ELECTRICAL DEVELOPMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 October 1919, Page 2

ELECTRICAL DEVELOPMENT.

(Enclosure).

WHY NOT NEW PLYMOUTH. The DeCew Falls—3o miles away—generating electricity for the city of Hamilton (Canada) as though this had been its wonted work through many generations, has made modern Hamilton. In short, Hamilton became a magnet for industrial plants (the great Canadian, works of the International Harvester Company" being among the first to locato here), and the place doubled its population in 10 yc'aTs. To-day the wizards' fluid is driving the street car service of Hamilton (some 30 miles in extent), a radial railway to Oakville (20 miles), another electric railway to Dundas (five miles), one to Beamsville (23 miles), another to Bradford (28 miles), furnishing many thousands of horse-power to Hamilton manufacturing plants, lighting hundreds of citizens' homes, and serving not only the city but the surrounding cities and towns of the district with its. Quota of the thing that made man's work lighter than ever before in the history of Industrial man. Electricity made Hamilton great.. Hamilton manufacturers and working men are making ,It greater by making it minister to the necessities of greater and better industrial production. Hydro-electric power was introduced into Hamilton in 1912. Prom September of that year to December 31st the number of customers served (full period) tho number of individual accounts for service had grown to 5117 For the year next ensuing (1914) the customers numbered. 7830; in 1915, 9983; 1916, n 4<J2• 1917, 13,233, and in tho year 1918 the record had reached 14,300. At this time (June, 1919) 18,402 customers of the Commission are on the hydro-electric books. The total connected load of 33,000 horsepower is derived from the great Cataract of Niagara—Niagara Fails. The average use per residence per month for 'ho year 1918 was 41 k.w. hours, and the average account was 90 cents—a kw costing only two and a third cents. Hamilton has the unique record of providing eloctrical current -.t the lowest rates in tho world. In this city electricity is used for work of all kinds—house and shop-lighting, driving industrial and household machinery, cookitii.' auxiliary heating, welding, smelting, laundry uork, vacuum cleaners, elevators, toasters reuigerating plants, street lighting, civic Dimming, elc. * 1 Hamilton has the reputation of being one o; the best lighted cities in North America, and It does not require a profound student of the scienco to do much investigating to ascertain the cause: For 365 days of every year tile great cataract produced its untold powers for the service of all those within its sphere of miluenco whoso enterprise and capacity equalled their great opportunity. ========