GAS CONSUMPTION.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18584, 3 June 1930, Page 6

GAS CONSUMPTION.

AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRY. DEVELOPMENT IN TIMARU. ] An address on the gas industry was . delivered at the Timaru Rotary club’s , weekly luncheon yesterday by Mr A. M. , Taylor (Engineer and Manager of the ' Timaru Gas Co.) Mr F. Drewett chairman for the day ; introduced the speaker who was weil received. ; At the outset, Mr Taylor said that as the gas industry was among the most important of public utilities in New ■ Zealand, and as it was providing one of 1 the most important of public services 1 in the world to-day it was thought that some information in regard to its : activities would probably be of interest | to Rotarians. Mr Taylor said the number of gas undertakings in New Zealand at the present time was 47, and of these 28 were municipally owned and . 19 privately owned. The coal carbon- 1 ised per annum was 232,274 tons. These j figures v/ere for 1929. and they must in- '■ crease each year as the various under- j takings increased their output of gas. The value of the coal delivered to gas works in the Dominion was £580,685, while the gas produced was 4,053,000.000 cubic feet or 20,265,000 therms. From this coal, 139,364 tons of coke and 3,484,110 gallons of tar was produced. Mr Taylor explained that the term “therm” equalled 100,000 British thermal units, and was equivalent to the heat produced by the combustion of 1000 cubic feet of gas having calorific value of 100 British thermal units per cubic foot; or of 200 cubic feet, having a calorific value of 500 British thermal units per cubic foot; or of 250 cubic feet having a calorific value of 400 British thermal units per cubic foot. Coming to the consumption of gas in 1 New Zealand, Mr Taylor said consumers totalled something like 178,000, and included in this number were 40,000 who use pre-payment or slot meters. The number of gas cookers in use was 110,000 and there were many thousands of heating appliances used as well. The speaker said that gas to-day was used in various industries from catering firms, to the printing, motor and mechanical engineering trades. Gas had been truly called the servant of hygiene, and in the factory it went further than any other fuel to meet industry’s need for heat that could be quickly attained and controlled with ease and accuracy. Gas was unfailing in supply, uniform in working and adaptable for large or small scale operations. It was an economic unit in industry, in as much that in addition to its other advantages, it saved the cost of storage space and the labour of handling entailed by solid fuels.

Having thus introduced his subject, 3 Mr Taylor next turned to the question 1 of the progress that had been made in \ 54 years by the industry in Timaru. Hi said that the town was first supplied ! with gas in March 1876, the number ] of consumers of gas at the end of i twelve months being 150. In the first t year 2,000,000 cubic feet of gas were i manufactured. It was generally known 1 that at the present time the Board of Trade controlled 17 of the largest J undertakings in New Zealand, with re- 1 gard to dividends, quality of gas sold ; and the pressure of gas on districts. All gas meters when returned for testing J and repairs, were subjected to a special ' accuracy test by a Board of Trade i meter inspector and if found accurate were stamped with the Governmen! « stamp. A Government Analytical In- j spector had the right to go to the gas- 1 works laboratory and there make a test ; of the Quality or calorific value of the 1 gas being sent out. This must not be i below the standard declared by the 1 company, which at Timaru was equal to 475 British thermal units per cubic ! feet. The average sent out during 192:;; ; was equal to 483.75. No gas company : could increase the price of gas to its consumers without first proving to the Board of Trade Minister the necessity , for so doing and obtaining Government ■ approval thereto. Mr Taylor next referred to the in- ■ crease in the gas produced in Timaru : from 1876 to 1929. He said this was an . indication of the progress of the town ■ in 53 years. Commencing with an output of two million cubic feet for the first year, the rate of consumption rose steadily until 1891. when the annual total was eight million cubic feet. In 1906 it had reached the remarkable total of 24 million cubic feet while in 1921 the output was 53 million cubic. From 1921 to 1929 a period of ; eight years the total was approximate!'. 33 million cubic feet, and the actua 1 increase in 1929 over 1928 was 3.525,50*' cubic feet or 4.02 per cent, while the. gas made per ton of coal carbonised was 20.529 cubic feet. Some 83.803 gal. lons of tar were sold in 1929. It would be realised, therefore, that all bitumer ioads being laid down in New Zealand were not being made from foreign bitumen, some local authorities beini still loyal to New Zealand industrie. Huge sums of money were sent out r. (he Dominion for foreign bitumen, bir why should this be done, remarked tht speaker, when New Zealand was pro during one of the finest commoditie in the world for road making. The speaker ennumerated the gtv appliances installed in 1929 and said the total in use in Timaru was 2172. Turning to the question of gas iigh in Timaru. Mr Taylor said he had no obtained the number in use, but no* withstanding the severe coinpetitic from hydro-electricity the load was stv considerable. There was still a demur; for incandescent burners, mantles ant globes and lamns. Mr Taylor said it would be of interest to know that there was in Timaru th largest user of gas in industry in the Dominion. This particular firm’s consumption had reached the huge total or 6,000,000 cubic feet per annum. From the figures presented. Rotarians would gather some idea of the magnitude of the gas industry in New Zealand. The old controversies with regard to the question of gas versus electricity were gradually fading away. He was sure t.he.t every man capable of thinking clearly must realise that there is plenty of room in the world for all the heat that could be produced by v/hatevemeans. At the conclusion of his address MTaylor was accorded a hearty vote <y thanks.