GREAT GASHOLDER

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 42, 18 August 1925, Page 4

GREAT GASHOLDER

BUILDING AT MIRAMAR

A CEREMONIAL RIVETING

GBOWTH OF THE USE OF GAS

Sir Harold Beauchamp, chairman, Wellington Gas Company, at the Miramar works, yesterday, drove the first rivet in the new gasholder now in course of erection there. There was a large attendance of employees of the company, also Dr. Prendergast Knight, and Mr. A. Warburton, directors. Sir Harold apologised for the unavoidable absence of Messrs. Gerald FitzGerald and F. G. Pearce (directors), and Mr. L. Glover (secretary, Gas Workers' Union), Messrs. Kennedy (general manager), and Hungerford (engineer) were also present.

Sir Harold, having successfully driven the first rivet, and other visitors following his example, gave an interesting history of the undertaking. The company was founded, he said, in December, 1869, with a capital of £10,000; to-day its capital was £563,000. Gas was first supplied to consumers on 22nd April, 1871, and the first gasholder had a capacity Of 15,000 cubic feet. It was supplied by Laidlaw* and Son, Glasgow. Then followed other holders, by the same firm, in this order:—2o,oooft, 1873; 45,000 ft, 1876; 180,000 ft, 1878; 400,000 ft, 1888; and the sixth holder, supplied by Claytons, of Leeds, was erected in 1909, and held 1,500,000 ft. Ths contractors, for the present holder are the well-known firm of R. and J. Dempster, Ltd., Manchester, England who specialise in spiral guided gas holders, and have recently erected at Belfast the largest, spiral- guided holder in the world, having a capacity of 7,500,000 ft. Mr. C. H. Garside, and his assistant, Mr. D. L. Fotheringham, have charge of the erection of the holder, under the company's engineer, Mr. John Hungerford.;

HINDERED BY WEATHER.

Mr. Hungerford!s task of laying the concrete foundation for the holder was mndo particularly strenuous by the.severe weather that had lately been experienced. For six weeks he had had to contend with exceptionally rough weather, except for three solitary fine days. The concrete laid totalled 1700 yards. Reverting to the holder itself, the chairman said it wduld be the seventh! erected by the company and would have a capacity \of 2,000,000 cubic feet. It would be of the spiral-guided design, without columns. The first section of the work is the concrete floor, the next the building of a • huge circular tank which would contain 3,800,000 gallons of water, and its weight is 17,000 tons. The/height of the holder when full will be 150 feet, and the weight of steel over 900 tons—sufficient to cover an area of three acres, or large enough for a football field. The number of rivets in the tank would be 61,000, and in the holder 475,000, a total of 536,000.

GEOWTH OF USE OF GAS,

As showing the progress of the company, Sir Harold said the make of gas in millions of cubic feet was in 1875, 14; in 1885, 68; 1895, 92; 1905, 209; 1915, 396; and 1925,. 600.

. "I might mention," he went on, "that the wages paid on the first holder was at the rate of 6s per day—the present rale is 16s per day. Thus we see how greatly the cost of living has increased." Mr. Garside, the engineer erecting the new gasholder, has been employed by his company since' boyhood, .and it showed the confidence the firm" had in his ability that he was selected to be sent to the other end of the world to erect the present gas-holder, remarked the chairman, adding, "This will be the largest holder in the Dominion, and certainly the largest spiral-guided holder in Australasia." *

It was announced that the price.of gas would be reduced, and reference to this is made elsewhere.

WELFARE OF EMPLOYEES.

"You wili be pleased to know," Sir Harold proceeded, "that the board has under consideration a „ superannuation scheme for the whole of the employees. A committee has been set up to advise the board on this matter, and it is expected that the scheme will soon be in operation. It. is a pleasure to know that the relations with our employees are of a very satisfactory character,, therefore I am sorry Mr. Glover is not with vs 1 to-day, for he has been assisting us in the formulation of this superannuation scheme."

EXTENSIVE NEW WORKS,

In addition to the erection of the gas-hoJder, the chairman said, the company has also under way the extension of tho Glover West vertical retorts. The materials for this work are expected to be shipped next month, and on arrival the erection will be proceeded with at once. A contract has also been placed for the erection of new offices in (Jourtenay place, and this work is already in hand. There are also several extensions of gas mains to bo carried out. The cost of the extensions mentioned will be in the vicinity of £100,000. "As showing the progress of the gas industry, I might mention that the capital employed in Great Britain is over £200,000,000; the ' number of consumers nearly 9,000,000; and the number of employees over 125,000. There are in use in. Great Britain 6i million gas cookers, and ten million gas fires.

"Another point that I* should mention is that since Mr. Kennedy became general manager of-the company—some tour years ago—there has been an increase in gas consumption in Wellington of. 83,----000,000 feet. I hope we shall all gather here again for the driving of the last rivet in this great gas-holder. Person-* ally, I am pleased to drive the first rivet, for next month I shall have attained my majority in the company, having been connected with it now for 21----years." . ■ ■

Mr. Garside, erecting- engineer,' then presented Sir Harold with a beautiful gold match box in, case to mark the occasion. It was inscribed : "Sir Harold Beauchamp from R. and J. Dempster, first rivet, new holder, Miramar, August 17th, 1925." •

The party then adjourned for re< freshment.