WATER POWER VERSUS COAL

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7264, 21 October 1910, Page 1

WATER POWER VERSUS COAL

; THE GOVERNMENT'S SCHEME UP-TO-DATE METHODS MUST COME. 'SUPERSEDING OBSOLETE PLANTSSome interesting observation* on the Government's water-power scheme were tinade by Mr I’. H. R. Neville, A.M.J.-, E.E., Wellington, in the coins© of an '•lnterview with a '‘Times" refiorier. In-, cideutaHy it may bo mentioned that Mr* ■hevillo installed. the first' three-phase' !eleotrical railway on the goldfields in' 'Western Australia., and luus been work-j ing oa • the th ice-phase tension plants (fur some years. He also installed largo '.electrical plants at Lake View Consols. 'lvanhoe, Brown Hill, and Gwalia mines?, Hv.a. THE DEMAND CHEATED. Replying to a question as to the likely ■demand tor electrical power, in view of 4>he existing and contemplated municipal schemes, Mr Neville remarked : “i think it will create-its own doinuanxi. Ltf this i can give, you an' (example. Take the Ontarip Power Com-, pa’ny, Niagara. They have completed a (plant capable of supplying ISU,OUO horsepower. The. company has been at work ; lor some time ncxw, and up . to date ia ! only supplying 30,(XK) h.p. Tills shows tlmt whilst they put in an enormous ‘power, the supply is only 30,000 h.p., but it was actually better than they anti-. Jcipatcd at the time the plant was put| !iit. Their plant operates at its most dispoint over 161 miles. Prom tills wo. (gather- that they were forestalling the demand. i*ecogaising that the cheaper power will create its own demand in. course of time. CUMATIC CONDITIONS. "It has been stated that the climato of New Zealand will have an effect upon the economical tiunsraieMoii of current, but one of the very first lines,- an experimental • line established between -Pnanikfort and Laufien (Germany) in HB9l, which covered 112 miles, proved that atmospheric conditions were hardly worth considering. The perceptible loss of current from rain or fog was not apparent on the instrument. Even at that leaolly date the efficiency of the line wan }72 per cent. It should be remembered '.that snow and rain are fairly •• good inIshlaJtons 'and' offer no difficulties to high voltage work. , The trouble, with - high -voltage--work- generally is- due to dust, and, petrbaps. railway, smoke, and. in ray opinion, high, voltage work should not run alongside a railway. The larger the output of a plant that can be- concentrated at one point, the great the economy of generation, and the larger the market that can be created at the end of the transmission line, the greater may bo the distance between the market and the, generating source. . TATTING THE LINES."Many of theso^long transmission. lines, are tappedwhenever they pass through 1 small townships.. It is just as , easy to j tap a line at any point as it is at the* end, thus proving that it would be quite possible .where a Hue passes through agricultural districts for farmers to do a groat part of their agricultural work by iloctricity; in fact, ploughing was donb by electrical energy as .early as 1879. As in instance * that even a small market will induce companies to run Jong transnissdon lines, take the American ‘River Electric Company, which runs a lino' >ver SO miles to Stockton,'- Central Cali- 1 bmia., where it supplies only 6060 in-1 candescent lamps 'and 300 horse power n motors. This line is tapped in many xlacos on its way to Stockton, for the' rupply of power." j EXISTING MUNICIPAL PLANTS. j Askod as to the possible interfcronco vith existing municipal plants by tha jroader Government tcheme, Air Neville aid: "Of course, the municipalities hove got he reticulation, and tliey have/ too, the opper overhead and underground, which hey own. as the chief asset. But all obsolete systems must die; that is, whero seal is being usod when, you can get * rater power. Where labour is properly •aid you must have cheap power to ■ompete with other manufacturing coun-rie-s at all. There is one example ;of 1 ower- saved —in Dunedin, in connection , vitli the pow-er obtained from the Waiori Palls. In some cases where people ; re large consumm-s they can get cur- * ent on the ordumry day load (there's ' n extra rate awnight) at one-third of penny per power hour, and 1 ontracts entered into by them or seven years at this rate. This is, think I am right in saying, as cheap s the beet American practice. Our ower in. Wellington is threepence per nit, showing a considerable difference i favour of water power at Waipori as : jmpared with the power secured by coal x Wellington. „ EXPERIENCES OP OTHER / COUNTRIES. " Take some of the old American min* Yg fields, which were practically played ut when they had to rely on steam ower. Since the introduction of bydrolectric power these mining fields have ecu rejuvenated, thus furnishing emloymcnt to large armies of men. As a latter of fact, X cannot understand why ier© should be any opposition to the overnment’s scheme, seeing that the >untry has wanted it for such a long me. "This, in my opinion, should be a ational question, not a party one, for tends to belittle what is a very fine jheme. Electrical engineers instead of , Aversely criticising, would, I think, do etter by being helpful, giving their exarienco of th© plants they have handled, > that in. the elaboration of the scheme le beet experience may b© available, ndonbtedly the operation of this hem© will give an incentive to in* iistry. CHEAPER CITY LIGHTING. "Another point: We should get icaper city lighting. There is not one wn in New Zealand that is properly ?bted; that ia as well lighted as it ioald be.. This generally due to tho u-poration having to * supply its vn lighting. and every "penny icy spend on lighting they are king out of their own pockets. The srk as outlined in Parliament should rtainly be undertaken. With cheap >wcr for lighting and manufacturing, ; contemplated in the present scheme Is country will b© the finest in the* uld to live in,"