CHEAP LIGHTING

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 798, 22 April 1910, Page 8

CHEAP LIGHTING

COUNCIL AND INSURANCE. A deputation from £he. City Council waited on the New Zealand Fire Underwriters at their annual conference yesterday to urge that the insurance regulations should be amended to permit of the installation of electric lighting in houses under a new system of flexible wiring, which can be carried out at half the cost of the present system. Under the new' method the wires, instead of being encased, are run.loose about the walls, supported on small porcelain : or metallic brackets. The arguments in favour of the new system,, which have been given before in The Dominion, were urged by the Mayor (Dr. Newman) and Mr. Stuart Richardson, electrical engineer to the council. There were also present: Councillors .Ballinger, Smith, Fletcher, Frost and Morrah. It is stated that the new system is largely in use in England, in Germany, and in Melbourne. It has been approved by the Board of Trade in London, and the rules of several of the largest English ' fire insurance companies ; approve explicitly of this method. Extracts from the rules of several leading companies were read by Mr. Richardson in. support of this contention. The system is, however, prohibited by the rules of the New Zealand companies. It is believed -that if the fire insurance authorities , will allow this plan to be adopted, very large numbers of the people of Wellington who desire electric lighting, and are now debarred from having it in their touses because of the great.cost of installation, will at once have the lights ing installed. . '

The conference between the underwriters and the council's representatives wae not' open to the press. It is inderstood that no detailed reply was made to the arguments advanced by the Mayor and Mr. Richardson, but that after they had stated the council's views, a reply was given that the matter would be considered.

A local delegate to the Underwriters' Conference, who wag questioned last evening for information with regard to, its proceedings, stated tihat there was nothing to give to the press.