CITY LIGHTING.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5667, 15 August 1905, Page 5

CITY LIGHTING.

THE MATTER HUNG HP. UNPEEPAEEEXESS FOE THE SCHEME. In April lasi, a poll of the ratepayers was taken In* the City Council asking its sanction to borrow !£2s,(in0 —the amount considered necessary for taking over of (ho city electric lighting, and providing an up-to-date system. That sanction the ratepayers gave, and straightway negotiations wore evened up for the aoquiroment of the public lighting from the Electr*cnl Syndicate. The act of ISfvl, under which this could be accomplished, says:—"The Corporation may, within six months after the expiration of n period of ten years from the date of the passing of this net. and within six months after the expiration of a period of fourteen years from the date of the passing of this act, . . . require the company tc sell to the Corporation the company's undertaking or so much of the same as shall be within tho area over which the Corporation shall have municipal jurisdiction. upon terms of paying to the company the amount of capital which shall have been from time to time expended bona tide by it upon the undertaking as shall be niGim such jurisdiction as aforesaid. and also upon tonus of paying to the company, if necessary, such a further sum as shall make the total not profits earned by the company to the dale ol completion of the purchase ui> to ton pounds per centum per annum on such capital a? aforesaid, such amount: and sum to be, in. case of difference, settled by arbitration—provided that in estimating such total xjrofits as aforesaid for the purposes of this section, no sums shall be written oft the same as for depreciation of. the lands, bull JingsTVorks materials, mu! plant of the undertaking, but this proviso shall not bo held to apply to proper repairs actually executed."

The fourteen years term expires on October let. end it is from Hint dale thM the City Council proposes to toko over the public lighting, with six mouths' grace to complete—sny seven ami n half months in all, yet the who voted so enthusiastically for municipal light looks in vain for any outward sign of the change. Yet such evidence should be manifest, for the ciiv has been promised a much better lighting service, and looks for the disappearance of the gloom that passes for electric light. This can only be achieved by completely le-organ-ising the public lighting of Wellington—substituting the present alternating for the direct current, and providing more lamps that give a better light than those now in u«e. As a correspondent (“Arc Light") pointed out some time ago, to attempt to’ improve the lighting as at present applied would be ridiculous as the present system “is an inferior and wasteful one," so the sooner the work of installing the latest and most approved system is put in hand the better. Consulted on the matter, the Town Clerk says that after the poll was taken, and the loan approved, an agreement'(o take over the public lighting was drawn up, approved locally, and sent to London for the consideration of the Home board of directors' of the syndicate. _ About six , weeks ago news was received* that the agreement had been approved subject to a few modifications. A Vila t those "modifications” were he had not yet been informed, having received no communication from London on the matter by the last mail. Asked whether anything was being done in a practical way towards instituting the change of control and system of lighting, Mr Palmer said that certain things had been done, and nothing further could be done until the effect of the "modifications" was known. Would we have the power? Well, an order for a 1000 horse-power engine hud been sent Home, and it was expected to bo read}', for work in six months’ time.

At present the tram service takes almost the maximum amount of power available (with one boiler and cngiiie ns a stand-by), and it was supposed that the new engine and boiler ordered would be to supply power for the extension of the tramways, evidently it will have to do both. The salient x»oint, liowcyer, is that even in the matter of power—putting aside the tedious work of installing a now system—the Council is taking full advantage of the six months’ grace given by the Act. If any further time concession ib needed, ns the present unsatisfactory efcalo of the matter indicates, it must only be subject to the courtesy of the syndicate, and it is for the Council to bring pressure in that quarter to permit the work being taken in bund at .once, and so inspire ratepayer© with a greater faith in the endeavour of the Council to carry out its resolutions. M.r Maben. the syndicate’s manager, who has just returned from a trip to London, has practically nothing to say upon the subject. He remarked that it seemed as if the city would not be able to take over the lighting of tbe city within the period. The syndicate, had, however, a duty to the public, and it would mean probably a short extension of the present agreement. If the city is called to pay for further extension—in view of the Council having given notice that it would take the lighting over as from October Ist (or within six months of that date;—there is a probability of hard things being said.

At last night’s meeting of the City Council Councillor Carmichael mentioned a statement that had appealed in the press to the eil'eet that the city was paying a great deal inore for the public lighting than it should have done. It contained an insinuation that some of the city officials were responsible for not bringing the matter forward sooner. He ashed * for a report concerning the position of the Council, and the Hlectrical .Syndicate in regard to the street lighting. tVas too much being paid for Hie purchase of the service? Had a muddle been made am! whose fault was it? It appeared to him that the Council had been victimised to the extent of eome thousands of pounds, and Councillors should have the position cleared up—they should know why they had to pay more than would hove been the case if proper steps had been taken at the proper time. The Mayor replied that if the Council had lost anything it was largely due to its own act. A notice had been prepared but unfortunately it had contained a clerical error, but three solicitors had given their opinion mat the notice was sufficient to meet the requirements. However, the Council had grown nervous, and had arranged with the Electrical Syndicate that the notice should be treated as a notice of purchase. Either the Council could give notice for termination of the contract or purchase of the plant, and the notice had been treated as a notice of purchase. Some peopla had assumed the Council was giving too much monev for the purchase, but ne was not in a position to say. The matter had taken place during the term of office of the previous Council. He wag not prepared to say whether the notice ae it was given was perfectly valid, but he assumed that it was. after reading the opinions of the three solicitors. If Councillors really wished to know whether thev were giving too much money to the syndicate, they would have to obtain expert knowledge."