GAS GOES TO WORK

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 115, 11 November 1939, Page 7

GAS GOES TO WORK

THI MODERN STYLE

AFINE < DEMONSTRATION

EXHIBITION DISPLAY

•: What; gas can" ; do for the modern ; -hotel;:'-:restaurant/-, home,. or •- cafeteria s j was: shown-yesterday; at the opening of 1 the combined display of> "Gas" by .the •'. ,26 municipal and 18 private.gas enter--2 prises;of New Zealand, in the fine ex- " { hibit in' the General Exhibits Court 'I of the Centennial Exhibition; There is 'i a daintiness' about modern,gas adjuncts [ tp the, kitchen,, hall,; or mass culinary r depot that excited while r ' the ' universal adaptation of this old I friend of the,hptisewife was a matter \ for marye.h . Heat,; light," refrigeration,; • and. air ■•warming, .systems were only i j part of ayonderful show, made appeal- • 'ing, by,;, the:'/'artistic' forms that old I' j frienSs.' appeared" 5 lh\with improved !;| efficiielicy;.' ' "''.. ">'." ■"..:- . , '.. II Covering 7200 i..square, feet, of, space, [ h6usqd"in'a rfiodertiistic.;.pavilion that ; is ;wo"ctiiy^.'of;'it;^ti^e'display covers the [ "very/ iatost;; r in ,the appli- •' ances Nwhich 'turn '''-"fkitchen drudgery

into,'pleasure.,^ .'The--embiem'of the exhibit^.is^'fittihgly,^a'>flame^which^ ris£s high'>in/the.Jofty,; behind ■:a grating/emib.^ ncr; ;irt ;Jw;hi^ pres^rit^d';^ 'are -au'tbriiatic; ; /There, is : ;np ■-: striking -6f niatches.lthere;can,-,be,no danger- of fire7.'■;"■When;"taps l '" arei turned oh,, thje, flame1 isiit\' Therel'ls^jlot.even a pilot Jight:/."flint" points* ate' excited by, the turning of^"ih'e ItapsV^^Wh'eri water taps are-turned,; pfl^th.e> gas .is shut off -alsp.' There;', .-is, .n0... possibility • of ', waste .'oir. d'anger.^;^ ■■' v /.■;,/['3 ..:.■'■•':'-.-;.. -.", j;i '"•■' ™p:'m»irvi\rrJ;-irt'nPTvrnisi^' ■' ? ,TFHE. OPENING . - The opening ceremony was presided over,-by.-the, ; chapman M directors of the ;WeUmgt.on Gas .; Company,, Dr: Prendergast-Knight,./an^.there were also-present-the'Hon. E. Langstone, Minister'pf£liand^;;ttie',;M^yor of. Weilingtbri. arid chairman 'of directors 'of the. v NeW-^Zealand-Centennial Exhibition :GonipahyrMr./Tl ;c: A. Hislbp. the. general manager of the WellingtonrGas1 Company;"Mr>]Vi.-J. Kennedy, SirJCliarlesJNorwood^ ;the Mayor, of vlJalmerstoh North; Mr.: A. E. Mahsforil^ irid ihe Mayor of Wanga-•nui-?.vbesides;;/many' -executives of municipalities/and.ti^ads of private gas comp\ahiefc •.There^ereinearly 300 invitgd .guests, in- the ' spacious :' paviiioh.- - %;•;•:■>.'., \-j'l> ; v ■-■■•V''^;';:-'--I'''v''^Uw-». ••• .PROGRESS,OF CENTURY. IleferringVvto':sthe -.Centennial the chairman^said:—"Eihu/latirig the spirit of "the;pl6iieers, v lvfhpse : memory; we. are. .prpud^tp.^onpur,- the gas/ industry ,ha£ played-i a .notablevpart the progress^'of 'this^Dpminipn, ; and I' -am pleasedi.th^t^this-iexhibit forms one of. 'the-;features ' pf •-the fNew • Zealand Cent^nniair'Exlii^ition.. Although, the centenary,of^.gas'inlNjew- Zealand lies ma.ny y^axs'.aHe^ . gasindusiry. ih.this.as in- other countries is' bne;;of; successive , improvemerits ' arid.^velppnieAts ikeeping gas supply wfeir'ai^reast'of the J ■demands of mbdern ■ civiiigation., '. ' "Soon'after*theiopening,of .the 19th' ceritury the' gas'industry': became, weir e'stablisiied'iri •Erigla&d.,>ori theXoritinen't, and':ljri th<?"United -States, and iri:lßsßl;ari;eriterprisirig.;:citiz'en of Duni-edin,-Mr/,G. Duricah,' inaugurated gas illuminatibriin-this v country by manu'factriririg^iga^ fcom'talibw/tb .light the Rpyil ;jHotel; of ;which.' he* was propriefpf;' ;The'Dunedin.'Gas^ Company, fbrihed'-iri 1862,; wa?ithefirstrgas undertaking established m' 'the ■ Dominion, 'The;workss were "ejected^n "the site:of the-pres-erit iw;o^ks,- arid;ithe." Dunedin streets Were ■lighted': by gas in Sepr tember,,lß63 ; ; : ;>. ■ - ' ! Bare' cbpp'er !and- -brass1 have no place in the;modern gas=kitchen: Their placeis taken by eriamel-and chromiurnvsteeliandthe astounding'featureof the'fittings"displayed^;at the Exhibition is-their'compact'i arid-attractive outline, Streamlined;, kitchens^ are .now the thing: ;-' '' ;• ■ ■ = * ."Here.-a.may mention; that Wellington . was ;first: lighted »'by: gas ;on April 21,-.lß7ly'and the"-occasion was regarded as :ar notable f'event in the 'history -of public-utilities iri;/the city. The exampler *set M by Dunedin-in'. 1863' was soon followed by;pther-cities»and towns of ;the.-colony,; and- gas works > were established; in, oth'^r places ■as .f 61-lowsi-^Christchurchi'lS^; *■ Aucklandy 1865; Wellington,'; 1869;^ ■> Greymouth1871; Hokitika,' 1874rinvercargill, 1875; Timaru, .1875; Napier., .1875;. .Oamaruj -1876; Wangahui; 1.877;" Mastertbn, 1887; ■Ralmerstbn-NbrthV 1888;' Petone, 19Q0; ''' oiTJii'lTV ■ : . 9PA^TV, , MAINTAINEP. ~ "Jn granting, rights, .to, open public streets,and tp manufacture; gas,,, Ear-, liament- = has .always>kept ;a. watchful eye, on ~,the.. general interest ;of : the public;4est ,too_; ; wide power be given, or. too.; limited impcsed. Generally .speaking,,.gas undertakings frbm.the earliest times,pf ; tlie.industry. have been,,.compelled; to conform to standaM^^^ity^urity, .and;^^ sure, and-4^§ |as W^to- Ne^w Zeal^nd.j The., Board,: .pf_,Trade Regulatioris'camp into ..force, on' January 1, 1925,'. arid,iprotidey'forphe/'testing ,of gas; :th^ price!tp',b;e. charged; also.the testing;; lay 11 tfte ;all ;cbn-, suriiers'/meters.''.' The" tecliriical, developriilritslpprfr ther industry 'invNew, Zea^ari4-haye'inaiutgliy'b.eehlm^ almbst ■'en^reiyt i rpri/ English, Etractice. with;no s ,|pectacul^ of ebuTse,^sptti^tnodific|itibns ;.to: suit speciail'/•.ideal .'{jofnditipris.-.-, ; Th]Lis, ' for imariy yeaVsV^ne/'primlt^ horizori^ap r 'retprti:with^ ; ■ ;*:•>"■-!'/_."'•* ,'-' / .;' j -;;{ rm :;^,';; r ''..<"'J. .''.,;■■ r

furnace was the type in use, and the shovel was the stoking "medium for all iworks' fof niariy yy.eSrsl"! "In the larger works stokirig ; ; machinery • followed, finding places in the retorthouses of Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin. In 1912 vertical retorts" pf the intermittent type were installed in Wellington and by this move it is probable that the gas- industry > in New Zealand was quicker to : adopt vertical retorts than it had been in regard to stoking machinery. ; LIGHT AND HEATING tUSES. j "It. is remarkable that for over $0 years gas. held sway as ; the, premier illuminant with the old type ' of", fiat flame or" open flame burner. Then* in 1876 came the Bray ■ burner with .which we are all familiar, 'This was a distinct advance.on the. old burners used, but in less than ten years it was literally eclipsed by ;Welsbach's discovery of incandescent v lighting which employed for the first time the principle of the burner which: Bunsen gave, to 'the world as early as , 1855. "Gas cooking had been known as early,as the late fortiesiand early fifties, but the. only, type of cooker in use was, a sheet iron cylinder ..standing upright on four legs. The roast; % was suspended in the cylinder over a ring burner and the top of: the cooker formed the hotplate. Outwardly it resembled somewhat the . present-day ba£h. heater—-without, of;'course, its enamel finish. • : . EARLY PREJUIfICES. Knowing as we do: fts.distinct adyantages over other- forms' in ;use, it is

curious-toireflectfthat in ;the seventies ; therei;was,sa;sti?Qngithough.> wholly un-justifibd-^pri^judice using gas for:cqdkirig; : :on.they ground that gas fumes peQetr^tdd:'^he food.. A side.^ht'-; >-onV^isv"p;reju4iceA;app.e : ared. in :. an" issue of the Journal of Gas Lighting' in 1877 V when no;less a -personage th^n.W.f.E: Gladstone/offered his testir mony to;gas\ cookery,; which\he , prpnbunced '"clean, "economical, and not 'unsavoury;" adding , ''there;: is 'little arid-.all- smell is waste." ;;Be-r t ween, 1875- and ; 1890/ big • developments ;to.Qk, place in ( , the: gas; industry.': - In. :;188&'l'an:''-m^i^ational;.'exfiil3iiion.:!' was he l d (iri'Melbourne to markJ the Cehten- , arylof ~Australia. At •this-exhibitibn gas ..cooking ; arid heating: ;ovehs- were s h O wn. It can be said that from. 1880 :gas coo king has never looked back, . -~-,• v' ; -: ■ TODAY'S POSITION. ; ■ ./ ,^. r v, .' T ,TM „:,«,". ; c .T «™ ™i>ii What, I have + given - is.. I. am well aware, but *; scanty resume •of fleyejop, ments-. Theendeavour .to .put ;beitoe you some little picture of the .past is naturally followed by the £very: : where has the, industry - arrived? It ; can -pc truly ye- have a. great .industry, *? f? fe to say. that^east twothirds of the population; of New^-; <-Zeai land in. one way or;another depend on gas., r. There-are. now 44 gas undertakings, the value of the land; buildings, and plant being-ho: less a , sum than :£4;205,000; The follpwing figures may.be of interest:—Number of consumers,. 200,227; cookers, 160/700; gas fires, 27,986; miles of mains,: 2510; number ■of gas-holders) '-98; -number; of employees, 1942; wages .-paid,? £ 526-229; coali.used,'226,26svtoris;:-cost of s;"-cbaj, £447,532; gas sold,.S^&OOO'-cubic^feet; value, £ 1^249,000; coke ; soldi r7f,<Ss7 tons;, tar solql', •3,146;657vga11'0ii5.: -: ''. .;.'.; i i . . ' .. ffIGHvI EFFICIENCY.- ■'' ! .'. ' .'.', "~x ' ' ,•' "Heavy .capital expenditure \ in : plant has brpught, mbdern carbonisation^ of coal to "its. present highvdegree'-o^ effi^ ciency, , and ut'is evident; thatr tioris 'in manufacturing 'costs jvill be achieved through.a wider development of the. byTp'roducts. of coal-gas manufacture. That much progress-in^ this direction has been made Vis.. evident from; an inspection ,of the specialrexhibit tiow being arranged of r many of these by-products. In" this exhibition you will see a representative selection of' modern gas-appliances which- are \n general use. All modern^ gas appliances . are/ .automatically , controlled.' During the course pf the exhibition a staff will be.'available to demonstrate the accuracy, efficiency, and speed of theses appliances. ,To meet the needs of /present-day civilisation it is essential that service to the public. be v both prompt and" efficient, tn this direction the gas^ industry.has no t i a g ge d behind, and it has a full realisation; of the. necessity ever to s tfiye tp give /better- service ;and"all "that woird deribtes." Service tojthe cpnS umer to the end that he, shall be giyen ■ pe rmaherit > satisfaction is the de- < sire-uppermost ;in:the minds *of all those engaged hi; the: gas industry; "The Goveminent; .1 am pleased to see i s represented by the Minister of: L a nd g (the.Hon. F. Langstone)';" • ".-. ; , . , : , ; ' ' APPRECIATIONS. ■■•'• '•'.■- : . Dr.---Knight. ; then r.eferrea toi the < presence .of Mr. ' Hislop and: : the • directors -of ' the Exhibition,- arid \Vne> interest arid assistjarice- of the- Ministerl of Mines (the Hon.-p/C. Webb)- arid the Hon. D.G. SulliVan) : f fa facilitating the arrival of equipment from" overseas, and'thanked the contractors,, Messrs. Flfetcher and Lov^ iand the architect, for their, work in . CO hnection! with^tlie stand.. '. , Tl i e :, C 6nimittee; he continued, had deci(jed ib eriti^t "the ■■' whole of the arran g eme rits arid" the supervision to Wellington'rGas' Cbrnpany, whose g A ff •, em t)lovees had eiven whbleJStS^S^^S »pSS: Srifi were : due Kennedy, Who .. , h ~. +hf> full'restibnsibilit-v Af: thP S?,^?^ tesponsibility. of the exftioi^. > .;^, ; - . , • , , . Dr. Knight then; declared the .exhibit ;bp,en: ,/. v,;^r.._,.. -.y . -~ ■. v. Congratulating;.the, directors pf ; . the Exhibitip>i ;fpr the;w t ay in .whiphcthey had set;i,t,but—aridlieVhad just:returnEd .frprh the-1 Sap Francisca,arid ;New York ExhiiDitions-^Mr;; Langstone-said that -.there /w'asv, every, groiind ,for coii.gratujating"•;; ey^rybody in,corinectipri with trie .Centenniat Exhibition/ Every -natiph^prpyeii'i^e'tt^by-^its.ikflawle^ge, *,'''■/ ■• '•'-'- •> ■■]"•-, '..- '■'■'■ .-Ja-' ";-"';1

■by being able to do ; things, and prof» duce things. That was the science of living. Science was' the' handmaid of i production. I^Tew Zealand was a country large in its resbiirceSv Coal was one of tb.eni, and the process of man"*;--facturing gas from coal, had played &n all-important part in the develbpmenjt of New Zealand. It had. proved yiteJi, necessary, and useful, and had brought heating and lighting to tens of thoustahds of people throughout" the" cpuVttry!. It had done away with the dirt and dust nuisance to. thousands of kitchens. / SMOKE GOES WEST. R V "When I think of the ■■, old colonial ovens, and ,of the old camp ovens, where there had, to be fire. on top and underneath, and of the old chimneys which used to smoke so much that you j wanted a table cloth to keep the smok? out of your eyes, I wonder how the women put up with. it. . Today, tiie ordinary man's "wife is superior to the Queen of Sheba compared with' those i ! housewives." . ". ; ': Paying a tribute to the courage and tenacity of those pioneers.as the found? ers of the wonderful democracy that had grown up in the southern; seas, Mr. Latigstbne returned to the part gai had played in the development of New Zealand within 100 years,.... and; : spoke of the wonderful, strides made in ifts standard of living of the people. He spoke of the efficiency of the1, methods of manufacturing gas, coke, and .byj, products from coal, and concluded by wishing progress and prosperity to th 4 industry.' .. , .-''■. The Mayor of Wellington, Mr:. T. Cl A. Hislop, said it had been decidied that the 44 gas enterprises of the Dpf minion should; participate in. this- dis-j play. In the Wellington Gas 'Cprripanjf it was felt that there was ;£". rival, .to: the City Electricity Department, but v was a healthy competition.'; He cb^l gratulated the promoters, oji.thei^ splendid display. , ' - , '^ : ;i. The Mayors of Wangahui and; Pah merston North dealt with; the1 history of the development gas services, differing on some dates arid; facts-;biit agreeing that statistic? proved that tiie; advent of services by means of^ electr-i-| city had not proved; thle. decline'in the use of gas; services that> was prognostic cated. ■' ':■',;' \ y: i\''::':;::-- K'^y''r-''*:r'~-i

The Exhibition Company has installed a complete gas-cooking plant of the very latest type; in addition there is provided a very, large capacity water heating installation The gas radiant grilling appliances are of the most modern design; altogether, this gas installation is an outstanding one, and probably' the largest m the Dominion.

At the close of the proceedings those present were the guests of the pro-1 moters of the meeting at afternoon tea in the Exhibition restaurant —P.B A. I