HUTT AND PETONE NOTES

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 660, 10 November 1909, Page 10

HUTT AND PETONE NOTES

(From Our Boeclal Reporter.) , ' ■ .' — *- '—— '■•■■'■ "' - ~: . ; AN ELECTEIC; SCHEME. The Pelono. Borough : Engineer on Monday night presented a report totho council dealing with the question' of installing an- electrical plant of sufficient capacity to provide for tho following objects :—(1) Power for pumping; (2). lighting the. borough streets; (3) lighting the Hill settlements; (4) providing email consumers with power. The power required for pumping ; will range from a minimum of 10 8.8.P. to a maximum (at present) of 28 8.H.P., according to wbethor dry or wet weather conditions prevail.; At present the'lighting: in the'borough consists of 110 incandescent gas lainps;. having a .total" of G6Qo.candle-power, and with tho.ordinary annual addition.;of ■ six : lamps, iu five years tho total candle-power for borough lighting would reach.7 800. The engineer estimated thatj'taking into consideration tho progress of tho town and the likelihood of the eastern end of the borough becoming more thickly popuilated.'it was safe.to say-that by the end of tho year 1915-no fewer than 170 lamps, with a total candle-power of- 10,200, would be required. This being •■- converted, . some 610 electric incandescent lamps each , , of' 16 candle-power, would bo required to give -.tho same total candle-power. Making allowance for 'the lightingof the recreation ground and'the Hill the total number of 16 candlepower lights would be 750. "To gauge what power consumers are likely to require is hardly possible,' , stated tho engineer, -"as : present power users have gas engines, which they are not likely to abandon and go- to the expense of installing motors, and gearing. I believe the ■Tramway Board's' engineer. . circularised the owners of plant in tho whole valley, with tho result that he allowed in his report that a sum of only .£375 per annum would be returned by way. of revenue. It has, however, been urged that the council has refused water power.. This is true to the, extent that two applications for approximately i\ horse-power were not allowed. From this you will see that, unless sonio guar-. antea were forthcoming from;present and likely consumers, to instal a plant to provide for power'which might be next to nil will probably :fead ; to "■ financial ,1 difficulties-. , fronu the outset. Leaving this item.alone-for'the present time, 'the total power, required is 100/B.HiP." Time 'had' not-allowed-of • the preparation of detailed estimates, but the '.engineer -stated, that tho approximate cost of installing a plant and erecting polos and cables'over 18 miles of streets would be- v£13,000. ' . , • . : '•■ Tho report was discussed at length, the question, of whether gas or,; electricity, should .be used for providing light and power being thoroughly gone into. -Councillor. Piper- , read letters which he had received from various'firms estimating tho cost of plant for the snpply of public and private light at considerably below -the-scheme outlined hy the: engineer. He brought forward a motion to set up a committee to go into the matter and procure tKe services of an? expert'but his motion was lost, and the engineers report was adopted. .

A fire broko out about i 8 o'clock last night .at Petone,' in'an .unoccupied: house., corner of Union and'?itzherbert-Streets, owned by. Mrs. Tattle, ..The■; fire brigade,. : -under Superintendent-, Lepper', 1 .-was quickly on.the .Bcene.'.and snppiessed -the outbreak before much damage had been , done. • ... ■■><■■ -