TRAMS AND ELECTRIC SUPPLY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1598, 15 November 1912, Page 5

TRAMS AND ELECTRIC SUPPLY.

'■•■"■ '■ »- ■ ' SOHEAiE TO COMSINE STATIONS. ADVERSE EEPORT Bt THE BOARD. :■ Councillor 'L. some time ago ;. moved at a City' Council meeting that the / Tramways Beard, o'f Management should' report on certain, questions.affecting the . administration of the Electric Lighting i and Tramways Power Stations, and the condition, of the plant, etc. . At. last night's meeting of the council tho Tramways Committee advised that tho- board 1 had furnished the following report on ' the matters .contained in the resolution.',— Rent of Yard, used for storing coal at the lighting station, is £M, and the rates thereon £120, making in nil JJS2O per .Milium. It should be understood, that as this charge is paid into thedis--1 tricfc fund there is no loss .incurred by '• tho City Corporation, as the amount is, . simply transferred from ofle account to- . another, ■'' . . \ ■ ■■;' ' , ' Deterioration of Qoal, ' i Tests have Tecently been carried , out to ! determine the.'loss in calorific value of tiottl which had been stored in-the , open for thirteen months. No appreciable loss cjjuld be detected. For the purpose of carrying out tho tests referred to samples of coal, wears ; taken .from: Outside, and interior of the stacks. . New Machinery. . With, regard to' the' advisability of scrapping the old pleat and installing a new turbine, the -position, hitherto has been that iio money lias been available for sach extension, the Department owing ■£25,000 to the district fund fo;r the present turbine and buildiiig, ttfld as the turbiao has been eti far able to deal, with the load, it was not considered advisable to ittereaso the Department's indebtedness to. the district fund. The position at pr«r ■ sent is that JBIO.OOO ,oilly is due to tho district fuud, «nd providing that no fur' ' tiler payments in reduction of this anioUlll. ai'o made for t|ie,ii?.tt 18 months, the* cost Of a iteiv tarl/ine, boiler,' and accessories,' estimated at can be financed froth the lighting department's .revenue, together with the small amount which' may be obtained from the salo Of the discarded plant. Annual Expenditure. The w-eeldy total of salaries and wages ifo* the lighting station amounts at .present to £tS3 3s. 4d..por week. If another turbine unit were installed, and the old Btaohines discarded, the staff might bo reduced without impaiting the efficiency of tho station, and.the weekly total of salaries and wages eut down, to y£G4, 13s, fid., a saving of .£lB ,9s. 10d. per week, or £%i Il6i id. per annum. Very little saving, tan. be effected iii the coal conBumption, as the station, is now working with the turbine , fully loaded, and, consequently, under the most favourable oouditions. If interest at i\ per cent, and depreciation at 5 percent, lie chared on the cost of the new plants viz;: ■£19,D0D, it Will be seen that tho increased capital charges of i<lßos will exceed tho saving effected, but the station would bft better equipped for future supply of power. dovefmiiisnt Hydra-Electric Scheme, Consideration must aiso be given to the possibility of the Government proceeding with a hydfo-cleefcric scheme for supplying the city and surrounding liiatriftts, and a definite pronouncement should, if possible, be obtained from tho Minister with regard, to. the ifrbontioiis of tho tioveriment, as-obviously it would not be good policy .to epead largo sums on a. now plant which might only be required for use for a. very limited period. Combined Tramway and Electric Supply Station, The cost of erecting a now- power station to accommodate ' both tho lighting and tramway plants would be vory ..high, as, besides the -erection or the building, it would involvo the purchase of a -Very large amount of new machinery, ns the present, stations would hai?o to bo kept running until the new station . was equipped with machinery and remdy to take over tho load. It Is doiibtfnt also if profitable use could be made of the cxistin* building for other Jnirposos, and the board is of opinion that any such chango is- at present impracticable. An approximate estimate oiily CoiiW be made os to the cost of ercetilij* a combined station, but the amount may bp considered te bo at least JeIOO.OOO. Until there is a much stronger.demand for future lease.? of corporation lands on the reclaimed areas, and in view of the possibility of the GoTcfiimottt proceeding with the proposed Hutt River hydraulic scheme, we do not consider it ot all iiecesshry to conBider such a proposal ill detail at the present time. Tho report was adopted after brref discussion.