NELSON TECHNICAL SCHOOL.

Colonist, Volume LIII, Issue 13020, 8 February 1911, Page 5 (Supplement)

NELSON TECHNICAL SCHOOL.

LIGHTING .BY EI.ECTiMCfTY

PRESENTATION TO MR BFAER--IDGE.

(From "The Colonist," Jan. 31.)

A scheme was mooU-d about .eighteen months ago to iigbt the '.I', clinical Seliool by electricity, and it lcsnltcd in a decision to provide eicotiii: wiring and lighting for the engineering students at th.; school. It was considered that the best means of providing instruction in electrician's work was the erection of a plant which would serve tho double purpose of being educational anil at the same time provide a good light for the school. Mr Beveridgc, of the Post and Telegraph Department, was appointed instructor to tho class, and the result of the1 year's work was that th;- whole of tho main building hail been wired, ami the engine, dynamo, and switch board installed in one of the workshop:-;. Tin; art room, which is in course of erection, and the workshops themselves, will be wired and lighted during the coming session. Last evening a meeting was held in the school for the purpose of iv-

augurating the new lighting. Mr Magiuuity, Chairman of the Education Hoard, presided, and the;e was a numerous attendance of the suuieuts. a.nd their friends. The Chaiiii.iiu said tint they had been in\ it. d there, to witness tho extension of another brunch of the general >c!ien..> o( technical education —a very important bianch, probably h.' would not bo excei cling the t rui.lt if lie said that it was the most important branch of the school, tl.it was, tho electrical branch, it was ];ro;.o:>i'd to show them that night the cli'ect of lighting the school by -Jectricity. The whole hi the installation had been done by [■tudent.'y at the school, under the insrtuctiou ei:d guidance of Mr .Beveridge, who had had charge of the class for some considerable time. The work had been eminently satisfactory, as they would have an opportunity of judging. It was so .satisfactory that the Board had instructed him to recognise it iit v substantial way, and Liter he would haw something to say under tluvt l:.:'d. The Board wanted to advertise tho school, _ and tirvt was their n;.Miu for inviting them there that night. The school was opened in liiOl, and was used for instruction in commercial subjects, ail, oookwy, and dressmaking,plumbing, and continuation subjects. Woodwork and cookery rooms were also used for manual training for school children. The total enrolment wa:;: in 1907. 225; l!)0S, Hl2; J!!00, 012; lino, ."00. That was a \'ery satisfactory advance. The number of individual students attending tecbiiicvd find continuation classes had risen from 85 in 1907 to 320 in 1910. Free pupils, who fcrine-d the backbone of the school, had increased from 33 in 1908 to 133 in J9lO. .During the past two years evening trades courses for building and engine,'ling pupils had been inaugurated, and a day trade course for youths passing through the primary schools had been carried on. In regard to the electric light class, the pupils had shown givat keenness, and had often, with the instructor, come back on extra nights in order to carry out additional work. The total cost of the scheme had been Cl 12. All of this amount, with tbc exception o.1' the cost of dynamo, had b; on provided by the Department. The dynamo tost £20. Experiments eni'md out with the plant ::o f:>r sho'.wd ihat it required 85ft of gas per hour for the engin? to light tho whole of the main school, as against 180 ft of ga;> per hour for the same purpose, lighting by gas. That would be a considerable saving. When, later, accumulators were installed, they would be able to lignt the school for a fortnight, with the engine running for only one day during that time. The Technical School in Nelson had proved a valuably factor in imparting necessary instruction to young men. Referring again to Mr Beveiidge, the Chairman said that that gentleman's

f:;'r\ ices hail given tlie greatest i:\iisfaction, and lie (the Chairman) had hven commissioned to make a prosentatio'.i of. a sum of monry to him. it was not !-:■;) much as remuneration for the work lie had done, hut more as a token of their appreciation of liis ser-vict-s. -Mr Beveridgo v. :is going iloine mi six months' Ic-av.l e;f alc-ciice, mid it was thought that tli:it wvs a hlting occasion on which to make him a presentation, and lie asked -Vir lieveiidge to accept that cheque with the bust wifJi\':s of the Board.

Mr Beveiidge., in accepting t'ne cheque, thanked the Hoard for their kindness.

The company then retired to the workshop, ai;d .Miss Maginnily snitched on tlie electric light, which brilliantly illuminated tlie main portion of the building.

M.r Bruc" afterwards gave some intere.stiiKf deinonsli-fitioii':; in the Jaboratory. One of these was the production of the phosphorous-oxygon light, too dazaling for the sight" of the fpoetators, but when it h:\d reached its full illuiiiinatiug po\w>r the large glass globe which co\ered it burst. The fumes which rcsult<;d were almost suffocating, but all tho windows and doors being opened the audience were able to bear the unpleasant effects. There were also demonstrations of the uses of electricity i.i heating rind cooking.