USE OF ELECTRICITY

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 83, 7 April 1936, Page 4

USE OF ELECTRICITY

HIGH RATE' OFaINCREASE

BRITAIN LEADS^THE WORLD

Rapid advaHcesviu-the distribution.! of electric power, have put England in the position of'having .the highest in-| crease rate in; the;sale of electricity in the world, according to Captain Leslie Gamage, export ■director -for. the General' Electric" Company,'of London, who is visaing the company's three branches inNew Zealand, Interviewed by "Thg Post" he said the object of his visit was the'formation of the branches into a New Zealand company, which his firm' considered better than having the control in Australia.

Captain Gamage is. accompanied by his wife, the Hon. Mrs. Gamage, daughter of Lord Hirst, chairman of the General Electric Company. They will remain in -the Dominion for about three weeks. " ..

"In England, of course, we are developing very rapidly on : the distribution side," said Captain Gamage. "In that/country the rate of increase in the sale of electricity is far greater than in any other country in the world. That is due to the fact that wo were for many years behind other countries, and now," owing to the "grid" system, we are rapidly malting up the leeway. , "In lighting, I think Great Britain is undoubtedly leading the world. My own company has received an order from Camberwell. (south-eastern London) for lighting 146 miles of streets, streets which had previously beenlighted exclusively by gas. Generally speaking, electricity is slowly but surely superseding gas, although, the' gas industry is putting up a big fight. . TRAMS DISAPPEARING. "The tramcar is disappearing in England generally," continued Captain Gamage, "and is being ousted by the trolley-bus. I have it from the highest authority -in- -England -that • in- every case where the trolley-bus has been introduced there has been an increase in 'the traffic ;Of something like 10 per cent. In London'the trolley-bus is rapidly superseding the tramcar. When I left, two or three of the main routes feeding London had already substituted trolley-buses for trams.".

Captain Gamage said the use of neon lights'for signs was familiar to everyone; but a, system had recently been introduced whereby they were used for interior lighting. These interior lights had already been successfully introduced to several of the leading departmental stores' of London., .

His company had always played a leading part in radio, said Captain Gamage, though, unfortunately, conditions of broadcasting in England had not tended towards the production of radio sets suitable for the Pominion markets. However, that was now rapidly being remedied, and he hoped soon to see the British set supreme in New Zealand.