MIND THE LIGHTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11029, 18 March 1914, Page 5

MIND THE LIGHTS.

INSTALLING ELECTRICITY. HOUSEHOLDERS' LITTLE TROUBLES. TENDENCY TO MIGHT. At first, it was thought that the city would not bo ready to receive the Lake Coleridge current when it came don n oyer the Government's cables, but tho position is now altered, and tho municipal authorities anticipate that tho Christchiireh installation will be ready either beforo or at tho timo the ctnrent is switched on. Iu anticipation of tho day many people, particularly householders in tho suburbs, are.wiring their houses and preparing for tho moment when the Council's mains will be linked up to tho dwelling. In the central ward a few are being taken still on to the present supply, which is now severely loaded, but before long it is probable that supplies will bo drawn from tho Christchurch Tramway Board until Lako Coleridge '''comes down." Tenders at present are occupying the attention of tho City electrical autlionties, and these will probably bo accepted at th 6 next meeting of the Council. The work of going through the offers of the Council's would-be suppliers is a big work, since tho tendering embraces almost everything in connection with the reticulation 01 a city, that is everything'but the poles. It is intended that the high tension cable mains shall bo laid underground in. troughs which will be filled with, bitumen. ■ . , With the rush of house installations contractors have been busy, but there have been discovered many little troubles with which tho householder lias to contend. Chief among these is a tendency to bo hammered and worried by regulations. Whether for good or evil tho installation of electricity is bound by many regulations, and. the man who puts a tew lights into his dwelling finds' that ho must wait upon an official's "must" or. "must not before he can complete. Gas, which has been used freely for many years, is almost without restrictions or tins kind, and there aro not wanting people who insist that the older form of lighting should be placed under regulation as well as the new. One ol' the sources of argument when .installation work is done is in connection with the position of the switchboard which lias to hold the meters. The Council officials like to have tho switchboard placed as near an outside wall as possible in order that the higher power wires leading .the current into the house would be as short as possiple. But there is another point which has led to difficulties more than once and that is the actual room m which the switchboard should be placed, k' 6 /®, householders hare complained that the authorities have insisted on the switchboard being placed in the front hallm order to facilitate meter-reading but without any regard for the appearance of the dwelling's interior. In one.instance the contract work was nearly stopped because.of the insistence on the Council's representative that the switchboard should go just inside the has been suggested that in the initial stages of the scheme nothing should be done to. unduly hamper householders when installing ( electric light, and yesterday, when a reporter saw tho Citv lingmeer, Mr J I) Scott, he was told that the authorities did. not insist on any special room or position for the switchboaid, providing that the high power main entering the houses did not have to 20 more than six feet. Ho liked to have the boards placed away from steam, but there was nonobjection to placing thein in tho kit-chen. llio nearer they were to an entrance, ot course, tile easier it was for the .Council's employees to read tho metfers, but -the authorities as far as possible were advancing the installations, and assisting residents. : , . j One of the most frequently made mistakes in connection with the lighting of houses, to-day an electrician, talking to a ' Star " reporter, said, was that people usually put in lamps that were too powerful. "It is nothing, he went on, •for householders to go for 50 c.p. lamps in each room, and Liter their bills are higher accordingly. They do not recognise iliat ail electric lamp; gives the full power it sets out to givo, and this is one of the reasons for over-lighting. In bedrooms of a normal size in cottages and' bungalows a 16 c.p. is usually quite sufficient, and it will be_ found that usually the 32 c.p! is quite the best lamp to use in. large rooms. " The Council, of course, reaps the benefit in, increased consumption when the larger lamps are used, but at the outset, it is not wise to instal lamps that are too powerful, and make the cost unnecessarily higher. In this direction contractors do not assist householders to any extent, and seem to Jean towards the advocacy of the larger lamps. They arc concerned with the provision of ample lighting, but as they know the full values of the lamps they ought to be in a position to advise their clients better,* and to advise them to keep down the candle-power. Damns are the same price, and people £0 for the 50 c.p. for that reason, but it is more expensive in the long run, and' the Council is trying to make lighting cheap."