BOROUGH GAS

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 October 1921, Page 3

BOROUGH GAS

MANAGER OUTLINES BENEFITS. “It has been truly said that if men took more interest in their homes there would be more gas conveniences in use,” said Air Kennedy, manager of the Borough Gasworks, when interviewed by a “Star” reporter in his wish to learn details of the municipal service. lhe Gasworks were established about half a century ago. The Borough purchased the concern twenty years ago. Mr Kennedy was the Company’s manager, and altogether his service as manager of the Greymouth works totals 34 years. The output has increased in that period from five millions to thirty-five millions per annum. The plant is one of the most up-to-date obtainable and double the , quantity of gas now produced could be manufactured with very little extra expenditure on the plant. The consumers have increased in the same time from 350 to 1,300, and the mains now extend from the lower end of Cobden to the Greymouth Cemetery and Marsden Road. Mr Kennedy thought that the Borough bad just cause to be pleased with the results obtained under Borough control. Such success necessarily leads to a desire to know the reason of such an extension of business, and it is clear that the idea of efficient service in the bonie is the thought that had permeated both the manager and the staff. HEATING BY GAS. In these times when time and money and labour arc so valuable it is. said Al'.' Kennedy, a. mystery how so many people still adhere to the old system of coal fires, with all the disadvantages and ditC inevitable with the use of coal. All the labour and time of preparing fires and (leaning grates is dispensed with, and money is also saved, for whatever gas is used one pays for, and uses only what is necessary. Imagine the comfort and convenience of simply turning on a tap and applying a match fo a gas fire in your bedroom. Leading medical men use gas fires in tlie'ir consulting-rooms and in their bedrooms, and they have also warned people of the danger of leaving warm sitting-rooms for cold bedrooms. Convenience and safety are gas fires’ outstanding recommendations, while in cases

of sickness their value is recognised throughout the world. Then on returning home from a. visit the “no fire ’ bugbear is non-existent where a gas fire has been installed, and a hot drink can also be had in a few moments. Simply turn off the taji when all is finished; no dirt or ashes, and no fear of fire to disturb one's slumbers. GAS FOR COOKING. In the kitchen also the gas stove has been triumjibant. It Is positively the system which has been universally proclaimed a “winner.” The gas stove provides every mechanical advantage to assist jieii'ection in cooking being attained. It needs the least possible attention and provides just whatever heat is required, and that with absolute certainty and ease. It is totally different from a coal oven and gives an exact heat that can be regulated at will. No longer need the housewife worry over unreliable, coal fires. The steady uniforni heat of thj gas stove can be depended u|>on whether for sponge raising, cake baking or meat roasting. The unexpected visitor need not be feared, as with a gas stove there is no trouble in simply putting through a. batch of scones in a few minutes. 'The convenience of gas means to be fortified against the unexpected and frees the modern housewife from the begriniming and fatiguing duties of coa’. fires. This means a hapjner frame of mind on the part of the mistress and a. more pleased attitude on the part of the husband. In all u|)-to date hotels and restaurants gas is looked ujioii as a- valuable aid in the kitchen, and has heljted to solve the acute labour problem.

OTHER, BENEFITS. Of the many facilities afforded a family none is more popular than that which gives an ever ready supply of hot water. With a geyser over the kitchen sink or with one situate over i‘he bath one never need worry over the problem of hot water. In some homes it is necessary to stoke up the fire and at what a cost to get enough hot water lor a bath. With a geyser in the bathroom all that is necessary is to apply' a light, turn on tho water tap, and there it flows, as much or as little hot water as you want. Thu large and increasing number of consumers is jxroof jjositive of the efficiency of gas as the best means of house lighting. Gas gives brilliancy without glare—-the true tes tof efficiency in a light. Gas is soft and restful to the eyes, and enables one to work for long jieriods without feeling the slightest strain on the eyes. This has been vouched for by Dr Meredith Young, an eminent English authority. Ironing has certainly been a convenience which has tremendously assisted to popularise the use of gas in the house, and with the improved irons available one can realise what a convenience and boon they are to busy mothers. By their use four hours’ ironing costs less than 2d. The old-fashioned and laborious method of using coals to Tieat irons is done away with, and the ironing can be done in spells if necessary. Interruptions cause no worry, as the work can be relinquished and recommenced at will. There are no vexatious delays, and even on other than ironing days it is quite a pleasurable pastime to iron blouses or pinafores required. It would be an interesting calculation to ascertain the distances a ( housewife walks to and from the coal

range to the ironing table on ironing days. With a gas iron the ironer may sit on a chair' and do the ironing with ease and

comfort. A sensible present to a Grey mouth lady friend would be a gas iron. I , GAS COPPERS. ( To say that the adaptation of gas.to the , washhouse copper has revolutionised things is to put matters mildly. In many homes, in fact, the convenience nowadays of simply applying a match to the ring underneath the copper has been such a blessing that dirty clothes are not allowed to accumulate. It is much easier now to , ‘‘run them through” a water or two than it is to let the clothes lie for a week or two on end. The cost compared to burning coal shows a big saving, but even though the cost was the same or even greater, the cleanliness and convenience are well worth the cost of the installation. To have no chimney emitting smoke and smut and redirtying the clothes is a consideration which every lady appreciates as well as her neighbours. In the up-to-date showroom our reporter was shown the latest in stoves, grillers, gas rings, gas irons, toasters and even tapers. There is also a fine display of the latest styles of gas fittings of all types. The large assortment of beautiful gas globes of various colours make a. fine show. 'lhe gas cookers and the famous Hottentot, combined roasting, grilling and boiling apparatus, of which there arc thousands in use in the Dominion, are made bv Brinsley and Co. of the Champion Range Works, Dunedin. The last shipment, to hand shows a substantial reduction in juices. Mr Kennedy asked the reporter to mention the generous concession recently granted by the Borough Council to prospective, consumers. The gas services are now laid free of all costs up to the boundary of ihe jirojierty or to the fence line. This means a big reduction in the cost of installation, and already many applications have been received for services which goes to show that the value of the concession is being recognised. Air Kennedv has been instructed to deal liberally with consumers, and with his keenness in pushing gas sales, prospective and present consumers who require gas services or improved apparatus are advised to call at the Gas Showrooms, Tainui Street, where they may rely on getting a. ‘‘square deal.”