ELECTRICITY FOR STREET LIGHTING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2623, 23 August 1923, Page 2

ELECTRICITY FOR STREET LIGHTING.

COST TO BOROUGHS. At Tuesday’s meeting of the Bqrowhenua Power Board, the lowing recommendations by the Board’s Engineer, Mr T. Overton, were submitted in his report: Borough Street Lighting: This subject was discussed at last committee meeting. Since then I have gone further into the matter, and now recommend: (a) That agreements be made for street lighting with councils concerned in our district for a period of at least seven years. (b) That the price per lamp, including installation, electricity, and maintenance, shall be £3 15s per lamp for the first hundred lamps, thereafter £3 10s per lamp, net. (c) That ten per cent, of the total number of lamps supplied to any town may be increased to 150 candle power, providing that such totally increased candle power shall average within 100 candle power 2>er point installed. (d) That the hours of use shall be from sunset to midnight, special arrangements being excepted. The Engineer explained that this price was less than that originally estimated', this being due to the fact that more satisfactory arrangements for materials had been made than was anticipated. The Power Board would put in and maintain the lights at the price quoted, which was approximately what other Power Boards were charging. If the boroughs concerned wished to keep the lights going after midnight for any occasion such as a ball, this could be arranged for at a very small cost, Mr A. Ross asked if it were necessary to have some lamps going all night in main streets. The Chairman, Mr D. W. Matheson, considered that in a main street, especially where lamp posts were in the middle of the roadway, it was essential that lamps should be kept lit. Mr Ross asked if it would not be advisable to give boroughs the option of either an all-night, or partnight service, and in the case of their deciding on the former, making a small extra charge—say 2s (id per lamp per year. The Engineer said he had spoken with some of the more prominent men in the boroughs concerned, and the general opinion seemed to be that a service to midnight was sufficient. Mr Ross: It might not be absolutely necessary, but it might be a good thing all the same. Mr A. Seifert asked if it would, be possible to keep the ing for the extra hours from midnight to. dawn, about 1,400 hours, for 2s (id per lamp. The Engineer said the life of a lamp such as would be used was reckoned at 1,000 hours, and the cost was 3s 4d. The Board would h»e money, but he considered that they should do all they could to meet the requirements of the boroughs in this respect. Mr Seifert: Then, if we give the boroughs an all-night service for £3 17s fid per lamp, it is worse for the Board than if we charge £3 15s till midnight. We should make a charge of 5s extra for an all-night service.

Mr Brown asked if in cases where the charge was to be £3 15s per lamp, it would not be possible to reduce the price by 2s 6d, with an extra 5s for an all-night service. Other members supported this, and Mr A. Ross then moved the following resolution, which Mr Gunning seconded: “That the Engineer’s report be adopted, except that street lighting clause B, shall read: “price per lamp, including installation, electricity and maintenance shall be £3 12s 6d per lamp for the first 100 lamps, and thereafter £3 HR per lamp net, with an extra charge of 5s per lamp for an allnight service to daylight.” This was out to the meeting and carried unanimouslv.