THE ELECTRIC LIGHTING OF THE CITY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 849, 8 June 1888, Page 31

THE ELECTRIC LIGHTING OF THE CITY.

i A TENDER ACCEPTED. At the meeting of the City Council last week the Electric Lighting Committee reported that three tenders had been received from the Giilcher Electric Lighting Company, of London. The tenders were—(l) For machinery, buildings and plant for lighting the city with 48 arc lamps of 2000 candle-power, arranged in 8 towers 100 ft high ; (2) Alternative to above, 115 arc lamps fitted to the existing lampposts ; (3) For machinery, buildings and plant for lighting the city with 480 Swan-Edison incandescent lamps, each of 20 actual candle-power. After full consideration of the matter and consultation with Dr Lemon,. the Committee recommended that tender No. 3 be accepted, and that the City Solicitor be instructed to communicate with Messrs Miles and Co. with a view of completing the contract at the earliest possible date. The amount of the contract was L 1750 per annum for the first five years, and the tenderers offer to run the undertaking for a further period of five years at LI6OO per annum, should the Council decide not to purchase the plant at the end of the first five years. The Mayor, in moving the adoption of the report, said his impression was that the firm intended to make the installation a great and thorough success. They were going to have two dynamos at. each station, in case one of them broke. They intended to have 480 lamps, which -would give as near as possible one lamp to nearly five chains, so that each lamp would only require to shine for about 50 yards. The lamps were 20-candle power, and in order that they might judge of their power, he explained that the present lamps only gave a light of about 14-candle poweV. Each lamp would be lit from dark to dawn. At present the gas lamps were put one about 12 o’clock. He considered that they might fairly say that they had carried out their promises. They would uot only get double the light, but would have it burning much longer than the present gas lamps. The light, of course, would , not be as brilliant, as arc lights. He had no hesitation in saying that if this scheme was carried out YVelling--ton would be the best lighted city in the Southern Hemisphere. In reply to Councillor J. Young, the Mayor said that at present there were only about 265 gas lamps and about 10 or 15 kerosene lamps.

Me further stated that the cost for each lairtpi for the first term would be L 3 13s, ■yvHilfe’ fits east of the same amount of gas iiglitm’g would be abofit L 9, and for the s&co'rid tei'm 1 th6' co'sf would, be IS 7s. Replying to' Cofnfcillor J. Yotfngjfc the Mtifo'r sa'id'Jfc Was ptopbteAd to light €>r6?y lane and alloy iii the city; Coun'cilloi Wi?> lianrs seconded the liiath'rr: Hq considered that if the scheme was carried into 1 effect,’ it would be the most progressive Yv'oxkthat tho city had ever entered! into. His Worship had omitted one point in his reirtarks,- and that was that the Corporation wk si’ tinker rio liability in the matter until the whole installation Was completed. Until the light was iii full working OTdsr the Council were not called upon to pay one cent; Councillor A. Young' asked how was the valuation to be fixed, if tiiA Council decided ac the end of five years to purchase the plant. The Mayor said that pl'Ct'kion had been made to have the matter Settled by arbitration. He also mentioned that tfe firm',- in their agreement, had provided pipes for the waste water, which werk the’ Council had considered they were to petforifiv Councillor Daiiks thought some charge! should be made against the lighting account and placed to the credit of the water account. He had found that if the same amount of water as. was required for working .the light had been used by the citizens the cost would be L 2190, and he, therefore, in the face of that, maintained that some charge should be put to the cost of electric lighting. The Mayor said he was sorry to heal* these remarks from Councillor Danks. The statements made by that Councillor were untrue. It was known to every Councillor that they could not get customers for their water, and that it had often to run to waste. Councillor Edwards suggested that when the time came the waterworks account should be credited with the amount it would take to drive the machinery with coal. Councillor Smith said he was very pleased to see the scheme carried out, and he thought when it was adopted it would serve to show the public that the large expenditure on their waterworkshadnotbeen made for nothing. It was certainly one of the best things the Council had ever done. Replying to Councillor Petherick, the Mayor said it was definitely , stated in the specifications that the water was only to be used for street lighting. •Councillors J. and A. Young congratulated his Worship and the Committee on the way they had carried out their work in connection with the matter. Councillor Richardson said he had been surprised with the remarks made by some Councillors about the water in connection with this scheme. It was fully understood when the Council took up the scheme in the first place that they did so because they had the motive power free. If it had not been for that there would have been no electric lighting at all. Councillor Coombe congratulated his Worship on the successful issue of the scbeine. The motion was then put and carried unanimously. On the motion of the Mayor, seconded by Councillor Allen, a hearty vote of thanks was passed to Dr Lemon for the valuable services he had rendered in connection with this matter.