GAS V. ELECTRICITY

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1027, 17 January 1911, Page 3

GAS V. ELECTRICITY

HOSPITAL CONTRACT. (To tho Editor.) Sir,—ln your issue of January 14, Mr. Lauchlan introduces an extract from tlio "Electrical lieview" relative to tho substitution of gas for electricity at the premises of the Society cf Medical Officers of Health, and seeks my answer thereto. In tho December number of the journal—"Public Health"—is a report cf a meeting of the society, at which Dr. Charles Porter, Medical Officer of Health for Marylcbene, ou tho plea of urgency, read the paragraph quoted by Mr. .Lauchlan, which he said appeared to reflect on their ; council. Dr. Reginald Dudfield (Paddington),'.«peaking as chairman of the Heating, Lighting, and Ventilating Committee," said he considered it beneath the dignity of the society to pay any attention to ex parts statements published in the Electrical Press. He would merely add that no member who had experience of tho society's meeting-room under tho old cqnditions could deny the improvements that had taken place since gas had been substituted for the electric light. Dr, Charles Sanders (West Hani) and other members stvongly deprecated taking any notice of the erroneous statement of a trade journal. The city lighting superintendent entirely ignores the very elaborate experiments made under tho supervision or the Royal Sanitary Institute, and quotes from a book of Dr. Louis Bell. Tho carbonic acid gas produced by a gas flame is highly heated and inducts a quick upward motion in the products respired by the inhabitants of a room, and keeps tho air supply within the breathing zone free : from over-saturation with the impure .vapours of breathing. The heat generated by. electric lamps, being much less, , can onlj- perform this function in a correspondingly less degree. During an hour | five adults will require about 105 cubic ; feet of air, which air is polluted with ' the moisture exhaled and given off from j tho surface of the body. These exhalations, having a rank odour dependent on tho state of health of . the individuals, dccomposo very rapidly, and, unless removed, produce a pchsonous effect on tho persons inhaling them. It-is'these toxic products that ges lamps arc so beneficial in removing. The five people also discharge in an hour some three to three and a half cubic feet of carbonic acid, which tho ventilation, induced by gaslighting, also helps to remove." As before stated,' the Society of Medical Officers of Health found electricitv wanting in removing these products, \ind obtained success as soon as gas replaced it. Mr. Lauchlan ignores the facts shown by mo that electrical'heaters cannot at tho present Wellington price per unit compete with gas at. its present local price, and again urges that in electrical I heaters a greater proportion of the theoretical heat is utilised than in gas. He alto ignores that this efficiency can only bo. obtained by means of ccstlv insulation, whereas, if similarly costly insulated appliances arc used/an equally hirrli efficiency can be obtained. It dies not. however, pay to use such expensive appliances, for gas is cheap because ox the largfl quantity of heat units existing in electrical energy. My figures are not answered because they are unanswerable. Throughout. tyiis correspondence tbo electric authorities persist in comparing i their proposals with the existing gas installation, quite tancripg that the question the trustees have to consider is not what has been, but what will !>?», the condition of affairs if they accept the company's proposals to expend -CoOO to modernise the plant at the hospital. # In tho corporation letter of January 9 is a statement that mtt nf forty-nine dee-' tors practising in Wellington forty-six use electric light. This statement, as it appeared, gave a totally wrong impression, as I find that this comntnv s«pplie* gns to forty-seven of the Wellington medical practitioners. The experience the whnle world over so far has shown that with the Growth of the electrical output so has 'ho nro=nerl fy frn^ rorlcs iVwaired. The Wellington fias Company has *very reason to. be satisfied at the growth of ik business /luring the pa«t twelve months, and I have not anv intention of being drawn, at present, into a controversy as, to the amount of now business—r». mAUcr apparently only introduced bv the city authorities to d'vert attention fr-nn the main question of the greater suitableness nnrl economv of the use of pas for the lighting and heating of the hospital—l am, etc., WILLIAM EEHGUSON. Managing Director. •

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