The Waipa Post. PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 1912. LIGHTING.

Waipa Post, Volume II, Issue 98, 29 March 1912, Page 2

The Waipa Post. PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 1912. LIGHTING.

At the present moment there is no question more deserving of the consideration of the Te Awamutu ratepayers than .that of entering upon a system of lighting the town. Whilst the proposal to instal a system meets with general approval, there is a slight diversity of opinion as to which particular system would be best in the town’s interests. In this matter Te Awamutu, like every other town, to a very large extent, must be guided by the reports of engineers, who, after studying local conditions and local requirements,, will submit proposals® to the ratepayers. Gisborne, after many years’ consideration, ha installed electricity for lighting and power, which system seems to have met with the approval of all more or less directly interested. Referring to the installation, electrician in charge of 4th e scheme has made public views on electricity. The hygH enic properties, he said, fpjapßwß

the greatest factor in the use of electricity, resulting as it did in an entire absence of carbonic gas and other injurious gases common to any other illuminant. Safety from fire was also another important factor, particularly where candles and oil lamps have been used hitherto. There could be no doubt about the safety of electrical installations as now carried out. Each installation was carefully tested and thoroughly examined, and only the best of material was allowed to be used. The wires passed in steel conduits that were absolutely safe. If, for instance, anything did go wrong with a wire in any part of a building the fuse at „the entrance to the building would blow out, rendering the whole installation out of action, and leaving no chance of fire. If a lamp broke, futhermore, there was no danger; the light simply goes out and no harm could result. The absence of heat from electricity as an illuminant was also a satisfactory feature, and in the matter of general convenience > both for lighting and power it was indisputable. For instance the cooking could practically all be done on the dining-room table, so convenient was the apparatus and the working of the same. So popular has the use of electtricity become in Wellington, that statistics two years ago showed there were as many connections in Wellington as in any two Australasian towns put together. Great advance in electricity, however, had also subsequently been made both in Sydney and Melbourne. An installation of six 25 c.p. lamps would cost 15s 6d per quarter. There would be a fixed annual charge of £l2 per kwtt. instalted, or the number of lamps represented by I kwtt. would be charged for at the rate of £l2 per year, 33 25 c.p. damps representing kwtt. Current used after that would be charged for at the rate of 3d per unit. For the matter of power, motors would be rated at £3 7s 6d per h.p. per year, and all units over and above 270 units per h.p. per year would be charged for at 3d per unit up to 1000 units per h.p.; above 1000 units per unit.