I).—1

83

The power eupplied and approximate full load for the electric lighting only in each city is now as follows : —

This leaves ample room for ;i large extension of business at lower rates, and I estimate that within five years the following provision will be necessary it current can be supplied at the existing Dunedin rates—viz., sd. to Id. per unit, with an average of 3d. per unit, as compared with the present average of 6-29 d. per unit in Wellington. The present working-costs of generation in Wellington, Auckland, and Ohristchurch municipal stations are 3-08 d.. 2-OOd., and 2-60 d. per unit, and the total costs 5-06 d.. 3-30 d., 4-40 d. This average covers also the energy generated for motor-power purposes, which is valued much lower t ban that for light. So that it will be possible to sell power in bulk to the municipalities for electric lighting from, say, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. each day, at 2d. per unit, and still leave the municipalities a margin of Id. per unit to cover the costs of distribution. This will be an ample margin in view of the fact that the power will be supplied from the main distributors in the most convenient centres for retailing to the customers, and will only require one tiansformation to reduce the pressure for this purpose, which can be done with an efficiency of 80 to 95 per cent. No conversion to direct current will be necessary, as in the case of the tramway supply. The present distributing transformers in Wellington, being designed for a frequency of 83 cycles instead of the standard frequency of 50 cycles, will require special consideration. and a slightly higher average retail price than 3d. might lie necessary here for the first year or two. At the present generating costs it would pay the municipalities well to take current at this rate, holding their present steam plant in reserve, and as the demand grows it will pay much better to do so rather than install additional plant. The small quantity used for lighting during the daytime might be. sole? to the municipalities for the same rate as is proposed for general power purposes —viz., l|d. per unitthus leaving a much larger margin of profit to the municipalities on any lighting business for the remaining twenty hours per day. As the smaller houses are connected up, the average units supplied per consumer and the average revenue per consul " .ill, and this has been provided in the following estimates of the probable lighting-load to be supplied in five years if power at the above rates has been available for three years

At these estimates of the consumption (allowing for the municipalities retailing at an average of 3d. per unit) the average cost to the consumer will be £3 to £3 15s. per annum, or ss. to 6s. 3d. per month. Taking an average load-factor mi the lighting-load only as 8-3 per cent., the maximum load for electric lighting will be as follows : — Silo watte. Horse-power. Wellington . . .. . . . . .. .. 2,780 or 3.700 Auckland .. .. .. . . .. .. 2.220 or 2,960 Christchurch .. .. .. .. .. 2.660 or 3,400 Dunedin .. .. .. .. .. .. 2,270 or 3,000 This lighting-load commences each day at ha Ii an hour before sunset, reaches a maximum a 1 8 p.m., and falls again by midnight. Quite this amount of Eactory-power will be cut off at 5 o'clock, so that this revenue can be taken into account, and still the whole output of the power-station be available for other purposes during the daytime. The three cities giving returns distributed lasl year 2.431,620 units to 5.701 consumers, bringing in a total revenue of £51.717 that is. each consumer of electricity for lighting purposes took an average of 125 units iit an average price of 5-ld. per unit, giving an average revenue of t;!i per consumer per annum. The above estimates of 27,500 houses to be supplied in the four cities, taking 7,160,000 units pel annum, and yielding a gross revenue of £89,300, works out as an average consumption of only 260 units per consumer per annum at an average of £3 ss. each per annum. These estimates are thus very safe indeed, and provide for the probability that thousands of small houses supplied would use only two or three lamps each, costing them only 2s. to 3s. per month. If these estimates err at all, it is therefore in the direction of underestimating the revenue, and even better financial results than those estimated may Iμ , anticipated.

Maximum Load Units sold per (Kilowatts). Annum. 1 nits per (lonsumer. Revenue per Consumer. Wellington Auckland Christchurch Dunedin 1.500 L,320,000 600 .. , 950 369,620 .. : 1.500 712.000 318 1.060 905 £ s. d. 8 6 0 12 15 0 23 I 11 11 (i 0

Wellington . . Auckland ' ■hristchmvli Dunedin Total Houses. 16,800 16,300 14,500 14,400 Houses Supplied. 8,400 6,500 6,200 6,400 Units per Consumer. 240 250 300 260 Total Output. 2.020.000 1,620.000 1,860,000 1,660,000 Total Revenue at 2d. £ 16,800 13,500 15,500 13,800