LET THERE BE LIGHT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1007, 23 December 1910, Page 6

LET THERE BE LIGHT.

BUT WHAT SORT? THE FIGHT FOR THE HOSPITAL. The rivalry between the Gas Company and the City Electrical Lighting venture has been stirred into full being again as a result of the competition for the lighting contract for the Wellington Hospital. Is the City Cutting Prices? Referring yesterday to a suggestion mado in a leading article in The Dominion that the corporation was cutting prices in order to secure the lighting contract for the hospital, Mr. George Lauchlan, lighting superintendent for the cicatrical department of the City Council, states that there need be no fear of the department losing at tho price quoted to the Hospital Trustees. Tho cost of generation, said Mr. Lauchlan, has been falling rapidly since the introduction of the new turbine about twelve months ago, until now' I 'the cost per unit was down to 2.69 d. This figure, he said, includes all management expenses, superintendence, station wages, etc. With the additional hospital demand, said Mr. Lauchlan, the management expenses, and such like, would not increase. Really the only extra cost would be for fuel, oil, and water, which at present stocd at 91 per cent. per.unit. The naturo of the demand at the hospital fully warranted the low rate, and, whilst it might seem para-' ™ x '«il, it would pay better to supply the hospital at 3d. per unit, than it paid to supply other large consumers at Gd. per unit. That is because the supply at the hospital is wanted every night in the year for long hours. Other consumers may only create a big demand for a short period each night, and, in soma cases,only extending over two or three months in tho jear. The following instance was given to illustrate this point :-The Wellington Hospital will have an estimated maximum demand of 25 kilowatts, the estimated total consumption being 22,000 units, and tho estimated revenue (at 3d. per unit) ,£275. The cost of fuel, oil, and ™ter to generate this current will be i£SS 3s. -id. This leaves a sum of <£188 16s. Sd. to cover other charges. The capital outlay on this 25 kilowatts, at .£62 per kilowatt,, will be. .£155, and consequently the return on that outlay will be .£ll 3s-. 2d. per cent.

A Practical Illustration. As a means of making a comparison with the foregoing figures, Mr. Lauchlan quoted the case of a warehouse on Lamb- ™ Wi which has a maximum demand ot 36 kilowatts, and an annual consumpo?" mi 9370 nnits ', nt a cost °f IDs. yp fuel, oil, and water for generating this current is .£36 - 13s. lid. the capital outlay necessitated is .£2232. J. he return to the department on the capital outlay in this instance (although the current is charged for at s.id. per lm . 1 " ,s only £1 15s. id. per cent. This, ftaiu/iur. Lauchlan, was only one of many instances that could be quoted, and, he added,. I will undertake to satisfy any accountant as to the accuracy of the above figures.. "In the face'of the above figures, Mr. Lauchlan remarked, "I should think that we shall hear no more ? m. department supplying at a loss. Ihe department is run entirely on commercial lines, and I think a reference to the last report submitted to the Tramway Committee 011 December 12 will convince anyone of the soundness of its financial position. Tho report shows a C iTroi f ?? ce ' £553() , as compared with .£4061 for the previous year. This is made up after allowing for interest, depreciation, and sinking fund. The City's Viewpoint. Armed with the letter from Mr. TV ierguson, managing director of tho Gas Company, a representative of The IJomixion had another interview with the Uty Lighting Superintendent and Councillor J. I 1 ltzgerald and elicited . tho follow-' ing information from the point of view ofthe city:— «iP e p'}i' n ° ,-^ r - Ferguson's contention that tho matter of.lighting can scarcely be divided from that of heating," the advocates of electricity urged that, if the questions of heating and lighting had been taken separately, the Hospital Board now be finding out that out of J. 900 paid to tho Gas Company, ,£6OO went for heating. Sir. I'crguson had admitted the inefficiency of gas heating apparatus k." el ' to the board, when he said: ii. 'l " n(lerstal !tl that you are of opinion that the vessels now in use for heating* water are somewhat 'wasteful; ' We can only confirm your opinion on this matter. Mr. Ferguson, in his comment on the matter of British thermal units, did not take into consideration the question ot the relative efficiency of the various apparatus for heating purposes. Gasheating appliances had, as is well known, ,a very low clficiency—from as low as sor 10 per cent—as compared with the exceptionally high efficiency of electrical appliances—from 90 to 95 per cent "It ' r toe opinion," said Mr. Lauchlan, "of Mr. i rotter, electrical adviser to the Board of Xrade, that, in order for gas to compete successfully with electricity at 3d. per unit, the gas must be sold at Is. 9d. a 1000 cubic feet. Moreover, it is not proposed to charge 3d. per unit for heating purposes,-but lid. If, as is acninn tact, the Hospital Board spent AGGO on gas for heating purposes last year, they ought, on Sir. Ferguson's figures, with the British thermal units represented by the gas consumed, to have boiled 8,500,0001b. of water, or an average ot 10-i tons of water a day.

A Pleader for Electricity. Speaking in reference to tho relative I cost of gas and electricity .Councillor iMtzgerald remarked that the Hospital! Board,' in the institution under their charge, had sufficient data to show tho great superiority of electricity. They had had gas in the hospital for years, and should know what it cost. 1 They also had electricity in the Ohiro Home and other buildings, and though they had been paying at _ a rato of 7d. a unit, there was even then a great ,-saving as compared with gas. Then there was the outstanding example of the churches. "St. Peter's Church is lit by gas," said Mr. Fitzgerald, "St. Thomas's, St. Mark's, and St. Paul's are lit by electricity, yet we have it on the authority of Mr. T. Ballinger that the, cost of lighting St. Peter's Church is nioro than half of the other three churches combined. I may add that it seems to me Mr. Ferguson's offer to generate electricity for the hospital by gas power is a clear admission of the superiority of electricity as an illuminant. As to {he convenience, the superior hcalthfulness, and the other advantages of electricity for the hospital and the home, I may say I have consulted a number of Wellington's leading medical men. They are unanimous in favour of electricity."

Mr. Lauchlan here remarked that Mr. Ferguson had stated that in regard to gas-driven generating plants for electricity, lie had seen a log of an installation in one of the city's leading hotels, and it beats municipal electricity. I have also such a log, said Mr. Lauchlan—it may or may not be the same—but it was utterly misleading. Only the consumption of gas was included in the cost of generation. Wages of supervisor and "attendant, cost of depreciation and repairs, interest 011 capital, and everything of that kind were ignored. I estimated the cost of generation, with these items included, at -t.UI. per unit.

Tho consumption of a cubic foot of gas was estimated by Mr. Ferguson in his letter, to give 25 caudle power light— a low estimate, according to Mr. Ferguson. Mr. Lauchlan says that the very best gas lamps give nothing like this candle power per cubic foot. Exhaustive comparative tests were made recently at the Westminster Laboratory, London, between all makes obtainable of gas lamps, and all makes obtainable of clectric lamps. The tests were' absolutely impartial, but the detailed results are only purchasable in an extensive report. , jfr. Lauchlau produced a copy of the main results of the report, in which it was demonstrated that the Welsbach inverted gas mantle only gave 11.55 caudle power per cubic foot instead of the 25 candles claimed l)y the Gas Company. Tho 25 candle power Osram lamp consumed 1.2 watts per candle power, and the n,et result in pounds, shillings, and pence with electricity at 3d. a unit and gas at ss. sd. a'IOOO cubic feet is as follows-.—38 candle power Osram lamps, ,138 d. per hour; 38 candle power gas lamps, ,217 d. per hour.