LOOKING FORWARD

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 3, 5 September 1923, Page 5

LOOKING FORWARD

STRATFORD'S ELECTRIC POWER V CONSIDERATION OF CURRENT. The St-atford Borough Council spent n couple of hours at the Municipal "Chambers last night, discussing in detail various phases of the Electric Light Department, including a report by the Electrical Engineer (Mr J. L. Ferguson) for tho conversion of the present plant to a condition for taking power from tho Taranaki Power Board, and a scheme by Mr B. H. Homer, of Stratford, for developing power on the Patea

river. | The Mayor (Mr .T. W. McMillan) presided, and the following Councillors were present: Cr s Rutheriurd, Finnerty, Nelson Carryer, Lawson, McDonald, and Mclnnes. The Mayor, in addressing the Council, said they had met to consider what was to bo done with regard to the current. They bad no option in the matter, as it x ™s recognised they were pretty well loaded? There was the question whether they should join up with the Tariki scheme; further, they had to consider the advisability of changing from tho single to the 3-phase system; o.nd further they should consider if there was any other possibli Source of supply suitable or more profitable than the Tanki scheme. Mr Horner's''scheme, in his opinion, was worthy of consideration. Most of the councillors had bad the opportunity of learning something of it the other day, and were rather impressed with the possibilities attached to. it, and considered that if it was up to expectations it would be a .vi-y valuable scheme to adopt. All -were,; anxious to thoroughly consider the schemes and do the proper tiring for the town. They did not, look upon the matter as something, only for to-day,, but for pretty-far ali©nd and a considerable supply of current for at least twenty years. Ho admitted they had been rather iiiisled in the past in regard to expert opinion on many matters, and if they bad to seek expert advice in the present difficulty he advised them to take ; t "with a grain of Salt." The Council's experience of the purchase of a second Deisel engine was a case in point. They w|re told then that the Government would supply power in Taranaki in about five years, and Government expert advice said the hydi o plant was uot worth doing much to, but they should repair it a s well as possible without going to great, expense; and in the event of the dam breaton^;#ray v th'ey should cut it out altogether.. However, continued the Mayor, laymen had to be guided by expert advice, and he advised them not to be influenced by schemes'to hist „about five years bui rather np to twenty years. Tho Government had locked tor power in Taranaki to secure 6000 horse power, but they failed to find it. Then C'limie Bros, struck something; at least, it was considered ( it would ploduce more than at present required lor Taranaki. What the Council should remember was the Council's heavy capital expenditure resulting from the connecting up with the Tariki scheme. He did not think it was advisable at the present time; in'J I'act, there was no necessity to do so; ; if they did join up they would bel liable to be rated. It was advisable that the Council should know the actual pr,ice of the current to be sup-' plied; at present they knew the up-1 proximate cost only, 'ihe Council wag quite safe in waiting for the Tariki scheme to be developed, and if it was better than their own they would be quite justified in adopting it.

vMr Ferguson's report, which was of some length, a»d couched in highly technical terms, set down the cost of the change : ovor and coupling up at about £30,000. The Mayor doubted whether tho ratepayers would be P'ep&red to sanation such a heavy expenditure, j in answer to questions, it wnsstated that about 75 per cent. of tho installations in the town would j have to be rewired. The cost would j be about 35s per point. The nuniben of consumers *was between 700 and 800. In referring to figures supplied by Mr Skoglund (Town Clerk) in refer-j enoe to tho schemes, the Mayor remarked that the only way to meetj the expenditure was by doubling thej consumption of Current, as they could i not charge more than Is per unit. I the price wa« qutite high enough, now, he considered. Mr. Skoglund: There aro quite a ( number of places with municipal j plants where the price is higher; in fact, half the stations in New Zealand charge higher than Stratford. Mr Horner's scheme provided for a minimum h.p of 520 and a maximum of SOO, at a cost of £22,000. Cr Mclnnos- said that the natural inc.case in consumption judging by tho average for years past was about 15 per-cent. and the minimum would provide for five years or so. This year promised to be abnormal in consumption on account of the new buil'lings being erected. The remarks of members regarding provision for increase led Cr McDonald to ask if Stratford was expected to become a now Chicago shortly!

' Cr Finnerty said that from what he could gather from the figures supplied, tho OounaiVs capital expenditure s f ood at £25,000, and if Mr Horner's scheme was onrried out, the amount would be raised to roughly £'50.000. Later on, say in another £ve pr sis years, when the oonsump-

t-ion had increased, they would hare to look for another scheme, costing probably several thousenJs moflt\ Or Finnerty waid ho had hoard of another scheme being promoted in the Patea which waa reported to be capable of producing about h.p. Mr Skoglund real Climie report on o scheme somewhat simitar to Cr Fiunerty's statement, which had been supplied to tho Council some years ago. In fact, tho possibilities in tho Patea have been the subject of investigation" for many years, Mr Horner's sch°me being similar in nature to Mr E. C. Robinson's, and others. The Mayo-, in the. course of the discufsion on these remarked : "It seems that we were up to date too poos' ! If we had had the pre~e>'t- hydro siince its inception, it would have been paid off now." Cr Rnthorfurd said that if the Horner scheme could develop 500 h.p. it would lie a valnnble one for the Council. The Councilor was ine.'ined to be ironical in his reference to the lapid increase of Stratford as a town, in view of the fact that the population had increased only a few

hundred iin several" years'. The old hydro with only 95 h.p. wag suffi* cient for the town for 15 years. It was stated that there are now GOO houses in the borough, and the nse of current had become more popular.

The Mayor said that was another reason why they should look out for another hydro, after the present one being in use for so many yea r s. Ho thought the Council should consider Mr Homer's scheme.

Or Nelson agreed, and said Mr Homer should be complimented on the scheme and the way in whir>h he had presented it the Council. Cr Carryer raised the question whether tb« Coiricil had the r'ght to go to the locality and generate they* power and. Cr Rutbe*furd said the Council had the right to go into the Taranaki Power Board's district to generato hut could n°»t supply outside i.bG;r own district though, as a matter of fact, they wore doing 80 at present. But there wag nothing to be gained by the Power Board stopping the ' Council doing so, as the Boa-d was not able to &npply current to these farmors. Cr advised writing to the Chief Electrical Engineer, and asking whether in the event of installing the new power he would insist on. the change-over to the three-phase svstem. .. ••. .•■■:

The Mayor did not agree, and Of" Rutherfurd said; tuat as New Plymouth had had the benefit of a Government engineer free to assist ia regard to thp Manojorei tunnel job, Stratford nv'ght have the services of a Government engineer in this matter. . • Cr Mclnnes considered the Council should have the best electrical engineer's advice.

The Mayor said that there was no use gcv'ng to the expense of impnrtres in Horner's scheme, as thai could Ive done quite well by a i local man. but he agreed that the best electrical advice should be obtained on the question, whether the scheme was a suitable one to adopt. Cr Finnerry raised the point of his notice of motion, adjourned from a previous meeting, to the .effect that the services of a first-class electrical engineer bo obtained to report on the working of toe department and the advisableliets of,:.joining "the Tnriki scheme, and ihe benefits or otherwise of same. Cr Finnorty was of opinion that Mr Homer's scheme should also be included in the schedule" a£. the consulting engineer, if any. Finally, it was resolved oh the motion of Crs Rutherfnrd and Lawsoa that Messrs Vickerman and Lancaster, of Wellington, be engaged to report as suggested.