CORRESPONDENCE.

Waipa Post, Volume V, Issue 219, 10 June 1913, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

(Ulll correspondents’ opinions tiro their own; the responsibility of editorial items makes sofficial! ballast for the editor's shoulders. it is necessary that alt letters for publication should bear the name of the writer — not necessarily fOl publication, hut as aide nee of good faith. 1

TO THE EDITOR. SIR, —I have before me a copy of the reports obtained by the Town Board on the three rival schemes of town lighting, and I should be obliged for the use of space in your columns for the following remarks thereon. It appears that whichever scheme is

adopted will involve the town in considerable expenditure, and before the ratepayers commit themselves to it they should satisfy themselves that it will be the most beneficial to the town.

As otherwise, should the scheme adopted not prove to be the most satisfactory, it will be many years before the town could remedy the

mistake by installing what is the most satisfactory. For instance, we may take the case of Hamilton where the borough, a few years ago, spent something like j £30,000 for the municipalisation of the gas supply,-but already the ratepayers(seeing the advantages

of an electricity supply in Auckland and other places) are calling upon the Borough Council to give a supply of electricity. It j was stated by the manager of the { gas department, when the matter was referred to him for report, that it would not pay the Council to give a supply of electricity as well as gas until the Borough had reached a population of 20,000. The Council, however, recognise that an electric supply is in the interests of the town even though it may seriously depreciate the value of their own gas supply, and are therefore obtaining a report from the Waihi Goldmining Company with regard to a supply of power from Hora Flora. The case of Tauranga may also be mentioned, where the Borough Council only two or three years ago installed a gas supply, and yet they have already obtained authority from the ratepayers to instal an electric supply for power and lighting. Seeing that electricity is capable of

fulfilling all requirements as well and in cases better than gas, it was manifestly a waste of money on the part of the Tauranga Borough Council to instal a g is supply when only a little wlnleafterwards an electric supply became a necessity. I would point out that Tauranga is one of .he two towns in New Zealand, which during the last five years has installed gas works, whereas a score of towns have adopted electricity. Its experience is therefore significant. 1 notice that acetylene is considered as a possible illuminant, and its cost is put down as a good deal lower than its competitors. I would remark, however, that acetylene cannot be I

used in gas engines for the production of power, owing to the violence of its explosion, also that no figures are given as to the cost of gas. With reference to the report on electric supply by Mr Black it would seem that plant of quite unnecessary large capacity has been allowed for thus loading the scheme with such a high expenditure that capital charges would absorb revenue for some time to come. It is, of course, desirable to make the street mains of sufficient capacity to carry the possible load for a considerable time to come, but 111 the case of generating plant a new set can conveniently be installed at any ' time, as the load increases, and thus save interest during j the early years of the scheme. | The truth of the above remarks | can be confirmed by referring to the experiences of Frankton, where the borough council have

just commenced an electric sup- ! ply. There the plant installed is j on the usual lines as suggested by j Mr Black, the capacity of the two gas engines being 80 brake horse j ■power each. At the present time j over 700 lights are connected to I the mains, and upwards of 60 i street lamps. Besides lighting, power is used for operating the pumping plant in connection with the public water supply, and the pumps consume nearly as much energy as all the lighting; —yet the whole requirements of the town are met by running one engine five hours a day, six days a j week. In the case of Frankton, where factories of some size are already established, experience has justified the use of 80 h.p. engines, as application for the supply of power to several large motors have already been received. in Te Awamutu, how-

ever, I venture to suggest that nothing like this demand will be met with for some years to come, and it is common knowledge that in the case of suction gas plants as well as water power plants power is most ! cheaply produced when the plant! j is running as fully loaded as pos- : sible for the greater part of the j day. As showing what may be done in reducing first cost, I would point out that Ngaruawahia is putting in an electric installa- | lion of thoroughly good plant j (the storage battery will be capJ able of supplying all houses in ! the town for several nights before j requiring re-charge), and the cost | will not much exceed the estimate | of £3550. 1 think, therefore, that S a thoroughly reliable plant cap- • able of meeting the needs ot Te I Awamutu for years to come can i be installed for less than £6BOO, j and in this case the comparison would be more favourable to elec-

tricily than the report indicates. —1 am, etc., ! An Electrical engineer.

TO THE EDITOR. SIR, In view of the question ; now before ratepayers of this I town concerning coal-gas, acetylene, and electricity for lighting, etc., the following extract from a letter just received from a resident in Hastings will be of interest: —“. . I don’t know that I can

say very much about the respective methods of lighting, as we have really had so very little experience of electricity, as it has been installed in the house for only a few weeks, but I would much sooner have it than gas. It seems to be cheaper, for by comparing last month’s electricity bill with the last month’s supply 1 received from the Napier Gas people, I will save just over £7 a year. Of course, we never had a gas stove, as you will remember. There were very few ot them in Hastings, as the upkeep was 100 costly for the average home. We have an electric ring, and have burners in every room and cupboard in the house. (mentioning his wife) says there! is no comparison between the electric and gas irons for convenience, cleanliness and reliability; in fact, she would sooner have the electricity in the house for every purpose. There are some fixed and some hanging burners, and it is very useful to be able to swing your light in any part of the room, in the smoke room the light hangs j over the table, which is fine for j writing, but if we sit by the fire j we can pull the light over so that ; it hangs behind us. I had thought j it would be very costly to instal, but we have the light in every corner of the house, an electric ring, iron, and all complete for less than the gas fittings in only the main rooms cost us. It I were in Te Awamutu I would certainly vote for electricity, as my little experience has convinced me that it is easily the best in the house. Nearly all the' shops have fired out the gas, and I think there is no one here (except old ) who does not like electricity better than the gas. . . ” 1 hat satisfies me Mr Editor. I voted for gas, because we want light at Te Awamutu, but now that electricity is offered, I feel sure the advice given to me in this letter is worth consideration. —I am, etc., Get-It-Over.