UNKNONW

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14620, 26 January 1918, Page 7

UNKNONW

REPORT BY CITY ENGINEER

i At last night's meeting- of the City j Council, the City Engineer (Mr J. G.! ■ Littlejoliu) presented the following re-i ; port on an electric light scheme for the! . city:— » ; The above question may be dealt with! under threo headings: • I 1. "What arc the requirements of the' city? . " j 2.' blow far should the Council provide! for these requirements? '3. What power should be used, together -with details of the cost, etc? The first may be summarised under the sub-headings :— A. Public services, comprising: 1. Street and other municipal lighting. 2. Power for drainage pumping. B. Domestic and private services, comprising: i. Lighting of dwellings and 'other buildings. '2. Power for factories. C.Tramways. The extent of t!io already existing reqi!iiv}n;<mcs of tit*.- City >s a matter of local investigation, and as a base for my ealc'iiiatioiid i nn\a aUoptoii Uio follow ing:— Street lighting, uOO 50 c.p. lamps. Drainage, oO v.p. Lighting of buildings, 10,000 SQ c.p. lamps. J-uwcr for factories, 700 h.p. The estixnate for street lighting does not provide for any great extension of; the present system. . J The estimate for drainage is based, on the present condition of the sewers and the ■ bad-weather flow in them. The estimate for lighting of buildings is based on figures supplied by the City Valuer, viz.:— ~ 212S dwellings, average. 3 lights each. 162 shops, average 10 lights eacn. 17 hotels, average 50 ligl:ts each. Churches, colleges, theatres, etc., say 1200 lights.

Tramways is a question by itself, .and it would depend upon the system adopted whether power other than that necessary for the other purposes mentioned would be required. A rail system or any other actuated by power transmitted along the route would require additional power during the time the service is in operation. The batteries for a storage electric scheme could he charged at night, when there was no other call on the plant, and no special plant or power would be required. I am indebted to the inspector of

Machinery tor a. return of the power used in factories throughout the city, viz., 652 h.p. in estimating the power necessary for a, complete scheme the time at "which current would be required J'or various purposes must be taken into account. The late afternoon in winter would be the time when the demand was greatest, say, from 4 i>.m. to 5 p.m. During that hour all streets, shops, and dwellings would be lighted, and the factories would still be in oper-

: ation. : Tlie total required then would be: — Lighting-, say, 400: drainage, say, 60; power, say, V'UO. Tctai, 1160 h.p. On the other hand, it is not to be supposed that lighb would be put,into every house or power into every factory, so tnat 1200 h.p. would probably meet I all demands and provide ior reasonable I extension for some time to come. It is ;.-. question, however, how far the Council is prepared to go in the matter of supplying factory power, if at all, but it will probably be found that the working expenses so far as wages, a.t any rate, arc concerned would be the same for a partial as for a. complete installation. aii<l that ix complete installa-

fciou might pay very well when a proposition lor lighting only miglit not pay at all. It is important^ therefore, that the Council should deoidf* exactly how far it intends to go in order to arrive at this consideration of what power should be used might assist. We know without any inquiry that steam plant or internal combustion engines «an be got to generate power to any extent, and so far I have con lined my investigations : to the possibilities of the hydraulic resources-' of the district in the neighbourhood of the city.

In a Parliamentary paper dated September 16th, 1904, Mr Hay, the Inspecting Engineer of the Public Works Department, reports on the available sources of vator power for the whole Dominion, and says with regard to the streams jn the neighbourhood of JSelsou: .

"Wairoa River: Without storage only 500 or 609 h.p. can be got." "Lee ".River: Only a small scheme; a few hundred horse-power is obtainable." "Roding -River: At a point behind Richmond, the water can be brought through the hills. With adequate storage about 1400 h.p. could be got foi continuous working, and double that for working 12 hours a day.''

i:Alaitai River: The low water flow is very small. Without storage any scheme is likely to be consideraolv unrcd 1000 h.p."

The report gives no indication of vr hat might be obtained from the Wairoa below the confluence of the Lee and llotiiug (which is the source of power for Mr Kllis's installation), probably for the reason that no proposal for that locality is practicable.. The site of these works is much too low for safety and assured immtorrupted working.- There is also the which 1 have, mentioned, viz., to briny the iloding into the Brook. About 600 ii.p. couJd be got, which would be sufficient for the public services of the city, but would be altogether too costly and of doubti'ul efficiency

I efficiency. ~ I know ail the streams mentioned from their sources to their mouths, and 1 am satisfied that, the .R-oding is the only one worth considering. For a.partial scheme to- bring it into the Brook, and for a. complete" scheme to take it through into Stoke. On account of the greater head to he obtained and better {■'acuities for consideration, ] would recommend Poor Alan's Valley rather than Kichmoiid as the site of the works. In reporting on the proposed augmeiition ci: the water supply. I investigated, the Roding, and at that time I estimated that me water could be brought in for £12,000. The cost would iji: auout the same at Stoke, but a survey would be necessary, of course, to avnvo at t!ia exact iig-.ires. The cost of the necessary works for utilising the water and details o'c the plant is a matter for an electrical expert, and I could not furnish ..an estimate without an ■ exhaustive: inquiry from the suppliers of machinery and plant, and would probably not be able to advise the Council to the best advantage. 1 may say, however, that ei'C-ii if a hydraulic scheme should be adopted stand-by plant in steam or other power would be necessary also. The question of additional power for drainage is intimately bound up with that- of an electric scheme, and should be considered in conjunction with it. The report was referred to committee. I