Queenstown Hydro – Electric Scheme.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 3606, 23 September 1924, Page 4

Queenstown Hydro - Electric Scheme.

When we speak of 'milestones’ in the 'lives of people or in the history of a town or city we refer to outstanding events from which time may be calculated in relation to the present. It matters little how they differ in their essentials; it is their degree of importance that counts, Just as one. star ■differs from another star in glory, so one milestone differs from another in moment. In time to come when the chronologer takes up his pen, the introduction of hydro-electricity into the borough will most probably be recorded by him as the most outstanding event in Queens town’s march of progress. Thursday last, September 18, was tire day thai heralded this new era of light. And it was ushered in with ceremonies that became so auspicious an occasion. PAST EFFORTS TO FORMULATE A SCHEME. Casting! o.ur eyes down, the long vista ol years we may see when electric lighting was first under discussion by the. Borough Council. This was in 1892:, but the proposal was turned down because it was conskler r ed the ratepayers would not consent to the expenditure of £2OOO or £3OOO for lighting the town, which ii seems was the amount it was estimated’ it would run into. Incidentally this throws an interesting sidelight on the relative costs ol an early day and a present time installation. Then Brewery Creek was investigated as a prospective, source of power but it was abandoned. Evidently courage failed or faith in the future of Queenstown was weak in the men of that day for the project of hydro-electri-city was gradually lost sight of and acetylene gas installed in 1910. This plant blew up in June of 1923. Our worthy Mayor (Mr A. Simson), who was only a councillor when acetylene gas was proposed, fought strongly against it and recorded his vote in the negative. However, in subsequent years, lie. still kept electricity in view and when the time was vipe he directed public attention, to it once more. The Two Mile Creek, Kawarau Falls, Wye Greek and the 'Five Mile were, in turn investigated and declared 1 unsuited to tire ratepayers’ purse or requirements. Finally the Mayor had the One Mile Creek enquired into, and a scheme based on this power was considered by the experts as practicable. A proposition to borrow £7OOO for the carrying of it into effect was then put to the. ratepayers and sanctioned. The subsequent history of the enterprise-—the raising of the. loan from the Public Trust, building of Hie dam, town reticulation, erection of the power house and installing of the. plant —should be. fresh enough in memory not to need recapitulation. Those of our citizens who have been on the side of progress will be congratulating the powers, that be for the blessing bestowed, while our worthy Mayor will doubtless look upon the travail of his soul and be satisfied. Even those who may hot see eye to eye with him in all things must have admired his \ze.al in this, good cause. “Zeal is a. great thing but patience is a better” says an early writer. This quality he has possessed his soul of in abundance. Mr Simson’s position as Mayor and Ids. ter father to the scheme has been beset with peculiar perplexities and embarrassments during the growth of recent events, but lie has successfully overcome them and —well —all’s well that ends welL The support that has been given him by the Council as a whole and the comparative harmony that has prevailed must not, of course be overlooked as having strengthened the sinews of achievement..

I THE AFTERNOON CELEBRATIONS. j THE PROCESSION A GAY PAGEANT. Though a considerable amount of detail still remained to be done, it Wias decided to carry out the official opening- on Thursday afternoon. The day was hne and an immense crowd of | people participated in the celebrations, j which commenced with a fancy dress ' procession. Never since the days when Peace was declared has Queenstown so abandoned itself to mirth and gaiety. At times we hear it said that apathy is the besetting sin of Queenstown people. This may or may not be true; if it is, then they are not consistent sinners in this respect. It would have been difficult anyway, to have escaped from being carried along by the irresistable influi ences. of Thursday last. The Queenstown Band, specially re-as-sembled for the occasion after a period of inactivity, was highly inspiriting’, while the splendid display of decorated cars and fancy dress will not readily be forgotten. For the many quaint and 1 attractive costumes it was evident that history, romance and fairy lore alike had been laid under contribution. Charming pierrots and pierettes rubbed shoulders with aggressive looking 1 Rod Indians and rough riders, while prehistoric sweet old-world ladies and up-to-date representatives of the Smart _ Set mingled in perfect harmony; Puritans and dear old Way-Backs, showed no embarassment in the company of ‘gartered’ city “ladies’ in the decollete attire hall-marked by modernism: others resplendent in costumes of historic accuracy helped to make up, a brilliant display. The Bride and Bridegroom, the “Order of the Bath, the White Mahatma,, Ku Klux Klan„ the Sheik and many others were there complete in detail, perfect In characterisation and clever in disguise. In addition to gaily decorated cars (outstanding among which was the ‘Sheik’s’ electric turnout), some quaint looking vehicles found a place Most amusing and distinctly clever was the equipment of the “Darktown Fire Brigade" with its fire-lighting

OFFICIAL OPENING. BRILLIANT CEREMONIES. A NEW ERA UP PROGRKSS

THE VISITORS

apparatus & jet (a garden syringe) and straw and hessian horse, the “interior’ of which was occupied by two small boys for ‘propulsion’ purposes and labelled “Private.” The Kawarau Gold scheme, Burberry’s Patent Rabbit trap and other .topical matters were all made the subjects of broad satire:. The Black Cat Club, comprising Queenstown beauties, also made a good show, as did the Hockey Club and Fire Brigade. The procession, which was headed by the Mayoress in Dr Anderson’s car, followed by the Band, the Fire Brigade, motor cars.,, and pedestrians, moved off from the Postoffice shortly after 3 p.m. The route round the main streets was crowded with spectators, who derived much amusement from the antics of those who paraded in all the bravery of their fanciful attire. When the One Mile Greek was reached., the crowds wended their way up the, track leading to the picturesquely situated pow-er-house. ADDRESSING THE ASSEMBLAGE Here His Worship the Mayor expressed Iris pleasure at seeing so many people present, it was indeed an auspicious day for Queenstown, which had been existing hitherto in darkness metaphoric and actual. The ©vent they were celebrating was a big advance and he felt sure they would never look back. He then called on the engineer (Mr A. P. Aldridge) to address a few words to tli© children present on the dangers of meddling with electric wires,, insulators and Hie. like. For the benefit of the adults Mi" Aldridge also hinted at the. hidden dangers they might encounter if they were not mad© aware of (them. Mr Aldridge (added that while he did not want to discourage, the embryo electricians among them he warned them against interfering with the wiring of their homes or offices.

Mr A. le Hoyles, representing the Southland Electric Power Board, Invercargill, then spoke. He regretted it had not been possible for more members of the Board to be present on such a great occasion. He considered the keystone of the day’s ceremony was Progress. There was an immutable law of Nature that nothing could stand still—be. it a. nation, a community or an individual. They were either going' forward or backward. The present scheme was an unmistakeable sign of the progress Queenstown was making. The young children present would; in another 40 or 50 years, be able to look back on the present and compare it- with the achievements of their day. When wie cast our minds Over the past century and thought of the marvellous progress madei in wireless, aviation and innumerable other things, in science and machinery, it made us wonder what marvels the future held . He took it that electricity was going to be a power throughout N.Z., penetrating right Into the backblocks where our primary producers’ wete located. Thus the conditions of life would be made much more enjoyable for them . Mr le Hoyles regretted that the Southland chome was not costing the small amount of money the Queenstown one was I But he firmly believed it would prove its greater utility. Progress was also Southland’s watchword. In expressing his pleasure at being a witness of the launching of the Queenstown scheme; he congratulated the taxpayers on the enterprise and wished it every success.

The assembled crowds were then directed by the Mayor to make their way to the foreshore where afternoon tea would be dispensed. A few people remained behind to inspect the plant, the working of which, was,outlined by Mr Aldridge and members of his staff.

Among the visitors present wea-e noticed: Messrs M. C. Henderson, Dunedin City Electrical engineer; J. B. Shackiook, Chairman of the Lighting Committee, Dunedin City Council; W. Black, Mayor of Alexandra and Chairman of the Central Otago Power Board; Jno. George and D. Bringans, members of the Teviot Power Board; last Ritchie, chairman of the Vincent County Council ; Geo. Reid representing Lake County Coiunc.il, R. C. and R. L. Jones, of Messrs Turnbull andi Jones, Dunedin; Mr Eastgate, manager of the National Electric and Engineering Co., Ltd., Dunedin; Messrs D. 8. Middleton and Webb, Cromwell; W. Pearce, Alexandra; Mr York, manager of the Bruce Railway and Coal Co.

THE GENERATING STATION

j Tine, power-house is charmingly situated iu tin* bus.li at the Quo Mdc creek a lew chains up from its outlet into the lake. The pel I on wheel, which has a maximum output ol 110 bkp, was manufactured by Boving & Co., England, and supplied through the contractors for the. elect.! ical equipment. It is direct coupled to a 75 k.v.a., (3300 volts), 3-phase oO cycle mamuLacturetd by trie General Electric Co., U.S.A. Tine station is automatic in every respect and embraces, some wonderful protective features. The machinery .can lie start*ed up controlled and shut down without the aid of an attendant 01 ihechanic, making it almost human. Should 1 certain troubles arise such as loss of water pressure,, loss of oil pressune in the governor overheatin<>- of a boa ring, overloading ol the generator coils, ovor-speedinjg due, perhaps, to some slight fault aiising in the governor mechanism, over-vol-tage drie to sluggishness or other cause, in the regulator—-any one of these and other faults cause certain controlled mechanism to operate and shut down the plant until such time as the trouble, is rectified. No sooner is tills done than the plant automatical! v starts again. The governor that controls the wa-ter-power according to the loading - ojn the power line is a most wonderlm E piece of mechanism. Not one drop of J water is wasted and what is saved J goes towards conservation, which is J essential in dry periods. The whole I of the power-station equipment was I

supplied by the National Electric and Engineering Go., Dunedin, as agents for the manufacturers.. Although the station is of small capacity the "whole of the equipment is probably the most modern installation in the Dominion. It embodies Ithjej latest practices of the inanufacturars who are one of the two’ firms at present leading the world in the manufacture of power plant equipment. STREET RETICULATION. The street reticulation and lighting", which lias been carried out by Messrs Turnbull and Jones under the direction of Mr J. Tonkin, has entailed the use ■of close on 20 miles of copper cable. The whole of the streets of the town, as 1 well as the Marine Parade are reticulated and over 80 lamps are used for lighting purposes, which should give ample illumination. Some 200 iron bark poles have been used to carry the lines and an arrangement was come to with the Telegraph Department to use some of the telegraph posts and conduct the wires over the top of th© telegraph or telephone lines. The energy is conducted from the power house to the. town at 8300 volts to + he two transformers 6 or sub-stations—one in the town and one on the Eastern' terrace—'The current is distributed at 280 volts for lighting purposes and 400 volts for power. The street lighting is separately controlled by two 3-phase time switches. These can be set to .any igiven time by means of a clock which is wound up once a month Tills clock can be set to any given hours for the Inight to go on or off.

THE DAM.

Tii© dam is situated in a marrow, gorge in tine One-Mile creek some 500 ft above the lev©! of the lake. Tine gaiavel and cement land other materials for the structure were conveyed by pack horse, on to the site. Well over 250 tons were used in the wall. The structure is called a radius dam with the arched surface pointing up stream, it is; imbedded 18ft into the creek boh tom and is built into the rocky sides ox the gully. The width at the base is 10ft, .gradually .tapering' off to 2ft Gin at the crest. The height on the up-stream side of tine dam is 44ft Sin. The; concrete is reinforced with steeL There are two outlets for the water; the on© oh the creek level is for a emptying’ the; dam, and the other is the inlet for the water for the pipeline. Provision for overflow of water consists of a sill on the western side of the dam. The diameter of the inlet pipe on the up stream aide is 2IIJ, which reduces to 13m on the lower side of the dam. The pipe line, which is 2400 ft long, connects with the dam and is conveyed down tine bed of the creek for some distance and then crosses over to tine eastern side. It is bedded and trestled for the wlnol© oi the. distance, to the power house, its diameter gradually reducing to Din as the water passes through an automatic valve to. the pelton wheel.

THE ENGINEER AND STAFF,

The Engineer for the scheme was Mr A. P. Aldridge. Dunedin, and the thoroughness with which he has car* ried it through adds fresh lustre to his. already, high reputation. He has been ably assisted by Mr W. A. Dtmstian, while Mr J. C. Collins, has supervised the setting up of the plant. Mr T. Byrne had charge of the construction of the dam and pipe line and Mr J. Tonkin was responsible for tire town reticulation. The. workmen engaged in the several capacities have also proved themselves conscientious and painstaking tradesmen.

SWITCHING ON THE LIGHTS

At G.BO p.m. the town lights were switched on by ithe Mayoress amid great cheering. Asked by the Mayor to say a few words, Da - .Anderson re red-red briefly to the importance of the event they were celebrating. He also spoke in appreciation of what the Mayor and Council had done to bring the town up-to-date in this direction. The scheme had been the subject of some adverse criticism during the last few days among a small section of the public: It appealed to him as being most unfair that these people had not waited (tail the work was quite complete before they expressed an opinion—.and then only if they were qualified so to do. {Applause).

COST OF THE SCHEME,

The cost of the scheme is likely to run into l>etweeu £BOOO and £9OOO. The Council was authorised to raise £7OOO plus 10 per cent; however it has proved insufficient and the additional sum indicated will require to be secured.

.THE EVENING CEREMONIES. ■ The Garrison Hall was full to overflowing on Thursday night' with a gathering of townspeople. country residents and visitors for the cons eluding ceremonies in connection, with, the. inauguration of the hydro-eiecr tric scheme. The electric light had been temporarily installed for the occasion and it gave the interior of the hall a brilliancy that has never before been attained. The. elaborate! decorations were therefore shown, to the best advantage. The chair was occupied by Has Worship the Mayor (Mr A. Simson); others who occupied seats on the platform were Mr J. B. Shackiook (chairman of the Power and Lighting Committee of the Dunedin Oity Council), Mr W. Black (Mayor of Alexandra and Chairman of the Otago Central Power Board), Mi- 'Jones (senr), representing Turnbull and Jones, Dunedin, Mr A. Ashworth (Alexandra), Mr J. Salmond, a member of the local borough council, Mr J. Cock burn (Arthurs Point). Mr Jno. George, Teviot Power Board, Roxburgh, and Dr. Anderson. CONGRATULATORY SPEECHES. The chairman stated that he had received numbers of letters and telegrams apologising for the absence of visitors and old who wished to congratulate the town on the great event they were celebrating. Amongst those who were unable to be present were the Hon. V'. F. Massey, Prime Minister, Hon. J. G. Coates (Minister of Public Works ! and Railways), and the Hon. G. Jf. Anderson (Minister of Mines). The Chairman said he was also pleased to mention that he had received an apology from Mr J. J. Boyd, an old Queenstown boy, who sent his best wishes and congratulations. Proceeding, the Mayor extended a , hearty welcome to the visitors who had come from all parts for their celebrations. He then gave a brief resume of the previous efforts to electrify the town, reminding his

hearers, of the occasion, some 30 odd 1 years ago, when the r Garri.Nun Hall was illuminated with electric light generated from a plant brought from Pullen dale. hrst of the lighting schemes proposed was do have had its source of energy at the head of the Brewery Creek. tJom© exception was taken to this scheme and it was just as well it was not carried out. The next proposal was to take power from the Two-Mile Creek. Then came the more ambitious schemes of harnessing the Kawarau Falls and Wye Creek, the latter ’ entering tine lake on the east side of Lake Wakatipu opposite Halfway Bay. The Kawarau Falls project was abandoned owing to the fact tliat. at the particular time it was proposed the waters of the Kawarau were sent back into the lake owing' to a Hood in the SholV over river. The AVye Creek proposal was rejected owing to its costliness some £15,000-and the town was only assured of the delivery of 100 li.pt The scheme also entailed thle attention of two men. Lastly came the OneMile Creek scheme which had now been brought to fruition. The mechanical work in connection with tliis installation he considered beyond criticism. It was thoroughly sound and the Engineer had assured him that in the case of any shortcoming!* he would make matters right. Ho was sorry to say there were some amongst them who would have been only too pleased bo have seen the scheme break down. Great credit •was due to Mr At PI. Aldridge,, their engineer, for the manner in which he had carried the scheme through. The Mayor stated that they would have ample energy for lighting, heaters, small motors and for a variety of other purposes, but they could not at present guarantee power for cooking. Concluding, he said the outstanding feature of the whole scheme was its cheapness. Mr W. Black, Mayor of Alexandra, congratulated the people of Queenstown on the completion of their hydro-electric scheme,. He was always interested in anything electrical and was fully alive to the great importance of the forward stop that had been taken. He was sorry they were not as far advanced with their scheme as was Queenstown, but it was hoped to have it in operation at the end of the year. Had it not been for the distance he felt sure Queenstown would have joined in with them. He knew of this from enquiries which had been made by Mr Simson. The speaker took the opportunity of apologising for the absence of Mr S. B. Macdonald, chairman of the Otago Expansion League, Mr Macdonald desired him to extend the congratulations of the League on the great forward step Queenstown had made. The completion of an electric lighting scheme betokened a period of prosperity for the town. Mr J. B. Shacklock, chairman of the Lighting Committee of. the City of Dunedin, apologised for the absence of the Mayor of Dunedin, who was prevented from attending owing to the many calls on his time. Mr Tapley wished to offer his hearty congratulations on the town’s emergence from darkness into light. Visitors to Queenstown would especially welcome the innovation and lie felt sure the improved condition of things would encourage many more to come to Queenstown. The speaker went on bo say that Dunedin was the pioneer of hydro-electric development in the Dominion. There were,, no doubt, other plants in existence, but Dunedin was the first city to commercialise electrical energy. They had heard something that day of the cost of the Queenstown scheme and he strongly exhorted all ratepayers to take advantage of the power and not allow the interest to tic a charge on the rates. He assumed that a majority of the ratepayers voted for the loan. (The Mayor: There were only 11 against it). Then said Mr Shacklock, all those who voted tor it should join up with I,he system and there would then l>c ample revenuei to meet all charges. If a success were made of the scheme he felt sure the town would be justified in adopting other progressiva measures.

Mr J. Salmbml, member of the borough Council and a very old resident of Queenstown, said it gave him great pleasure to be. called on to say a few words on such a memorable occasion. The sentiment expressed in one of the. addresses in the afternoon —the keystone of the scheme was IToigre.ss—impressed him very much. When he came to Queenstown many years ago what impressed him more than anything was the very line stone atttiuctures that had been erected in the town as compared with the woods ©n buildings that were erected in the towns of more modem existence. The former reminded him of what obtained in the Old Country. He could not help thinking of the pluck and foresight that actuated the splendid body of old pioneers in blazing the trail that made it possible for Queenstown to develop on the right lines. The introduction of electric light, he hoped, would now give a stimulus that was needed. They had wonderful assets in their climate and scenic resources, land-it behoved them to make the: most of them. It was very desirable, that mining and other industries should prosper, but they would always have their scenery and line climate. Cr Salmond stated that he was very pleased to have taken a hand in the preliminaries leading up to the scheme. The Mayor was entitled to the best thanks ami appreciation of the ratepayers lor the time and pains that he had put into the enterprise. (Applause). He also gave much praise to the overseers and workmen who had been engaged in the. undertaking. They were all first-class men and he hoped they would all be well satisfied with their visit to the' town.

A ribbon and confetti "blow” was here introduced by some members of the electrical stall and it caused much amusement.

,Mr Jones, senior partner in the firm of Turnbull ami Jones., electricians, Dunedin, said there was no doubt it was. a led-lebter day for Queenstown. When the history of hydro-electricity in the Dominion, came to be. written up Queens!own would have tire first page—or it ought to have. Possibly few of the public were aware that ,as far back as 1884 an electrical power transmission plant was installed at the' Phoenix Wine, Bullendalc, Lake Wakatipu. Reading

an extract from the Lake Wakatip Mail, which appeared in a London electrical and engineering journal, Mr •Tone; said it was declared to be the first instance of the electrical trans- ■ nis. ion of power on a practical scale in the Southern Hemisphere. The two generators used had a pressure of 2000 volts. When tire proposal bo install the machines was made the proprietor and manager of the mine were looked upon as misguided enthusiasts, hut Ihe machines proved a great success. Then in 1889, owing to the difficulty of transport and dearth of firing, water power was applied by electritity to go Id-dredging in the ■Shot over river. The plant, which was the first of its kind constructed in New Zealand, was designed for the Sandhills Mining Go., and was put into use in 1892. The total electromotive output of the dynamos was 1.170 volts. Mr Jones also referred to the installation of electricity at 14 Mile Beach. ;in 1890, and to the wonderful generation of electric energy from the Niagara Falls. In concluding his remarks Mr Jones wished the Queenstown scheme every success.

Mr A. Asihwarth, ex-Mayor of Alexandra, expressed his extreme pleasure at being a witness of the comtpletion of the hydro-electric scheme. For him the event had a special interest in that he was bom ami brought up in Wakatipu. Though it was now 25 years since he left, it, Queenstown had a great attraction for him. If the history of all the Dominion electric schemes was going 1 to be repeated in Queenstown, then it would 1» found that eventually an extension of the system would be necessary in the bringing in of the Five Milo creek. The demand for electric light and power was, always on the increase. In Alexandra, though they would not have their installation till December, the prospective load was working Up daily. It would include ovens and ovenettes, heaters, water, etc., in addition to electric lighting and also electric irons. Mr Ashworth concluded by expressing the wish that some of the Queenstown, people would visit Alexandra for their official opening Air J. Cockburn, in expressing his pleasure at being, present, referred to the disadvantage under which Queenstown had been labouring for the want of an efficient lighting system, but now its day had come. He then traced in bold though brief outline the history of the Wakatipu district and its capital since the early days when Alfred Duncan, standing on the. summit of the Crown Range, looked for the first time on Wakatipu, the “Promised Land of Rees,” as he called it in Iris book “The Wakatipians.” Those who knew the district as it was now could scare© realise the difference that had come over it since the pioneers first settled down here. It was just that difference that spelled the progress Queenstown had made. We owed the pioneers a great debt for the foundations of settlement, which they laid at such cost to themselves. True, they had the Early Settlers Hall in Dunedin where were preserved the photographs of may of the pioneers of the province, but lie would like to see a National Memorial raised to their everlasting memory. After the early settlers came the miners, then the agriculturalists, the woolgrowers and the dairy farmers. The many substantia.! buildings which were erected in Queenstown in years gone by were clear proof that the men of that day considered Queenstown had a great future before it. Proceeding to the subject of. electricity Mr Cockburn said “Who can tell what will lx? the full development of this marvellous power in the future.” As Mr Aldridge had told them that afternoon., there was much that the electricians of to-day did not yet know. It was a matter of congratulation that Queenstown had equipped itself with such an up-to-date system. Nature had been very lavish in her bestowal of such inestimable gifts of climate and scenery as were, claimed by Queenstown, anti the introduction of electricity—one of the important amenities of life- —would stand as another fine asset. Drainage should come next. He, hoped the scheme would be all and more than was claimed for it.

Mr Jno. George, a member of the Teviot- Bower Boards Roxburgh, apologised for the absence of their cliairp man, Mr J. H. Waigth, jnr., He Avishf ed to congratulate Ihe Council on the forward step they had taken; also the ratepayers,, without whose sanction tion the scheme would not have materialised. The Teviot scheme was yet in its early childhood so he could mot speak from -a long experience of hydro-electricity in his home town. lie. understood there were pessimists and croakers about; so there had been in Roxburgh, but there were none there now. He had had a yarn with one man- in Queenstown who. said the pipe line would fall down. Speaking from the Central Otago people’s experience of Air Aldridge in connection with the Teviot scheme, he could tell them that when the Queenstown one was quite lindshc. 1 and handed over it would be found a model scheme and a model job. (applause). It was only to be expected there would be small set backs, but the troubles that were predicted were only the imaginary ones of the pessimist. So popular had light and power become in Roxburgh that though it was only sax months .since their official opening there was scarcely a house in the town that was not wired up. Mr Jas. Ritchie, chairman of the Vincent County Council, assured the Queenstown Borough Council of the good wishes of his Council on the siuccesisiful completion of the work. He hoped the scheme would be attended with much success and that it would eventually develop into one that would supply power for all household purposes-. Mr Ritchie felt sure the enterprise of Queenstown would inspire other towns of similar size to go and do likewise, and that in due course drainage would be recognised as a future liability. If only the ratepayers would stick to their present mayor they could rest assured lie would see this project through too The speaker had every sympathy with a man in Air Sim son’s position, which was one not always free of adverse criticism. He had done wisely and welll pushing the electric scheme., and in a very short time everyone would rise up and call him blessed if they had not already dune so. (Applause).

Tii© Mayor then proceeded te give a few figures bearing on the maintenance costs of the system, in proof of his faith that it would eventually be a revenue producer. An outstanding fact was that in the last year of the operation of the acetylene gas plant the 60 consumers paid £456 for light. Then there was the street lighting and cost of working the plant which amounted to merely the cost of the. electric loan. In addition, it had been est timated that over £6OO was spent i in the borough annually in the purchase pf kerosene and candles. Including the interest on the "electric loan with all other charges,, the maintenance of the system was not going to amount to anything like this, and the advantages and benefits must be obvious to everyone. The, Mayor then turned the topic to that of the band. He thought it would be agreed that the band had contributed very largely to the success of the day’s prooeedf ings. The history of its resuscitation could be told in a few words. He had spoken to the secretary about the possibility of some of the old members of the organisation assemblling and playing' a few airs. He was told that if he could get a Cornell player it would solve the difficulty. His Worship got a promise from the conductor of the Alexandra Band (Mr Biiingans) that he would come up and bring another player with him—and the thing was done. They wore very grateful to these Alexandra men. Dr. Anderson then moved a hearty votie o fthanks to (lie ladies who had provided afternoon tea and who, were going to regale them with supper. The hall was then cleared for the dance, which was of an impromptu nature.