OF NEW ZEALAND INTEREST

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18591, 27 June 1922, Page 6

OF NEW ZEALAND INTEREST

LABOUR EXTREMISTS. HYDRO-ELECTRIC DEVELOPMENT. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, May 5. Matters relating to hydro-electrical development are obtaining publicity in a number of English journals, chiefly as the result of the placing of New Zealand contracts with British firms. The Wellington correspondent of Th© Times refers to the offigial announcement made by Mr J. G. Coates on the progress of hydro-electrical policy, and development, and takes the opportunity of summarising the various schemes which are in operation and contemplated. “ It was recently asked in the House of Representatives,”, he relates, “by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr T. M. Wilford, why the Government had accepted British tenders for certain generators and other equipment for the Mangahao scheme at prices considerably over those submitted by American manufacturers. The Minister’s reply was to the effect that there was a difference of expert opinion on th© meorits of American and British plant. It cost £7OOO more than the American offer, but the Government preferred to have British machines made by British workmen. It was taking great care to see that the goods supplied were made in Great Britain.” Under th© heading, “An Important Order for Now Zealand,” the Electrical Times and Lighting publishes an article giving full details of the order for generators and switchgear for the new MlangaJiao power .station, which has been placed with the Metropolitan-Vickers Company. “ This order," says th© writer, “marks a definite period in the history of switchgear development in this country in that it is stated to be the first placed for British-built material for so high a volage.” MILKING BY ELECTRICITY. A well-written and technical article appears in th© Electrical Times from the pen of Mr L. Birks (of the Public Works Department, Wellington). His subject is “Electric Power for Plant.” “ On April 30, 1920, there were 35,643 milk suppliers to dairy factories,” ho writes, “and the number is increasing at th© rat© of about 10 per cent, jrer year. Of these 8806 were using milking machines, requiring 2 to 3 horse-power each. This number is increasing at th© rate of 16 per cent, per year, and will grow rapidly until it approaches the number- of milk suppliers. Th© total demand for this purpose alone will thus run into tears of thousands of horse-power, and will a large proportion of the total demand for hydro-electric power in the dominion. In fact, it is becoming clear that the milking machine motor will be the main justification for a largo proportion of the country reticulation. A revenue of £24 to £3O is available from the average dairy farm for tiro milking machine alone. This justifies the line; and when tire line is once run to tlie farm all kinds ■ of other uses are found for electricity—lighting, ironing, cooking, heating, and power generally. But the peak load on the farm, sendee in the dairying districts will be at the milking hours, morning and night. In view of the difficulty of making country lines pay their way, it is important to keep down the size of wire-—i.e., the current and power consumption—and with the object of investigating this matter a series of meter tests have been made on five typical milking plants in the Canterbury district.” It is with tire results of these experiments

carried out by Mi H. E. Philpots at Lake Coleridge that the-writer is chiefly concerned, and he shows the revolutionary effect that the effect that the application of electricity to the work of the farms will have. LABOUR EXTREMISTS "An Old Blade,” a Sheffield man, who is now a New Zealander, writes to the Sheffield Independent concerning Labour extremists. The basis of his complaints is the deporab’e engineering dispute that is now going on in England. “I should like to know,” he says, “how long it will be before the average working man will took at things in a sensible light and cast the extremist out, for that is what all these union leaders are, and settle down to work and make an effort to recover the lost trade. Really, lam disgusted with the so-called unions. If I had my way with their leaders I would do what they do out here—put them in gaol for a lengthy period with hard labour.” After a great deal more to the point the correspondent continues; “I don’t want people to run away with the idea I don't know what I am saying, as I was in my union quite a long time, but ceased because the unions were going to extremes, and! were very little use to anyone. I onlywish a few of these engineers were here, and then I tldnk they would alter their view. I have been here a long time and have only done very little, because I am an Englishman, and an ordinary working man, who is being treated like the majority out here, that is with disdain, and would be very glad to get back. lam sure the sooner English workmen cease paying their shillings per - momth to keep these officials in idleness, tire better off they will be.” STATE-OWNED RAILWAYS. New Zealand railways are thrown in with the Australian State-owned lines, ’that the Glasgow Evening Citizen may point e lesson on State Socialism. “Fox the 12 months, 1920-21,” it is stated in an editorial, ■ the ratio of expenses to receipts was the dangerously nigh one of 84.15 per, cent,, an increase over the previous year of nearly 7 per cent. In New Zealand in 1918-19 tho ratio wa-s 66.92 per oent; for 1920-21 rt worked out at 87.59 per cent. Of course it doesn’t matter a pin’s point. There are no shareholders to complain, only the taxpayer, and in a well-ordered Labour Government that patient individual does not count for much. Still in the long end he may be roused. Indeed, in New South Wake he has revolted and turned savagely against the Labourists and their fitness to govern. In this matter of the railway services is he not, after all, being taxed so 'that tho users of the railways may have their goods and their own carcases w'heeled about at below cost rates? What is going on in Australasia is, or ought to be, of educative value in the old countries of the world.” “ INSPIRED PROPHECY.” “ ‘ Millions now living will never die!’ We had our prescribed dose of this in London not long ago,” says the Freethinker, “when representatives of the International Bible Students’ Association gave ‘popular’ expositions of inspired prophecy and its true interpretation. Prom the Press (March 4) we learn that. Mr W. W. Johnston has been ‘attracting big- audiences’ to hear the same story in Christchurch, New Zealand. Probably not one educated Christian in a # thousand gives any credence to this sort of 'thing. Yet it secures columns of notice in the newspapers, and extravagant claims are made on behalf of the Bible as a character builder. Prediction and visions represent a low state of culture in the history of religious systems, for their appeal is essentially to the ‘herdinstinct’ in men and women. But in most Christian countries both journalists -. and statesmen are fully alive to the dangers of ‘materialism’—especially in the masses.” DOMESTIC SERVICE. A correspondence on the vital subject of domestic service is proceeding in the Spectator. “A Sympathiser with the Employers” has something to say concerning the handmaidens, of the dominion; which is not altogether complimentary. ■ ** Your correspondent who sympathises with the maids,” he writes, ‘‘has heard one side of the question only, to judge by his letter. I have discussed the matter with the manager of one of the very best hotels in New Zealand. Although his maids had at least as much free time as your correspondent describes, and higher wages yet he assured me that it was only with • ’the greatest difficulty that he could keep going—invariably shorthanded, and always troubled lest the maids he had were scamping their work whenever possible. So worried was he that, he retired from business shortly after my visit in 1920. And yet, as ho said, ‘lf anyone can get them I can.’ Evidently not even colonial terms of service can satisfy the young women of the present day.” ■ ■