RAETIHI STREET LIGHTING

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 113, 16 May 1939, Page 12

RAETIHI STREET LIGHTING

RESTRICTED SERVICE SUGGESTED (Own Correspondent). At the May meeting of the Raetihi Borough Council. Cr. J. R. Ciochetto said that it had been suggested to the electricity committee that the street lights .should be cut off from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. each day. The suggestion had been made as an economy measure in view of the shortage of power. Cr. Ciochetto said that his committee believed such a step would be a retrograde one and any small saving would not warrant the inconvenience which would be caused. This view was supported by Cr. Shout. A further point, added Cr. Ciochetto, concerned the life of the globes and he asked the electrical engineer to explain this aspect. Mr. Journeaux said the street lamps used cost £2 17s each, and they were guaranteed to last 3000 burning hours. If they did not they were replaced by the manufacturers. At the present time his department had a system whereby at 11 p.m. each night |the lamps were automatically switchfed over from 230 volts to 200 volts, i Thus during the greater part of the burning life the lamps were underrun. Ln this under-run slate the lamps would last indefinitely. This fact minimised any other saving which might be effected by switching off the street lights from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. The period which reduced the life of the lamps was before 11 a.m.— that is when they were operating at full strength and not being underrun. The Ohakune street lights, continued the engineer, were operated without any such automatic switch over and the Ohakune Borough Council had to replace two or three dozen lamps per week. In Raetihi it was doubtful whether two or three dozen lamps would require replacing in a whole year in the outer plant of the lighting system. Cr. Urwin said it was he who made the suggestion that a saving might be effected in view of the shortage of power. After hearing Mr. Juurneauxs explanation, however, the matter was placed in an entirely different light." The remainder of the councillors were of a similar opinion and it was decided that no alteration of tne present system of all night street lighting was worth while. States. A fair number also went back to Australia. Dr. Henley, who was accompanied by his wife and small son, has returned to discover what opportunities exist.