ELECTRICAL ENERGY IN NEW ZEALAND

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13136, 21 November 1904, Page 2 (Supplement)

ELECTRICAL ENERGY IN NEW ZEALAND

MR HAY'S REPORT. (From Odr Own Coitni-sroJfDKNT.) WELLINGTON, October 31. In addition to the report on New Zoalnncl water powers by Air Hancock, the American expert, a somewhat cxhaustivo report has nlso been mado by Sir P. S. May, -M.A.M. Inst. 0.K., who is superintending onginccr to tho Public Worko Department. In his introductory remarks Mr flay says:—"Some of tho larger schemes outlined may at present appear to be of spcculativo interest only, as industries of magnitude sufficient to utilise tho power available in these schemes may not seem likely to bo doveloped in tho near futuro. In formulating schemes and estimating their costs there appears at once tho question of the probable number - of shifts per day of 2{ hours which will bo worked in the industries of tho futuro that may uso eleetrio power. In general, the cost for hydraulic works, hydraulic and electric plant, etc., will be much greater for any selionio working eight hours or' 16 hours pot day than for one working 24 hours per day. In each case all tho wntor availablo for tho scheme lifting supposed to be used, the r.Miduits require to no larger to deliver the same quantity of water in tho shorter time each day. The watermotors, tho elcctric generating plant, also the transmission lines, must be of increased capacity. The gross revenue will 1)0 approximately the same in each caso (all the energy being' sold), hut in the shorter-time schemes the interest, and, perhaps, the renewal charges, will bo greater. This questiononly affects lako schemes, or others where adequate storage is possible. Whero rivers or streams are utilised and; no storage is possible, then the plant has to ho wroked continuously or water must run to waste. Full-power for 12 hours per day, or belter, 34 hours per week, may,' for a preliminary investigation such as this, be taken as equivalent to working at variable power extending over two or Ihrec shifts por day each of eight hours. Throughout tho report 80 per cent, efficiency is taken for all water motors, and the power given is brake horse-power (h.h.p.) on the turbine shafts. Probable losses of head in races or conduits and pipes have beou deducted beforo computing the horse-power. In schomes whero storage is obtainable a large part, and in many oases all, of the Sunday and holiday surplus Dow would lie available tor increasing the average power during working days. No notico of this has been taken in estimating the power in any scheme. When complete information is availablo for any proposed sohcine, designs for actual working would probably be based on a flow greater than iho mean annual flow mentioned in the report. For this reason many of the lake eohemes might lov actual working days bo greater than stated by a considerable percentage. All the schemes put forward are taken to bo of an efficiency sufficient to pay interest on first cost, taken at 4 per cent, per annum, and all charges for renewals, sinking fund, costs of staff, and management. The revenue has been computed on the assumption that tho power paid for is'6o per coiit. of tho h.h.p. on tho iurbine shafts, £12 a year pee h.h.p. being charged for c"utinouus working. As a matter of fact, tho tariff would vary, with the .esot of tho scheme within certain limits, and should vary with tho time per day for which power is used, also with the amount of power taken "or any industry. 11l one largo italic!) power installation the power varies ior various reason* from £10 to £30 a year per horse-power. The above conditions impose a limit at which any scheme can bo developed under present conditions and worked as a nominal undertaking without loss, As to the future, low rates of interest and other altered conditions may render it practicable, to develop more costly schemes than would at present be justifiable." ELECTRICAL I'OWKU lOR RAILROADS. \ Mr L. M. Hancock, American electrical expert, reporting to iho Minister of Public Works, and rclerring to the question of electrical powor for railroads, says:—There has been endless discussion ou this subject. Mectrieal engineers on the one hand have cluintcd that "there is no work of any kind now being dono by steam that cannot lio done cheaper and better by electricity," whilo tho sham engineer has attacked tho electrical engineer with his breakdowns and .unreliable service of pioneer days, and tho claim that electricity could not, with a reasonable investment handle the railroad service of to-day as furnished by' steam. Neither are wholly right nor wholly wrong. A. middle ground has been taken by our conservative ongincers. They are attacking every new problem presented with such skil'. and thorough sincerity so that great undertakings yesterday thought impossible aro to-day an accomplished fact, The heaviest scrvico now in operation is probably tho Baltimore tunnel, the heaviest undc-r-constniction is the Now York Central tunnel in Now York City, the largest straight-away eleetrio railroad is probably tho Cleveland, Dayton, and tho Toledo Traction Company, with headquarters at Hamilton, Ohio. This system spans a great part of tlio Stato of Ohio. Both services in operation are beyond a doubt very successful. The method usually adopted where a road is being operated by steam is to instal on tlio busiest portion a system of electric traction that- will not interfere in any way with tho stcani service, then gradually diminish the steam scrvico and increase the olcctric, then gradually extend tho electric equipment to other parts of the system as tho demand and oilier local conditions dictate. The New Zealand railway system p-i.-uld have to be thoroughly studied before any definite out'.ine of a plan could ho recommended. Tlicro is no question about tlio water power of the colony being ample to handle tho whole system, nor is thero any doubtful engineering question involved. It is purely a question of business policy. I have "no doubt that there aro numerous places now where, it would bo very wiso and good business policy to equip with eleetrio traction. -Some of these places are tho suburban sections of roads near Wellington, Auckland, Olpislclmrch, Duncdin, and the Ohristchurah-Lytte'ton iunncl. These would be excellent piacos- to begin, then, as traffic increased, which it is hound to do, you would bo well situated to handle it. The energy for iliis sorvieo is abundant, and with. the' progress in view for your- excellent nolony these matters should be put into condition to moot the demand in sight. ATVIffUR PASS POSSIBILITIES. Mr Hay's remarks regarding tlio power in tho vicinity of Arthur's Pass are interesting. He says:—"Tho possibilities of water power ill the Otira Gorge have a double interest, as the minor schemes may bo developed for tunnel construction and the larger ones for an electric traction schenio to work the railway traffic over the tunnol incline, and thus avoid all smoke nuisance in tho long tunucL Tor working air drills, ventilation, haulage, etc., at the Otira ond of tho tunnol, the falls in Holt's Creek, Barrack Creek, and Wci-tley Creek are available. Kach is probably good for 200 or 300 horse-power, Holt's Creek being quite near tho'lower end of A 4 lunnel. Al the Bealey end the Punchbowl Fall is available. A head of about 700 ft is to lie got by a little over half a milo of pipes. Ordinarily several hundred liorfo-pawer would be got, perhaps 500 or 600, but in frost the amount would be reduced. Por the electric working of the railway traffic there-ure several schemes possible. To draw the full train load up the grade that could lie brought lip to Otira Station by. the £4 ton locomotives contemplated to lie used by way Pepartment in the future without the steam locomotives would require turbines of at loasfc 1600 h.h.p.' For the existing B engines turbines of about 1200 h.h.p, would be required. Thero is a rocky gorge in the Otira at the road hut at'an elevation of about 2080 ft. From this point, by a drive about 7000 ft long, water could be taken to a point on the' Rolleston Spur, where a small service reservoir could lie out in tho flolid rock to hold onougli for one olf more traip journeys, as deemed best. About 1000 ft of pipes would -take watcr to a power-house a short ' distance • below the lower end of A 4 tunnel. Fully 500 ft effective head should bo available here. A minimum flow "'0 Otira of about 40 oiibio feet tier second would 6u(fiee without a reservoir "to just work the traffic, or, with a reservoir, about 20 cubic feet per second. A rccent gauging of the Otira gave over 60 cubic feet per second This was after fiyo days' frost.. In addition there was water, apparently flowing in quantity under the'boulders. A gauging of the Rolleston updpr the same conditions gave 39 cubic feet, per second, and also water was flowing undor the boulders in the .bed of the creek that could not be measured. The etretms were not at their lowest at the time of the gauging, but even allowing for this, there should hot he any lack of water. There is a rock gorge on t|ie Rolleston at practically- the same level as that in the Otira. Bftth - are about 40ft wide, and eonld ■ easily have weirs built across them. A length of about 8000 ft of drive woti'd be required to take tho water 1 from the Rolleston Gorge to tho. pipe bead. The Otira scheme- could be augmented in this way if at any> time it was decided to extend-.- t!w. length ..of eleptrical|yrwprk«d line. The reservoir, in combination »»th

another settling-tank nt a suitable location «a the rare, would bo for clearing tlio wator from grit. Tho water can also ho taken from tho Otira, just below tho junction of Peglcg Creek, end from there carried in a drive to a suitable point on the hillsides abovn the Rolleston Spur. Thorp is a diffcrencn of level between tho Pcglcg Junotion and a power station on tho Rolleston below A 4 tunnel of nearly 1200 ft. 'flic measured flow of tho Otira would «ivc about MOO h.h.y. at this station. Tho direct distance between Pcglog and the power .-t'ltion is two miles S3 chains. Tim conduit length would bo longer—say, two miles 70 chains, or perhaps more. I do not think there is any ohanco of getting a storage reservoir, howovor small, on this alternative except by cutiing chambers in the rook, which would bo too expensive. This scheme can l>e reinforced by taking tho lien.Lv water into the Otira by a drive under Arthur's Pass. By doing this about ]C,OOO h.h.p. should lie obtainable at the Rolleston power station. This would bo siuliciont (and move) to electrify the line, from Rolleston to Grcymouth. Water can bo taken from the Bealey River in a pine under the sleepers in the tunnel to the lower ond of the tunnel. This would ho more expensive and give less power than iho lust scheme, the total fall way system, and would have been quite prepared to soli if the question of pri<!e had been determined by arbitration, instead of being fixed by one of tho parties only, and that one tho buyer.

The question as io the profits made by the old company it. is submitted, had nothing Io do with the purchase of another company's property., Exception is also ial.-cn to Sir Joseph Ward's statement that Iho Government olt'ered to resell to the company within six months of the ratification of the purchase, jnd the director interviewed by our roprc-si-ntative gavo a denial to tho statement. The shareholders submit that by the purchase they have mado an actual loss of over £10,000, and would like to sec published the details of Captain Post's valuation on behalf of the Government, which it is staled was £9.1,500. As to the conduct of tho service sincp it was taken over by the Government, there will probably lie a difference of opinion, and the fact that the Government is -only getting 6 per cent, on the property, without making any allowanco for depreciation, is certainly no proof that it is working it to tho best advantage.. Tho people of the district aro sorry the change m management lias ever been made, and would much prefer if the service was still in the band? of tho company. As far ai the shareholders are concerned, we understand they are determined the matter shall not rest until they receive more equitable treatment at tlio hards of llic Government.