THE ELECTRIC LIGHT QUESTION.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 993, 13 March 1891, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE ELECTRIC LIGHT QUESTION.

A special meeting of the City Council was held on Tuesday to take into consideration the question of the electric lighting of the city. There were present—His Worship the Mayor, and Councillors Petberiek, Worth, Vvillaston, Harris, Clere, Harcourt, Moeller, Smith, and Parsons.

It was resolved '.hat the Council resolve itself into committee, and on resuming the following report of the Electric Lighting Committee was adopted : The Committee beg to report that as the result of several interviews with the Chairman of the Gulcher Company, they are now in a position to state the chief points upon which a new contract could be entered into wLh the Company : 1.--Water Supply.—The Company will undertake to concentrate at the Panama street Station all the machinery necessary for lighting the city, and thereby save 10 h.p. of water. In return for this the Corporation would have to allow another connection to be made with the present main in Panama street to supply the water to the extra turbine which the Company will have to erect there. This turbine will, however, be used only in cases of emergency. The question as to whether the cost of the above connection is to be borne by the Company is at present left open. The Company contends that all the water which can be used will be required lor lighting the city, but will undertake that the Wainui supply only shall be used whenever possible, although it will require to be supplemented by the Karori supply when found necessary. The alternative to this was giving a larger s ipply pipe than the present one from the m dn in Featherston street, but this course the Committee cannot think it advisable to recommend.

2. —The Com; any is willing to carry out the arrangement set out in Air De Castro's letter of February S3rJ as to lighting a portion or the whole of the city by steam power, but the Committee have been entirely unable to effect any reduction in the price quoted, viz., L 6 per lamp per annum 3. —Payment for water already consumed in excess of the quantity s-ipulated. On this point the Committee have been unable to influence the Company to make a larger offer. The Chairman abides by his offer of L 250, and states that this amount is the utm >st he can consent to pay. Mr De Castro, the Chairman of the Gulcher Company, then hal an interview with the Council, in the course of which the question was exhaustively discussed. The following resolution was unanimously agreed to : —That a contract on the lines suggested ia the report be prepared for submission to the Council after consideration by the Electric Light Committee. The Council then rose.