Let there be Light and Water !

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3597, 14 November 1905, Page 2

Let there be Light and Water !

MA DA BIDDER AGAIN. TO T3K editor of the makWWV herald . £ik,— midsummer will soon be upon us, and Oo'oseqfUently shorter days will be drawing fllgh,- it behoves us to stir ourselves, and do ouf nest, to obtain a better light for the township, before the coming winter mdntb.ty for, several reasons, first on account 6i ip# finsmtableness of kerosene, and last odt ijdt least, that we may not always be left in fhC’fufcb, in the march of progress, that is bow carrying forward all the other small townships around us. Thete are various opinions regarding the different qualifications of gas and electric lights, ht.lt to my mind gas has had its day, and a v&y good one to, but now the electric light 6a tt be installed, at,a veiy much cheaper rate, and with a far less out-lay ot capital a very great consideration to a small community like ourselves, where the whole of the consdrtthJS power lies in the one street, and that not a long one, or very closely populated. Now-a-days no commercial enter' prise is undertaken, without it is deemed to be a payable one; the same may, 6i : should apply to any Municipal undertaking, burden of the ratepayers, they would very materially reduce them,- but to he sUre of that sttiy scheme should becailmly Considered, • and that is the reason 6l my giving this one publicity, so that if it can be irriproVed upon, so much the better, the first suggestion often gives place to an un-rito->etfier){' upon it. _ , f The Sdiismb j-pi'apose is capabi- 01 giving Foxton over 50 ‘d electric lights of from 8 to 32 candle powef/ small sum of £1,200, tne interest afid sinking fund on that amount would thef’efdr® Vie only about £*]2 per annum, that sUrely ought to be very payable, a* ttie working e*p@G§es arc not large by ahy .Weans,. iio\V that the motive pow'ef id st? sfrtfpHe and iriexpeflUw, but I would rathdr go and add a set of accumulators, costing another /too, as they would store the electric current, for use in the daytime when the motive power, would be stopped, So that the engine need only run on an average, Of from 4 to 5 hours a night; the accumulators would also ensure the continudnfc’d" of the lights at night, should the englfid have a slight stoppage; they would also supply the necessary electrify for driving small motors, heating purposes, and for cooking stoves, which could be used more economically than the kerosene cooking stoves, ridvV ooming into such general use, in the Sunirfltfr time, thereby greatly adding to the income, as the charge is generally made by the number of units used as in Wellington and Stratford; in some places the charge is 303 per light per annum, but the charge per unit works much better as every light is not al j ways in use. • The cost per light per hour of 15 candle power, would at Is per unit, work out at three farthings, and of 8 candle power for bedrooms and passages at about half that. Wanganui with its cheap gas pays much more for its lights than that. For a brilliant light in shops, halls, and churches, there are now various types of lamps more suitable for this purpose, and consuming less current per hour, than the ordinary incandescent bulbs and more important still, much more effective and pleasing to the eye. For the Borough lighting of the Main street, 6 lamps of 32 candle power would be sufficient, and that added to the lights of hotels and shops, would give the street a very brilliant appearance on a Saturday night; the rest of the town lights could be of 16 candle power. A good authority on this subject writing to me says—“ The working of an installation such as you suggested should result in a handsome profit from the lighting receipts above, not to mention the heating, cooking and motors.”

I can give fuller details as regards the cost of plant, and working expenses, and also of the particular kind of engine, that would be the best as a motive power, but those are particulars that would be better discussed at a meeting of those interested in forming an Electric Light Company for Foxton, should the council not see its way olear to carry this through. Whatever engine that would be used to drive the dynamo at night could be utilised to pump water in the daytime, so that if a good, flow of water were procured from the present artesian well by putting a 2in pipe down the Sin pipe, for 200 feet, and driving it another 50 feet or so, that would at once determine the site for erecting the plant for procuring the electric light. Thanking you for your indulgence, I am etc., “ Advance Foxton."