THE ELECTRIC TRAMS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9508, 8 May 1911, Page 5

THE ELECTRIC TRAMS.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—ln a. recenfc issue of the "Standard" you expressed a, wish, to have this question well discussed as to tho test .systems. 7.1 havo, during tho last few months, acquired a' fair amount of information' on'tlio subject, and (as a layman) I certainly consider that tho overhead trolly system is the best and safest' to adopt,. When_, speaking to ill' Lysnar, Mayor of Gisborne, three month's ago, I understood him to say that the guarantee that the EdisonBeach Storage Company would give was only 60 per cent, of what they claimed tho. Storage Company would do. I may have misunderstood Mr Lysnar, but if not, a guarantee of that nature would not be satisfactory; I enclose a clipping from the Southland Times m connection with the decision of the luvcrcargilL City Council to adopt the everhead trolly system, and I would ask you to be good enough to publish it.—l am, WILLIAM PARK. May 8, 1911.

Following is the extract referred to by Mr Park:—"ln connection with tho decision of tho Invercargill Oity Council to .introduce an overhead trolly system of electric tramways, Mr Scott Symington, consulting engineer to the Christchurch Tramway Board, in a letter to the Mayor of Invercargill, discusses the probability of the overhead system being superseded by the storage battery system. He says.—For the past ten or twelve years vaguo rumours have periodically been circulated in regard to Edison's researches in this direction (tho storage-battery car), so' much .so that the subject has become to soine extent a matter of amusement in engi'neering circles. No tangible, result has yet been -made public property, and, speaking a 6 a practical engineer, I can assure you that there: need be no fear of it ever displacing the overhead trolly system for towns or cities.' While selfpropelled cars, both electric storage, and petrol driven, aro only in their infancy, and great developments may be expected during the next few years, they can only be of use for long-distanco travelling, and in cases where the great expense of the overhead trolly and electrio power distribution scheme 'would counterbalance the expense of storage battery or other type of self-propelled cars with their corresponding losses due to tfceir charging and maintenance, and the great inconvenience which may' be expected from such complicated' cars. In tho caso of system where power can be generated at a central station and distributed cheaply,' I am absolutely confident," he adds, "'that- nothing will bo able to compete with the overhead _ system for low operating costs, which will mure, than compensate for any increase there might be' on tho interest of the capital expenditure, and the additional cost of such cars would go a long way to meet the cost of tho overhead construction. Looking at the matter in another light, it is theoretically impossible to store power without losses of from 20 to 25 per cent., which in a system such as yours would bo a very _ considerable amount, and in any caso it would still be, necessary to have a power_ station for the generation of tho electricity."