CORRESPONDENCE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18162, 26 April 1921, Page 5

CORRESPONDENCE.

A TRIAL PICK. (To the Editor.) Sir, —If my fellow electors will do what I did last night—sit down with the list of 24 candidates before them and quietly and carefully “prick them off” in an order of preference based on their respective individual merits, they will find that the task of selection is not at all difficult so far as the best eight or nine are concerned, and that the filling of the remaining three or four seats is almost as easy. I went to work on the popuar and correct assumption that there must be a big change in the personnel of the Council and that on no account must we elect a majority who will not pledge themselves to thoroughly and impartially reconsider the entire power problem before sanctioning either the erection or disposal of the steam plant. With this in mind I first of all rejected all the sitting Councillors except Crs. Donaldson and Sigley. Then I did ditto to Mrs Cornyns, because, while 1 think she may find useful and congenial work on the Hospital Board, I am convinced that she would be utterly out of place on the Borough Council. Then I put on my ticket, not the P.P.A. or any other, but just my own ticket of my own making, the names of the two remaining Councillors—Donaldson and Sigley. Next I scanned the list for ex-Councillors, men who have had experience but who were not responsible for the present muddle, and I added Dustin, Harkness and Harris to my list, with a special tick of approval for Mr Harris because of his outspoken criticism of the “Kaione” and steam plant bungles. This gave me five, and left me seven seats to fill. Now for some new blood, I thought, and I looked down the list and without hesitation I crossed’ out Speed and Swan--“hail-fellows-well-met,” I thought, but no good for the serious business of the Council. Then out went Lawrence and Malcolm, simply because I didn’t know anything about them and had not been able to discover anybody who did. I plumped at ouce four out of the five remaining new men—Crampton, Gohns, Halligan and Maunder, mentally noting that the last named would be particularly useful because of his knowedge and experience as an expert electrician. This gave me nine—Crampton, Donaldson, Dustin, Gohns. Halligan, Harkness, Harris, Maunder and Sigley. By Jimminy! I thought, blest if that isn’t exactly the Citizens’ Ticket! And honest-ginger, I didn’t set out to pick the Citizens’ Ticket. My nine just came like that because, well, because they were the best of the bunch. Nelson I next marked out because after what I’ve read in the papers I’m not sure whether he’s a Bolshevik or not, and I’m not taking any risk that way. I found myself left with three seats to fill and nobody left to fill them with. Nothing for it but to look over the rejected sitting members— to pick three out of’ ten. It didn’t look too easy at first, but after a little consideration I decided on Crs. Green, Richardson and Sharpe, and with them I had my dozen —Crampton, I Donaldson, Dustin, Gohns, Green, Halligan, Harkness, Harris, Maunder. Richardson, Sharpe and Sigley. If my fellow citizens will try out the list the same way I firmly ’ believe that nine out of ten of them arrive at the same result. I am, etc. A TRIAL PI(?K.

THE NGAHAURANGA GAS ENGINES. (To the Editor) Sir, —This morning you published an open letter which I addressed to the chairman of the Tramways Committee. This avenin.’ the Herald did likewise, and alongside of It printed letters written by E. W. Merewether and ancttfer correspondent. These writers tried to make it appear that my letter was a tissue of lies. In my open letter tb the chairman of the Tramways Committee, I told him that the Wellington Meat Export Company had had three gas engines of 300 h,p. each in use for sixteen years at Ngahauranga, and asked him how it came about that the engines at the local power house had had only an average life of about five years. The Herald correspondents alleged that the Ngahauranga engines were in such a state that they should have been scrapped years ago; that as a result a “most collossal smashup” some £5OOO worth qf carcases of meat had had to be consigned to the manure pot; and that at the present moment arrangements were being made to install a steam plant at Ngahauranga. Knowing the critics as I do, and especially their source of inspiration, I thought to take no notice of their letters. Public interest. however, impelled me to get into telephonic communication with Wellington to-night, and as a result I make the folowing statements. After reading them the public will know whether the correspondents or I may be relied upon. I. leave it at that. These are absolute facts:

The Wellington Meat Export Company sixteen years ago installed three gas engines of 300 h.p. each. They were driven by producer gas. Since then the company has installed additional engines, making a total of 1 500 h.p. Three engines—those I referred fo in my letter yesterday—are still in commission and are working excellently. They have bfen working for sixteen years, remember, The gas engines have been perfectly' satisfactory, though there has been some trouble with the producer plant. This was due to the fact that the set is of an obsolete type, and had to be adapted by local engineers after the installers had left New Zealand. This trouble, however, was not such as to make the company tired of gas engines, for they have increased their horse power from fiOO to 1500. So far as a “most colossal smashup” is concerned, there certainly was a bad ac eident some years ago, but that was not caused by the gas engines; it was an accident such as has happened to many a steam engine. I can’t say exactly what the trouble was, but some thing became loose and resulted in the breakdown. You have heard, have you not, of an ocean liner being at the mercy of the elements through her shaft breaking? That ocean liner’s engines were steam driven! Do I need to labour the point? But, despite the accident, not a single carcase of meat has ever been sent to the manure pot as alleged by the Herald correspondents. These correspondents also alleged

(that the engines at the freezing wonks were run for only eight months in the year. As a matter of fact they have run continuously for tic past five years (so have the engines of every freezing works in the count :v owing to the chambers being full of Imperial meat). Arrangements are being made to instal a steam plant at Ngahauranga. Do you know why? Not because the gas engines have broken down, but simply because the company intends to obtain hydro-elec-tricity as soon as Mangahao is available. A freezing works requires a huge quantity qf steam and hot water for the ; . cairying on of its operations. Hydro i cannot supply this hot water and steam i —neither can gas engines. So the company is going to kill two birds with one stone. It will instal a steam plant, which, in addition to providing the hot water and steam referred to, will he ready as a stand-by should the hydro fail at any time— a. mqst unlikely contingency. So there are the facts. Mr Merewether, when you try to disparage an opponent, please be fair and ascertain the facts before writing. In conclusion, I again want to ask the chairman of the Tramways Committee why it is that Wanganui cannot get even sixteen years’ use out of a gas engine ? 1 also want to ask him again why No. 3 engine, on which £2OOO was spent a few week® ago, is now out of commis- 1 sion? I also want to ask him again why, in view of the huge sum paid for the Napier engines to be installed, the tramway official® are in a state of funk that the engines will break down before the steam plant is installed. And. in conclusion, may T remind the chairman, that during t’he recent inquiry into the explosions at the powerhouse, the Government Machinery Inspector (Mr Townsend) said, t’hqt the Napier engines, with skilful supervision and repairs, should be guud for 20 years. 1 am, etc., A. HARRIS.

CHEAP WATER POWER. (To the Editor.) Sir, —What are the electors going to do on Wednesday to secure cheap water-power? The only means is for Wanganui to join up with Rangitikei on the proposed power board, because the Minister of Public Works has stated definitely that a hydro power site cannot be allotted to Wanganui at the expense of the contiguous country district. «The Minister has also refused to allot to Wanganui any power from Mangahao, but recommends Wanganui to join Rangitikei and share the 18 00 h.p. allocated to the latter from Mangahao. The position is as follows: The Wan-ganui-Rangitikei area approved by the Minister contains 45,000 people and the rateable value this year will exceed £20,000,000 without encumbrance, whereas Wanganui is at present financially embarrassed, so that she could not, hope to raise a big loan for hydro-electricity. At present there are four constituent bodies holding licenses, viz.. Wanganui, Taihape, Mangaweka and Bulls. If our Borough Council holds off, I know for a fact that the- other constituent districts will proceed with the construction of the power board, leaving Wanganui stranded high and dry and searching fot coal for its costly steam plant. The Minister of Public Works will officially visit the power site at Karioi on Saturday morning. If the Doubting Thomases who voted at the last Council meeting not to proceed with the petition until more information was received will accompany me on Friday they will be able to decide on the merits and capacity of the scheme. Unfortunately the electors will have to decide? on Wednesday whether to return to the Council the obstructionists or men who will bring\in white coal at the cheapest possible price. The latter fiien are those described as “the ticket.”—l am, etc., A. HARRIS.