A LIGHTING BATTLE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1006, 22 December 1910, Page 8

A LIGHTING BATTLE.

HOSPITAL BOARD'S DILEMMA. - .'.THE CASE FOR GAS. There was an important discussion dealing in some measure with the respective merits of gas and.electricity as lighting factors at the mooting of the Wellington Hospital and . Charitable Aid Board on Tuesday afternoon. Additional light would havo been shed on the question had the following letter, forwarded to tho board 011 December 19, been, placed before tho board in open session. As the matter has been tne subject of a. reported discussion, the letter is printed . for the information of the public who are rated for the upkeep of tho hospital. The letter is .as follows:—

"The Secretary, Wellington l Hospital and Charitable Aid Board,—Sir,—ln the JNew. Zealand Times' of the. 17th instant appeared, a statement, to the effect that the Lighting Committee of your board had decided to reverse its previous recommendation, which had been adopted by the'board,' to renew a contract with the Gas Company, and that the committee now recommends tho adoption of electricity for lighting purposes, such electricity to be purchased froni the City Counoil at a Tate of threepence per unit, and that the cost of-wiring the building be borne by the council and repaymeut spread over a period of two years. •'lf 'this is tho decision arrived at, I desire, 011 behalf of my company, to submit the following matters for your consideration before you proceed to a vote on the-question. The matter'of lighting can scarcely be divided from that . of. heating. . In the report of- your committee it was stated that two-thirds .hi ga ® U - Sfitl llad been for heat-in". Although .it is suggested .that a saving may; be. made by utilising steam for heating purposes, I think it may be accepted- that there will have' to be'll . future considerable heating power other than steam. ' If gas be the medium to be used, the increased, cost of. the employment of gas at the current rates of ss. 6d. per 1000 cubic feet (if no contract exists) in place of at the special rate of 4s. 7d„ taken- into consideration. ■ '/ 1 .I 1 P ro P° s ed to use electric curlent at threepence per unit for heatin" purposes, it will, be found to be far more.costly than to use gas at current rates. An electrical unit, is theoreticsly equivalent to 3400 British thermal or at a/charge of threepence per electrical unit,. 1134 .British thermal units will be obtained for one penny «ives in US?n f f 4 ° f ga - s in Wcllin gfon tfin nnn n l )raotlc o 540,000 to 060,000 British, thermal units. Takingthejower figure of 540,000, with gas at is. (d. per 1000 cubic feet, 9818 British theimal unitg.. are obtained: for one penny,- or 8 ;2-3fd .times'as much heat fr o m t • tttlMd . afc the same-cost' innft V- ? c "?' r ®P t: At ss. sd. per timfes 10 ratio,.becomes 7J . ■ Lighting with modern incandescent lamps, using only.: 1 1, 10 - wat'tT per candle power,. at 3d*, per unit, enables 003, candles per., hour to-te-obtained for, : one Lighting, witb gas ' at thk 'w P fi r 1000 { cu „ b J c M.' and -taking fb , £ Ur< ?-? • candles per cubic enables 404 caiidles per hour to be obtained, for ono penny, or, say, 50 per' cent, more light for the same money, inverted incandescent mantles are now made-iu: ail sizes—from 25 candles upwards., . • , \ * „_" 1 . desire to repeat to your board the' otter, already made to your committee to have photometric and calorific tests carried out by some. capable independV' flliiWFSons .'to- satisfy tlio' hoard that the above comparisons are correct. As bearing on the relative photometric values of gas and : electricity at: Wellington price's ■ I • encloso' ?°t U 'i cO Py an answer to queries published by the editor of the ,'Gas World' on November 5 last, being a reply to a question, apparently from the context put by some AVellington person (by whom I do not know),- and which is based on gas at current price of ss. sd. per 1000.cubic feet, wherein the editor states that, allowing for the costs of maintenance of lamps of both kinds, the cost of electric current must not be more than'lid: per "unit. to compete with gas.at ss. 5d.-. You will easily see that the, corresponding figures for gas at 4s. 7d. would be'ljd. This information was ' laid before, your committee. If the . proposal to finance the: cost of the installation of electric lighting is of 'any importance, I can assure you that this company-will be prepared to enter into a similar arrangement for the repayment of the cost' of making the alterations in the lighting system proposed, with a: view to render-the lighting by gas-more efficient and economical.

"If the board is desirous of.having the. hospital .lit with electricity, the Gas Company will _be prepared to lay doivn an electric plant 'driven by gas engines, which will produce the necessary current at; a cost considerably below the price quoted.by the council of threepence per unit, and, in support of this statement, I point with confidence to the. results obtained ih Wellington iii several gas-driven- installations. 1 enclose a working log of an installation at oue of the leading hotels in the city.

"I respectfully beg to suggest that, if the contract for lighting and heating is to be let on grounds of efficiency and economy,, it should, from the' facts laid before your committee and in this, letter, bo placed with the company. I am .forwarding a copy of. this letter..to each member, of the board'.—Xours truly, . "WILLIAM FERGUSON, ' '-'"Managing director."