HYDRO ELECTRIC POWER.

Otaki Mail, 4 September 1922, Page 3

HYDRO ELECTRIC POWER.

AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT. London, July 7. While travelling in Canada and tin Unified States, Air Herbert Hall, o Timaru, devoted some time to mak ing inquiries into the development o lry lira-electricity. Although industrial development it temporarily at a standstill in the United States, the development of wa-ter-power is going ou at an enorjuious rate. The type of machinery is tending to become larger and larger. Whereas in the early days the plant erected possessed 10,000 to J5,0U0 li.p. engines, their power is now being increased from 50,000 to 75,000. The whole, tendency is to change over from coal to the utilisation ol' hydroeleetrieity in any district where water is available. While in Canada Mr Hail had the opportunity of examining many plants, and he was particularly interested in that ol' tiie Ontario Power Commission, who are installing a plant on the Chippawa River, near the lake, to develop hah; a million h.p., and litis is connected with the general system lor supplying ail classes ol consumers. The Ontario Government i_- prepared to subsidise to the extent ol 50 per cent the capilarmers, ami is making proposals to supply the farmers at a Hat rate per year of from £lO to ij:.'j. to include the driving of all their small agricultural plan! and their plant lor household cooking. Hitherto there lias been insufficient power to supply the usual run of agricultural farm-:, but- Ibis subject is now receiving a great deal ot expert attention alike in the United States and in Canada, ami is in a very much more highly developed state than n is in New Zealand. In British Columbia and Ontario he saw the suecessiul working of household cookery by this medium, the cost (for ;m average iamii.'' tit the end ol a year working ■.tit m about, £lO. During his stay in the .Niagara zone Mr Hall examined most ol the vast powei plants, and lie mentions as an interesting point that the income Irom the sale ol electricity in the province o! Ontario alone is £'2,000,000. Front the point of view of the utilisation ol water-power, Canada provides a greul object lesson to New /('.•lan.l. Mosl ol the plants he saw in Canada were more expensive to instl than they would be in Ne\v Zeaiustal than they would be in New Zeatlie conditions for installation are relatively lar more simple and theretore would be less costly, ROMANCE OF ELECTRICAL DEVELOPMENT. EFFECTS OF LAKE COLERIDGE Mr H. Holland, who was for seven year.- Mayor of Cliristchurch, gave a '-cry interesting address at Palnierston on Friday on hydro-electrical development. Mr Holland said that when the prelimina.ry survey were made in I'jl'l in connection with the Lake Coleridge scheme, he became keenly interested in hydro-electricity and since that lime (he subject bad been his hobby. As showing the tremendous growth 6t electricity since the hydro scheme was instituted in Canterbury, the speaker stated that the ievenue in 1921 was £7'j,301». as compared with J}17,500 when steam was the geneiatmg force in H'i:j. it was also interesting to note thai the cost to the consumer tiiidei the new system averaged IJd per unit, against id per unit when the steam plan! was in use The growth was the more remarkable, continued Mr Holland, when it was remembered that the development took place during tiie wai period, when every restriction was placed in the way of the consumer, this being necessary owYng to the denial.d for power and lighting being greater than the supply availale. The number ol new connections made during lU2I averaged 214 per month.

CHEAP PCAVEH IN THE HOME. j I'o illustrate 'he many usages of electric power- Mr Holland stated That ten years ago lie hail installed a washing uu-hint in Ins home. He dreaded each time he was called upon to sup ply 'lie necessary power by hand. La-t-er. a onie-sixth li.p. motor was installed t.i drive a wrmgei in addition to the washing machine, the cost for power being lid for eighl hours. As about lour washing days were necessary to consume a unit ol power, the cost I'-as less than ~d a month. The speaker suited that 430 domestic users in Cnristchurch paid itj a month for j.'jen light, SVJ paid -' 6 and 68 par cent paid less Than -'.' per month. In spite oi the low cost to the consumer, the CifrisTchurch City Councirs electricjty j department, showed a profit last year of £15,277 net ' THE FACTORY. A firm of manufacturers in Christchurch estimated that the cost in coal to generate the steam power lor its u-e would be £1 per week. It had been ' found that live electric motors were, driving the plant at a cost of £i lu per month tor power. In addition to the saving in money, the machines were being run more efficiently, iohg lines of shafting being dispensed with:' The modern system is to install an electric motor for each machine. USE or STOP.AGE BATTERIES. The Christchurch City Council pro- ■ ides the electrical energy for 50 loriies, the-charges ranging from £'3d to '£so per year, this" includes charging, storage and greasing the vehicles. The revenue derived from this source is practically all profit io the department jis the charging of the batteries is carried cm during the nighT, when ample current is available. The speaker said the North Island Boards couid not. expect to supply power and light at the prices he had stated. The Chrisieburch Council was

...ib; paying 4J pc-- r cent for the money iavfc&te : d in ixs eteetricai scheme, in addition, it was being charged £i> per kilowatt by the Government- whereas Vise, charge-to the rorcaej: body estimated to be £B-per-kilowatt. The t-Bftaktr concluded by stating that oS-

1 ing to its low cost and convenience, , hyclro-e-lectricity made a great number of industries winch were con.- ' sidered too costly to run when steam ' power was used. j Who owns the farm now? That ' was a question that croppw up uurj ing the hearing ol a, case in the New I Plymouth Supreme Court. The farm had changed hands several times, till, witli the giving and transferring ol I mortgages, tiie question of ownership was rather involved. The present occupier was asked if he was the i 1 owner ol thei place. "He's Hie owner j of the liabilities at any rate," observed . his Honour.

An item in the profit and loss account of the Royal Oak Dairy Company, Omata, which came into prominence at the annual meeting, was : "income tax £22 11/5." The chairman said this was the first time dairy companies had to pay income tax and was evidence that the Government was hard up. Owing to the scarcity of good houses in the Waikato, several of the Auckland merchants have had to send to Cliristchurch this year to till requirements. It seems that Auckland district people have given their attention so much to dairying of late that they have neglected the breeding of horses, in which the Waikato has always led the way.

A district storekeeper has installed a lorry service between Wellington and his home town, finding it preferable to the present railway service, quite apart irom the reduction m freight charges. This mode of transit is becoming increasingly popular and the highways from Wellington now carry an almost continuous line ol vehicular traffic.