THRESHING BY ELECTRICITY

Otago Witness, Issue 3336, 20 February 1918, Page 11

THRESHING BY ELECTRICITY

IN PULL SWING AT LINCOLN. " With the co-operation of Mr L. Birks, ol the Public WorKS Department, Air K. E. Alexander, the director of Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln, has been enabled to give farmers" in the district a glimpso into tho future. Close by the college, on the PrebbletonGreenpark road, an electric thrashing plant has 6een running for some days jpfij acres were thrashed last week), the power for tho motor being taken from the high tension lino that passes close by the College itself. This is the first time that thrashing by electricity has ever been accomplished in the dominion, and Mr Alexander expresses entire satisfaction with the result of tho work done. Tho current is taken from the 11,000 volt high tension line, which runs by tha roadside, to a small substation on wheels, which is drawn up alongside the college hedge. This apparatus, which "breaks down" the high-tension current k> a pressure of 400 volts, looks very much like an ordinary wharo on wheels —except for the word '"Dangerous" painted on it. From this transformer-the cable is carried across the road, hung to the trees that are handy, and on to tho motor which drives the combine. This is a 15 h.p. motor, and it is such a compact little affair that it could be easily carried—sledge and all —by two men. It requires no attention at all. Once placed in position and the belt put on, all that is' necessary is to move a switch over, and off it goes. So far as cost goes, an engineer of the Public Works Department informed a Christchurch Press representative that, pre< suming the machine ran at 12 h.p. for 8 hours, the cost of the current consumed' would be 18s As the average load is under that, the probability is that the cost would be under ■ that also. Therefore to say it compares favourably with steam is putting it mildly. Though this plant is not a full-sized one, there is no reason whatever why full-sized plants should not be run, and after seeing the plant at the college working, it does* not require the exercise of a very powerful imagination to visualise' the near future, when, from a "power point" conveniently situated at the junction of three or four properties, the owners will be able to run out their cables, and carry the current tohandy portable motors, which will thrash, run shearing, dairy, and ec'cd-cleaning machinery, saw wood, pump water, and do most of the work which now has to be dono by manual labour or horse labour, by oil or steam engine. The demonstration at the college modest as it is, may be said to mark an epoch in the agricultural historj of Canterbury and of New Zealand, and both the college authorities and the Public Works Electrical Department are to bo corn gratulated on their progressiveness.