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Street-lighting. Electric street lighting is already Eairly well developed in Wellington and Dunedin. the results for rlic Last financial year being as follows : Wellington. Dunedin. Units used per annum .. .. .. .. 562,000 102,000 Total revenue .. .. .. .. .. £8,877 £1,620 Average revenue (pence per unit) .. . . .. 3-8 3-8 In Auckland the Karangahape Road has been lit as a first instalment with flame arc lamps with great success, and no doubt the system will be extended to all the main thoroughfares. In Christchurch street-lighting by electricity has not yet been attempted, except for a few arc lamps maintained by the Tramway Board at the tramway stopping-places. In view of the long hours of burning of street-lamps, the price charged per unit should be somewhat less than for general fighting purposes : but, as it comes on the, peak of the general lighting-load, it should be a little higher than the general motor-load —thai is to say, it should be between Ijd. and 2d. per unit—say, per unit. This is the price at which it might be, sold to the municipal bodies, and, fo cover the cost of distribution, would allow them to charge 2Jd. per unit at the lamps. This compares very favourably with the present rates at which street-maintenance accounts in Wellington and Dunedin are debited by the electric-light accounts viz.. 3-Bd. per unit. At the lower rate ii should pay to light practically the whole of the main streets by arc lamps, and the less important thoroughfares by high efficiency incandescent lamps. The present street-lighting in each of the cities, including the suburban boroughs, is as follows :—

Providing for the probable increase in the lighting within five years resulting from the introduction of cheap electric power, and allowing that it will only be possible to replace from one-third to one-quarter of the existing gas-lamps by electric lamps, I estimate that the demand in five years' time will be as follows : —

In making up the revenue to be derived from street-lighting 1 have estimated on a basis of per unit. In making up the total cost of street-lighting I have taken a basis of per unit, allowing Id. per unit for the cost of distribution. At this rate arc lamps burning for an average of six hours per night for 320 clays per annum will cost £10 each per annum, and glow lamps of 40-candle power burning for an average of twelve hours per night will cost £2 each per annum. I have estimated the gas-lamps at £3 each per annum. In Wellington a number of the arc lamps in the suburbs will probably be replaced by large incandescent lamps, and this is shown in the estimates. These total costs show a considerable reduction in Wellington and Dunedin. which are now largely lit electrically, owing to the reduced price per unit, but they show an increase for Auckland and Christchurch, owing to the large increase in lighting provided for. The average lamps per mile would he, increased from about 6£ to about Hin these two cities, as compared with 10 at present in Wellington. If these estimates of the lighting in five years' time err at all, it is again on the safe side for the purpose of this report —that is to say, the output and revenue of the power-supply station is, if anything, underestimated.

Wellington Auckland Christohurch Dunedin and Suburbs, and Suburbs, and Suburbs, and Suburbs. Miles of street jlas-lamps Electric arcs „ glow lamps Kerosene-lamps .. Dotal lamps Cotal cost per annum Lamps per mile of street Average cost per lamp per annum 190 149 170 182 10 913 1,040 740 300 24 65 1,661 . . .. 293 90 1,961 937 1,130 1,098 £8,877 £3,538 £3,851 £5,811 10 6-3 6-7 6-1 . . £4 Ids. (id. £3 16s. £3 8s. £5 6s.

Wellington. Auckland. Christchurch. Dunedin. Miles of street Glas-lamps Electric arcs Electric glow lumps Total number of lamps Units pel- annum Maximum demand (kilow.ttts) Revenue from electricity supplied .. Lamps per mile of street Total cost of street-lighting Average cost per lamp per annum .. 190 220 2,000 2,220 575.000 205 £3,600 11-7 £6,200 £2 16s. 150 500 200 500 1,200 290.000 125 £1,800 8 £4,500 £3 15s. 170 182 800 500 220 240 400 600 1,420 1,340 294.000 348.000 130 150 £1,840 £2,180 8-3 7-4 £5,400 £5,100 £3 16s. £3 16s.