“ LET THERE BE LIGHT.”

Manawatu Herald, 17 November 1904, Page 2

“ LET THERE BE LIGHT.”

10 THE EDITOR OF THE MiNAWATU HERALD. Sib, —My attention has been called to the Poxton news in this morning’* * “ Times," and the article ‘ Lamps' specially interested me. “Having bee'n a member of a Borough Council in a little seaport town South,Jfhere it was not possible to get gaS (Well, of course 1 mean hydrogen) we bad to fish around to get the next best thing to it, as cheap and as effective as possible. This was nearly 80 years ago. After a time we die* covered a lamp maker -in Christchurch who was in posse&ion of the secret of a patent top for street lamps, so that the more the wind blew the brighter burnt the lamp. We communicated with him, and he responded by sending down plana and prices. As far as I can remember the price of each lamp did not exceed 60s, each lamp being provided with an inner lamp to burn kerosene. They were full-sized street lamps, afterwards fitted into the usual iron frame on top of a post. These lamps never failed, and were used year after year until they literally wore out. You have an artist in your town who can bear me out in every particular. (Jil R, Noonan). Now, at the present time kerosene is dirt cheap, and gives a beautiful light. Of course, there was one” thing w» paid particular attention to- that was the fact that the, lamps 'being provided with transparent glass, it was necessary to clean this with rags (clean ones) sometimes. Our little town was always crooked up for the brilliancy of its street lamps, and no borough was ever lit jmore economically or effectively. . I 'shall only be too happy to supply any other information to interested, if needful.—l am, etc., H. Palmerston North, Nov. Iftth.