MILKING BY ELECTRICITY.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 593, 17 December 1920, Page 3

MILKING BY ELECTRICITY.

LIQHTINQ AND HEATING. A WAIPIPI PLANT. , teIVIKW JSNTIRE SATISFACTION. C'f®' Staff Representative.) a- ' A sch&nc may be perfect in theory but the average man requires to see it%ut into practice before he backs it wjth his hardreamtd money, and it therefore falls to the lot of the fe.w rnore than averagely progressive mer to do the pioneering for the masses An illustration 6f tnis truth may be seen at Waipipi, where an example, tliei niueUialkod-of driving of milking machines V.y electricity, has been ir actual prt jctice f<»r nearly three years, on Mr. Alf rod Jones' farm. Approximately three years ago, a keen enthusiast for all things electrical, Mi, W. McEwen, of McEwen, Hutton and Co., Ltd., of Waiuku, apjfroached Mr. Jones with a proposition for the electrification of the latter's milking shed and residence v thereby to make use of a fine stream of water running past the homestead Being a man -who could *'see a hok through a ladder without having the steps knocked out," Mr Jones realised that he had the means right alongside of him for solving all his engine troubles, and benzine shortages, and the result is the very fine equipment described hereunder. A water-race, about 18 inches in width, end having a more or less gradual fall of something less than 50 feet, is conducted through an llin. pipe, wlych narrows down at a Pelton wheel at the* lower end to <our inches, attached to which is a nozzle , of 1 5-Bin„ so that the stream of watet- reaches a very high velocity where it makes contact with the Pelton wheel. A 6.25 kilowatt dynamo elands in a little shed a few feet away, driven from the Pelton, the transmission being by an ordinary belt. The whole concern does not take s up more than a few feet of space, and yet it generates ample current for the driving of the milking machine, lighting the residence, shed and yard, pumping water, cooking, and heating an electric iron. When in Waipipi a few weeks ago a representative of the "Times" expressed a desire to see Mr. Jones' up-to-date plant, which wish the proprietor courteously gratified. After . seeing the Pelton snd dynamo the writej was shown how simple a matter it is to work the plant; it was a case of "you pull the string and the figure •• works." By moving a lever fastened t6 one of the verandah posts at the.house the floodgate is opened or closed, and the dynamo automatically started or stopped. By this I simple action the lights and current for power are put on or off as desired, there being no such things as time-tables and coal or benzine shortages to bother about.

Home Comforts.

In f the house are installed six lights, comprising four 30's, two 100's, • heater and an iron, making a total of 600' kilowatts available if and when required. Here was an example of how electricity has brought to a backblocks' home facilities which would be greatly appreciated by many thousands of housewives in Auckland city, even if plenty of coal was procurable—which it is not! Mifki'ng Plant de Luxe. But convenient as the electricity for the home, the milking shed is where its maximum value is secured. While talking with Mr. Jones in the machine-room the whole of the machinery started into action. On turning round to ascertain the cause the writer was considerably surprised, on, observing a small boy operating the .switch. "Nothing ' unusual vbout tiiat," said Mr. Jones. "Any boy can this concern, for there are no en<s gi'ie troubles, and 1 do not have to l>uv benzine at £2 a case." Smooth Separator Running. One could not help noticing how steady and • smooth the machinery ran, the speed being perfectly even; there was none of that fluctuation and intense vibration inseparable trom machinery driven by reciprocat- * ing engines, especially of the internal combustion type where the propulsion comes by means of a series of rapid explosions in a cylinder. Ideal Separator Drive.

£lectric propulsion is certainly ideal for the driving of separators, ensuring that steady speed and absence of vibration which produces the best skimming and permits the longest life and least wear and tear for the separator. Here was a threecow plant,- with water pump, separator, lights in the shed and yard, all put into operation instantly by the moving of a switch with the tinger and thumb. The pump, by the way, has a 25ft lift, moreover, the wind does not blow the lights out. • Counting the Cost.

With benzine at £2 per case, there can be no doubt that electricity at 3U per unit for power, as will be supplied to the district by the Waitfku Electric Supply and Trading Co. Ltd. IB far and away the cheaper and more efficient power for dairy sheds, is no oil or fumes to taint the ,*milk, everything connected with electricity being absolutely clean. V Futhermore.'it is probably not generally realised by laymen that whereas the efficiency of internal combustion engines 'generally works out at 64 pen cent, of the total power, that of the electric motor is 98 per cent. And the motor has longer life, being good for 50 years or more. Of a surety, Mr. Jones' hydro-elec-tric plant constitutes a splendid proof] the cheapness, efficiency, cleanliness, comfort and convenience of electric current for power and lighting purposes. At anyrate, Mr. Jones, who has enjoyed the benefits of the installation for nearly three years, has never had a stop or a breakdown of any sort, and expressed his entire satisfaction with the whole installation.