GAS V. ELECTRICITY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1023, 12 January 1911, Page 6

GAS V. ELECTRICITY.

- 4 HOSPITAL' LIGHTING. [To the Editor.] •

Sir, —In reply to the matters rni?G(l by Mr. Lauchlan in his letter published by you in your issue of January 10, I claim that gas-lighting is healthier than electric lighting in that the greater heatgenerated assists in promoting ventilation, and, by tho indnced current,• it tends to remove the products cf respirn- • tion from the ruom in which it is burnt, j and that the fresh air drawn into' the room inr exceeds.the small. quantity that is withdrawn for consumption by the - gas. burner. , ' I also claim that gas lighting is far i less trying to -the. eyes than electric light. The. hospital, in reviewing a lec- , ture given by- i'rofessor V. B. Lewes on j the relativo hygienic advantages of gas j and electric • lighting, sums the position j up by saying: "In view of the fact that ( electric tight •. is. admittedly inferior to , gas lighting for reading purposes—in aime. case's severely trying to the eyes—and , that as a general rule it is a much more ( expensive illuminant.-.. Professor Lewts's . conclusions will certainly tend to benefit . the popularity of the older competitor." ; .Mr. Lauchlan next quotes, from certain reports of .tho hospital Sub-Committee, which have apparently been placed at lus disposal, but they merely strengthen the , position of the company that,.if modern , systems of gas heating be introduced, as recommended by the Gas Company, in - pla'e of old methods and in placeof steam heaters, ■ there will bo a considerablo saving in the present gas and coal bills, nnd that 110 system of heating by electrical current, can compote commercially therewith. . • ... Mr. Lauchlan cannot deny that tho . word "gas" was read into a sentence with a view to give an impression to the public that all gas-heating appliances are . inefficient. . I am ouite content, with him, to leave the matter to tho public to form its own opinion.- - ■ -. - . Mr.' Lauchlan next aslcs hie to refrain from publishing a comparison that gas at -13s, 3d. per, 1000 cubic feet is equivalent in thermal effect"to c'.cclri'o curren.. at Id. per .linit, and characterises my statement,as absurd, and states that tho law of economics demands ' that the relative prices should bd approximately close. I certainly st'tttpd that ratio -in a letter to Mr. Kirk and now confirm, it. Theoretically tjiat. .is. the proportion. Taking the efficiency of f)0 per. cent for electrical heaters,- as claimed by Mr. Lauchlan, and cost for heating current at Ikl. nor unit, and 30 per cent (a very low figure) for, the . efficiency of, gas used in a domestic . manner, the. figures will work out as follows: —1-Ul. ls.to 90,p6r cent:of 3100 so is tho cost to 30 per cent. of 540,000. ; - • Tf this proportion pumas .worked out, it will be found that under the, stated,con-, ditions gas can be sold nt»79d. ; or Gs. 7d. per 1000 cubic feet, to compels with electricity at 'lid. per unit; but, the company proposes to charge only 4-s. id. to the nosI pital. However, in practice, tho result would be much more in favour cf gas. Why do riot the electric, light authorities submit one of their electric-water heaters to some independent person to test. ' am afraid that there is not any law ot economics that will enable electrical merer, to give a greater r-iimber ot British 'thermal, units than it theoretically contains.. ■ 1 .. , Notwithstanding ray publication, that oh a gas-driven electric plant costing ,£475. the owner in the first twelve mouths -,av«l' .£225 over the sum he was preyio.nspayin" for lighting, Mr. Lauchlan still estimates; that the ,1.43 d.' per. unit quo.ed for'cost of gas must Ik increased by, items for' attendance, interest, and depreciation. Certainly it must-, . 'The log-shea* .to which ho refers clearly state that it is the cost of gas used. : Those log-sheets woie enclosed with and were part of my letter to tho trustees, . but Mr. Lauchlan only '..quotes. a single , sentence, ignoring that it must have been read with the enclosure. : - . ... ... At the time that letter.was sent. to. the trustees of tho hospital tho council's price to large consumers was sd. per unit, and, taking Mr. Lnuchlrsn's own' figure,'estimated at -lid., tliere would have been n «nv'ing; but'his .estimate'isMot applicable to the conditions at the hospital, where, 'tho installation being larger, the attendrVice expenses would be smaller in- proportion. Mr. Lauchlan tries to minimise the importance'of the recent change from electric to gas lighting in Westminster. Much attention, however, lias been drawn to it ■ as being a case where there vvas direct tendering of -gas- and electric lighting, under the conditions of payment for'the provision of equal light, and light forMiglit, gaS has been successful. - ihe ; tenders were-for gas. ?Ji13,800 peivJpinum, • and for electric-, liglit,<£2l,Boo per annum— a saving IofiJCSOOO per ,annum. v. , - • lii. tho: tenders- for the, lighting of . Aldwych and Kingsway—new thoroughfares in - which ■ now* - mains would have to be -laid, no- matter which - party obtained the contract—the comparison of prices, for equal candle-power .was, gas £15 , per . lamp' and electricity >C 27 per lamp per annum. It has also been officially stated that if the Westminster Corporation could cancel its, electric light, contract,- which has many years to run, the city would .gave' <610,000 a year by replacing the system b'y a more efficient gas liglit. Mr. LauClilan tries to make it appear that only. G6 electric lamps were displaced in .Westminster.. This, is another casovot a half-truth:': In Keg<nit Street, Pice.<i T dilly, nnd neighbourhood, -,GC arc lamps we're 1 , arcs' ii)' K6gei:t Street, and ■ enclosed arcs' elsewhere. The Westminster gas lighting contract-in-cludes '102 high-pressure.'-lamps.;and 220' lo'w-'pfsssiire' lamps,' mid these'are spread over tho whole of the city ,of Westminster, except "in those -parts where the electric light contracts liavo'not expired. Surely,' Mr. Liiuclilan must also bo aware that considerable' progress is' being made in. public, gas lighting, to the exclusion of electricity, in many -London districts, other than Westminster • and .Fin'sbury, . such as Hackney,'- Bethnal Green, and Stoke-Newingtoii:- ■■ ■ The information at my disposal shows that wherever in. London -gas , has been displaced it has been 'where the electric light works , are owned', such ns at Marylebono, Shoreditch," Islington, Hampstead, Stepney, and Poplar. ...Mr. Laucjilan mentions .Sunderland, Hampstead, Poplar,, and Rawcnstall.' as places where gas lighting' has, been replaced by electric light, but,ho omits .to state that in-these places tho-electric ; light works are owned by the corporation. Is it not possible, as in Walling--1 ton, that the.-public gas lights were, displaced without giving the Gas .'Company any .opportunity . to tender "or to show what modern gas lighting was like? Tho City of Bradford is a case where there caniiot be any -question raised as to'unduo competition, as both the electric light .and gas works are owned by tlio corporation. . In 1008 half the length of one of the main streets ;was lit electrically," and the. other'half by gas, ns a ' test as to-what could be done by. each i fofm of lighting. As the 'result of a , prolonged test,' both as to light and-cost, ■ the City Council-has abolished all elee- • trie lighting, nnd tho streets-are now lit by over 12,000 low-pressure incandescent gas lamps. - . Is it not true that the special connnit--1 fee 'appointed- by the' corporation of Lon- ■ don after the-visit ■ to' tho principal Cori- > tinentsil. cities, and a full investigation, i- reported, recommending: "that higli-pres-sur'e incandescent gas lamps with inverted . bui'ners : should bo adopted as file illnni- ' iilant; but where gas is impracticable - electricity, with open arc and flame .arc : lamps'should be installed?"—l am, otc., 1 . - " WILLIAM FERGUSON, ' Managing Director, ! Wellington Cms Co., Ltd. . | -.January 11. ■ Jlr. A. W.-.Torodc, who has for some 1 time past been actively engaged in the f reorganisation of the business of Messrs. • Chnrles Bayer and Co., of London Wall, 1 London, ill Australia, is now in New r Zealand upon a similar mission. Mr. H. W. . Cogan, representativo in New South 'Wales, accompanies him, and in future will assist, in tho management of tho New Zealand business. Messrs. Arthur Wnrburton, of Wellington, advertise a property consisting of "a 6000-ncro sheep run on the coast near a populous centre, well-stocked and "rassed, and, besides present- value, bavin" untold future possibilities of profit. Particulars will bo supplied by tho firm I . to, bona-fide purchasers. . - For Chronic Chest Complaints, ' Woods' Great Peppermint Cure, la. 6d, 2e, cd,—Advt,