ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13644, 11 July 1908, Page 4

ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS.

It is useless for anyone who has not had the necessary technical training t<\ attempt to follow the details' of the dispute between Messrs Turnbull. and JonfG and Scott Bros'., so that, unless every Councillor is a skilled electrician, most, of the . discussion which took place alt the Council last night between the representatives ot the two firms' could have been., of little practical value. As a rule members of a. local body are not qualified to decide nice points about " wiring" and so forth, and all they can do is to appoint somebody, who is qualified, to decide these points for them. At present Scot* Bto* appear to exercise this function , for the Council, and the complaint of. Messrs Turnbull and Jones is 'that their work Vs placed at the mercy of a competing firm which seems to enjoy the privilege of passing its' own installations. 'lf thifj cf>r- , rectly represents the position, we fear that" it would be expecting too much . ot' human nature to look for scrupulous •impartiality from the Council's inspectors, and we' do ■ not think, it is a' position which would commend itself to the mind community. We trust, that it ...is not intended to make every »nsbillat|osi which may be pub into, a buildiiig in Timaru subject to the approval of any particular firm that may engage in the 'electrical' business -.in the town. The approval should be a matter for. the Council, "through -an authorised, ' competent ■ atid independent official, and we gather front the';••"•.terms arid, conditions, of supply,' which ar&. to come up again for consideration. on Monday, that tdiis course willbe followed.' . Kule 9 proposes thjik "on . completion of an .installation, and before 'connection -vto the supply .is . made, it shall be inspected and tested by the Cor- / poration." , The Corporation, of course, must: have: a qualified person to perform the inspection' and testing. If, for the . sake-of .argument, that person is to be a representative of Scott Bros-., .it would not be a wholly Jmpossible task to';make the tests, so lenient in some cases and so severe'in others, that rival firms mighty as , well' close up ' businem in tima,ru. ' Of course we do not imagine for a moment that) the' Council have any intention' of delegating iheir authority in such a way, but the public will recognise, that if it '• should -be done, the business of the to>vn stands to .suffer, and those who want to instal electricity may find themselves-in the liands of a monopoly. , ;