Electrical Transmission

Manawatu Herald, 5 March 1903, Page 3

Electrical Transmission

WASTE ENERGY OF HUKA PALLS. On Monday afternoon a Post reporter had an interview with the Swiss electrical expert, M. Edmond Alio, engineer of tho Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon, a firm that has played and is playing a large part in the triumphs of Switzerland of electrical transmission of cheap power. It was recently telegraphed from Auckland that M. Alio had stated that Auckland City and other pitta o! the North Island could be abundantly supplied with power from from the easily harnessed Huba Falls, which are nearly in the centre of the island; on the Waikato, about two miles from its outflow from Lake Taupo. . To this matter the reporter’s questions were directed. RAILWAYS MAY HAVE 9000 h.p. “ After inspecting the Huka Palls, in co-operation with two Government .engineers,” said Mr Alio, “I find that the falls are capable of giving in the dry season, taking the water at the lowest safe co-efficient, 39,000 horse-power, with very small initial cost for. hydraulic position installation expenses. This is really the easiest power to be worked that I have come across, because there are no technical difficulties to be overcome. This power, 39,000 horses, can easily fee directed into four quarters, one of which would go ’north to Auckland and Thames, one south' to Wellington provinces, one to the Taranaki, and one to the Napier district. This power would also yield the power neceaaary to nm.all the North Island Railways by electricity. The present steam railways of s thoi North- Island use 4000h.p. Increase this house-power to 9000 for railways, and there would then be 10,000 h.p for distribution among several industrial centres Of course, any industry or any machinery can be run electrically, as the speed of the machine or power does not interfere with the use of electrical power. Anything, from a sewing-machine to a big freezing plant or an electrical tramway, comes under the electrical power factor. ECONOMY COMPARED WITH COAL. “ In the North Island ther6 are a great many industries that can utilise electrical power with greater economy, compared with the steam power they are using now y the more so as coal has got to be reckoned at £2 5s to £2 10s a ton, other coal being very poor and not coming up to a good standard—--8000 to 8400 caloaes. That is to say, that the steam horse-power has got to be reckoned ns costing *7 to £7 10s a year, allowing for boilers and attendance of best grade. Without wishing to go at presentinto the cost at which an electrical horse-power will ho able to be delivered to the industry, I should say that at least 33 per cent, could be economised by the industrial power absorbers ; or in other words, that the electrical power could be delievered at from £4 to £6 per horsepower per year according to the annual quantity absorbed. That is to say, the greater the amouot absorbed, the greater proportionately would be the discount in the cost of his power. It stands to reason that with 1 this difference in initial power prices, a great many industries can spring up and start at a fair competition with foreign competitors. PROGRESS OF ELECTRICAL RAILWAY TRACTION. “Coming back to the question of electrical power on railways. I may state that in Switzerland our company has received an order from the Government to equip one of the main and most loaded lines of the Swias Government with electrical power. We have also in Switzerland the line Freiberg to Morrat, .which suns electrically, and we have been working for the last two years on the Jungfrau Mountain railway which has a total height of 16,000 ft, our railway reaching at present 12,000 ft. This section carried last year numerous passengers We ' reckon it will take another two yoars to finish the line up to the Summit, or 16,000 ft above sea level. Here I may also state iat Sweden and Norway the Government is going to equip all its railway line electrically. The Government considers that this commutation will be completed by 1905.