SWITCHING ON.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 2 May 1927, Page 4

SWITCHING ON.

LIGHT AT CLAREMONT. rM., (listricfc of Claremont, which Us ™,;nly of ColoAlgo^c.o^ ! ti'ical current from t * ie , -i llol + v, o 1 offici-il I+ho Fail-view lmc, held the omu.u ! switching-on ceremony at t-lic school on , Wednesday last. ~ The chairman of the SchcM Com- ’ mittee (Mr P. It. Talbot) presided over a very large gathering. , | The chairman apologised foi tJ - ' I seneo of Mr J. Kennedy vcl a n ati 1 of the South Canterbury Power Boaid), j and Mr C. E. Kerr the district s rc'- ! presentativo on the Board. Mi ialb °“ spoke very highly of the work d o 1 by these gentlemen, and regretted that 1 tiiev wore unavoidably prevented from ; bein ,r present. He welcomed Mr L. Dash (manager of the Bower Board), : and Mr G. \V. Morrison (resident

| oil lights were extinguished 1 to the accompaniment of “Auld Lang iSvnc,” anil the chairman then called i Mrs J. Armstrong, a resident of the district, and an ex-pupil of the school, to switch on the electricity. Mrs Armstrong did this amidst great en- ! thusiasm. The scene presented was one i of splendour, the pretty decorations in the hall harmonising effectively witn ; the electric lights. , ~ i The chainium then referred to the : good work of the Power Board since its inception, and spoke very highly of the Board’s efficient staff. (Applause.) , . Mr Dash outlined the scheme on which the Board’s activities were based, and the work already accomplished in the country districts. _ In speaking ol : ten Claremont district, Mr Dash i specially mentioned the great amountof work done by the. chairman, and said that had it not been for Mr Talbot’s efforts, the line might never ■ have got through. (Applause.) I Mr Morrison spoke in regard to too mileage covered by the Bcnrd in the reticulation of the country districts. Ho returned thanks on behalf of tho staff for tho compliment paid them by the chairman. Thev had a very efficient staff, which would he very hard to | better. (Applame.) I On the call of the chairman, cheers I were given for tho Power Board and ; the staff. | Mr Dash mc.vcd a hearty vote of ; thanks to the chairman, and this was 1 carried by acclamation. A dance, interspersed hv social items, was greatlv enjoyed bv all. The following contributed to the programme Mrs Higgins. Miss Higgins, Miss Mc- ; Phedran, and Miss Boys, and Mr Barclay. Mrs J. Casev supplied the dance music, Mr AT. Shea was M.C.. and extras were played by Mrs L. G. Smith, Misses Armstrong and Barclay, and Mr Armstrong.

FUNCTION AT ROSEWILL. Two auspicious events were celebrated in one at the Rosewill. School on Friday evening, on the occasion of the switching cm of electric current in the district and the anniversary of the Rosewill School. Tho school was crowded for the occasion, and the whole ceremony passed off without a hitch. All- IV. Divan (chairman of the school committeo) presided, and welcomed the members of the South Canterbury Power Board. Mr Divan said it was very fitting that tho residents should asscmblo to recognise the arrival of “the white light” and alsu celebrate the 21st anniversary of the school. Referring to the school ho said that it was 21 years ago that the school was first opened. The site then were just' a hard-working band of men settlement. The committee, however, was just a hard-working band of men with tho interest of tho .district at heart. Their efforts wero in tho right direction and it was not many years before a rapid transformation was effected, till at tho present time the school was ono of the best equipped and conducted in South Canterbury. (Hoar, hear.) Speaking with regard to the electricity, Mr Divan said that 18 months ago a meeting was held in connection with tho raising of the loan for the Levels County. Council. After tho meeting he anticipated that the power would be at least 3 years before it could ho enjoyed by the consumers. Owing to th eexpeditious manner in which tho Board conducted their affairs, they had tho power within 18 months. By the reticulation of the district the settlers would receive every convonionco, principal m these being tho installation of cookers. Judging by tho already fine response, he was sure that it would not bo long before tire whole district would realise the advantages and apply for tho power. Mr Divan said it was fitting that thoy should ask Mrs M. O’Keeffe to- turn on the current. Mrs O’Keeffe was an early settler of tho district and was well respected by all. (Applause). in turning on the power Mrs O’Keeffe said it gave her much pleasure to turn on the currcent which she knew would be greatly appreciated by the settlers. The room was flooded with multicoloured lights, the effect being a very fine one.

Mr I. Kennedy (chairman . South Canterbury Power Board), said it gave him great pleasure to be present at another linking up of the country districts with electric power. Basing his remarks on similar lines to previous ceremonies, Mr Kennedy spoke oil the history' of electric light since the first efforts of the Board some 3 years ago. Referring to the cost of the Rosewill branch of the Levels line, Mr Kennedy saidi the line cost £I6OO to erect. The consumers numbered about 16, and already there were applications for cookers and other labour-saving electrical appliances. The people of Rosewifll wero on a guaranteed line, and although they were charged for a certain amount of current whether they used it or not, the Board did not want them to restrict tho use of the power. He was sure that when the period of the guarantee was up the line would. be able to carry on on its own foundation. The guarantee was spread over five years, but he was sure that the people would be so taken up by the power that there would be no need to ask tho settlers to pay for any more than they used. Mr Kennedy went on to yoeak of the loan money raised in the different counties and said that in the Levels the loan raised (£76,000) would be fully expended. Mr Kennedy then went on to speak in complimentary terms of the work of the staff. Although the Board knew they were such good fellows, Mr Kennedy said that they could not attain such successful results without a competent stnff. The Board believed in giving credit where ■credit was due, and too much -of this could not be given to the staff, from the management down to the polo gang. In conclusion ho said he hoped the residents would benefit long by the power and use it as much as possible. (Applause). Mr G. IV. Morrison (engineer) spoke of the wide , distance covered by the Board’s activities. In Levels County there were approximately 4000 poles covering 181 pole miles. In Geraldine County there were 229 miles, and in Waimate, which had only recently been commenced, there were about 150 miles. In explaining the reason for the delay in the current in the Rosewill district Mr Morrison said that when the Board undertook to reticulate a district thoy procured the approximate necessary material. Transformers, which comprised practically half of the cost of a line were only procured in snial 1 riuantities. so as not to have too much on hand. For this reason some re’h-'l been caused, as to spend eennormcallv

they must purchase material as needed. Mr Morrison briefly outlined the Board’s scheme of reticulation and said thev were not going to stop their activities until the whole country was re ticulatcd. In conclusion lie thanked Mr Konnedy for his remarks about the staff and said they were fully deserving of all that was said. (Applause). Mr J. Kennedy claimed the' privilege of proposing a hearty lot© of thanks to the chairman for the capable manner in which he had conducted the function. Tliis was carried by acclamation. Cheers for Mrs O’Keeffe and th© Power Board and staff concluded a very pleasant function. . . ' Dancing was indulged nr till a late hour and this proved very enjoyablo. Mr E. Hart was M.O.