepayers.

Mr Nelson : There is uo use getting either if it will not pay. We must know v/hether any will pay first. ' .

The Mayor said any schema would have to be supported by the report of an expert. Mr Itamage snid it would be impossible to tell whether it would pay till they knew what the prime cost and working expenses would be.

Mr Watt's offer, read some months ago, to light the town by water-gas was here read. He proposed th xt the borough borrow L 1,600, 600 — L3OO to be paid to Mi- Wood for present plant, L9OO to be expended on erection of new works, and the balance in extending the mains. He proposed several schemes for carrying on the works, the one meeting with most favour being to guarantee for live years to put the gas into the holder at 8s 6d per 1000 ft.

Mr Bamage said if there was such a good thing ia it there was surely sufficient inducement for Mr Watt's syndicate to tnke the matter up.

The Mayor : The same would appear to apply to acetylene if the reports are correct. Mr. Nelson said if Mr Watt was prepared to carry out his scheme and give a guarantee for five years as stated, then they might seriously consider the matter. He would move — " That Mr Watt be written to and asked as to the nature of bis guarantee, and stating that in the event of its being satisfactory the Council was prepared to submit the "matter to the ratepayers."

Mr Ramage : You must not forget that you have to borrow LIGOO for this. Suppose you get an offer to put e'ectricity in at Ll4oo,and, acetylene at LOOO or L7CO, how would you deal with that ? .

The Mayor : Submit the lot to the ratepayers. He had had a talk with a practical engineer who said that rivers similar to the one they had here, could be and were utilised for lighting, motive power and water supply, and that it was perfectly f easable. Mr Nelson said if the funds were better he would support a proposal to get a report on the matter.

Mr Bamage thought the Council should simply ask Mr Watt to state the nature of his guarantee.

The Mayor asked Mr Bamage whether he had thought out any means whereby some o£ the cost of acetylene lighting could be col' lected from consumers ?

Mr Bamage said it could be done, but they would have to take an average and not take the meters which did not register correctly. The Mayor said the overdraft was up to the iimjt. It Would, lie tfec'e'seary to give a guar.

an tee. With their limited iu corns they would have to be very careful. They could not afford to experiment much. Mr Nelson moved tkat the Mayor be authorised to get an expert opinion as to the practaldlity of utilising the river for electric li^bt and water supply, and as to cost. . Mr Geo. Smith seconded the motion which wns carried.

Mr Bam age. moved that estimates be called for complete acetylene plant. In theevtnt of them going in for lighting and consequently going into the money market, they might ask the ratepayers to give them authority to borrow sufficient to wipe eff the overdraft. Next year LSOO of their debentures would be paid out of sinking fund, and then they could get a clean start.

Mr WKkius seconded tho motion, which was carried.

•Mr Nelson's original motion was uLo carried.

The Mayor, having brought the matter up, was given authority to have the ashphalt footpaths tarred.