GAS V ELECTRICITY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 981, 23 November 1910, Page 5

GAS V ELECTRICITY.

HOSPITAL BOARD DISCUSSES THE ! QUESTION. | WAS THE CORPORATION IGNORED P. j .■ Not without considerable debate on thef J -. comparative merits of electricity and gaa 1 as an illuminanfc and supplier of heat, - j tho Wellington Hospital Board, at its j monthly meeting yesterday, decided to i renew for a term of five years its contract i with the Wellington Gas Company for ' the supply of gas and maintenance of j appliances, but the resolution had no : i sooner been, adopted by-11 votes to-.3 j than Mr. J. E. Pitzgerald gave notice. J of motion for its rescission at the next i meeting of the board, the effect of this { being that the matter must lie in abey* juice in tho meantime. The whole ques- 1 :tiou of and heating was referred - to a sub-conimitteo some time ago, and ! careful attention was devoted to the ques- • I tiou •of substituting electricity for gas, ! three propositions being considered: (a) - -• Providing private steam plant for 1 l electricity during the whole period .1 of. lighting; (b) generating electricity . j during the heavier lighting hours and' switching over to tho corporation mains ' for the balance of tho night; (c) taking \ electricity from the corporation mains,- • i J? 1 !? the expense of .the Uistallation of fresh lighting plant, re» . : ported the committee, it wo.uld bo cheaper \ to continue lighting under the present gas contract. It was added the board should havo the option at any; time of installing gas engines for the purposo of generating an electric current for.lighting * and other purposes, such engines to be - fed from the citv gas mains. This latter. • point the Gas Company has conceded. .Since the committee concluded its do- 1 liberations, but before - presenting' its' report, the new scheme of the Government to provide-cheap electrical energy:,'.. - . had been brought into definite shape by; , •; the of: the necessary, legislation* and the voting of tho necessary, funds for, • the construction of a generating station? and plant at Akatarawa. It would there- , fore be for the boardr to decide whether this latest development might not render it necessary to reconsider the wholf , . question of reneyal of tho gas contract for so long a period as seven : years. Fiva years, was therefore suggested. Tho terms of. the company's offer for ; ' Tonewal of the, contract were, shortly:—- ; '(1) Term,-seven years. (2) ,Price< to remain at 4s. 7d. per 1000 ft. net-. (3) Main- VV;- - ; tenance of the gas appliances throughout* • the institution including proposed new • electric gas lighters to be done by the • ' " company for the sum of ,£SO per annum,. '- 'V / (4) If, during the term of seven years, . any; general; reduction is made' in- the. . charge for; gas. to the public, a reduction". from the rate of 4s. 7d. per 1000 ft. wilt- • be' made to the . board to the extent, of. 25 per cent, of the amount of general i& dnction., .

A full report "by the Gas Company's "engineer disclosed-the fact that the mains arid appliances in the institution requiret general overhaul and*brin'ging up to - date,: and certain • specific improvements havo* been suggested to the committee; all. of. which the committee recommends should! bo given effect to if gas is to be :continued to bo. used as an illuminant. The-cost-.of ;the whole of such work and improvements w;ns estimated to be JE300,, which sum was subject to'reduction: if the actual cost was below the estimate.: Mr. John; Smith complained that the City. Council had been'ignored in this mattor. It. was true that the corporation officers had been asked for estimates, and so forth, but no proposal had ever been, before my committee of the council. Foi all they knew, the t corporation might have been able to see its way to/conceding a.reduction in rates, had the opportunity of considering the matter been given." Where the board .raised its money there it should cast its favours.- . He that, the matter be referred "back to the committee. \ . - ' Mr. J. E. Fitzgerald seconded the motion, and spoke strongly of the "board's action in not 'approaching the council 'with': a formal application'., •'He would like to know how the corporation officers "had been approached. ,l 1 • ' vMr. D. Robertsoa • was' of opinion *Mtat the committee went onthe right track when they decided on the : gas.' '' Mr. A. H. Hindmarsh pointed out that, in these days of rapid change's in technical matters, it was a mistake to ;bo committed to a definite : scheme over alengthy period..

. After further discussion, the actingchairman (Mr. R. C. Kirk) asserted that' the. City Council would have ; to reduce its rates by something like 75 per cent, to strike the level which the r board could obtain by generating its. own current from' power supplied by a gas engine. ' ■ This closed the debate,, the question; being disposed of as previously indicated,-