ELECTRICITY FOR ALL PURPOSES.

Shannon News, 5 October 1923, Page 3

ELECTRICITY FOR ALL PURPOSES.

EXPERIENCE OF WAIKATO CONSUMER

Amongst the visitors atending the stud stock sale at the Central Development Farm yesterday was Mr W. Leask, a prominent farmer and cattle breeder of Eureka, Waikato. His farm is situated within the area of the Central Power Board’s district, for which Mr T. R. Overton wlas engineer before taking his present position with the Horowhenua Power Board, and Mr Leask took the opportunity whilst in the district o.f calling at thie Power Board’s offices. In conversation later with a "Chronicle” representative, he explained that he was the first farmer in the Waikato to fit out his farm with electricity for ail purposes and he Was enthusiastic in his praise of that power. Included amongst the many uses for which he was using* electricity was the supply of power for milking machines, and for pumping water for stock, cooking, heating hot water and heating and lighting of the dwelling by means .of radiators, lighting, etc. Throughout the farm wherever light or power is needed, it is supplied in the form of electricity, so that Mr Leask)/after two years’ experience of its. use, speaks with some authority. Referring toi the question of the (possibility of electric motors giving trouble, and in consequence of the technical knowledge required, being impossible of readjustment by the ordinary user, he stated that in his district, which was! a large one, and in .which he only knew four men Who were not using electricity for running milking) machines, there had not been a single case during the two years in which the power had been available, when a farmer had missed! the factory through this trouble. He had, in fact, only known one cai s e of a! motor giving trouble in this period and in that case it was the result of carelessness oh the part of the man who was running it. .There had been a widely-expressed intention on the part of farmers at the time 6t me commencement of the Central Power Board’s scheme to retain their oil engines, partly because of the cost of installing electne motors, and partly from a natural-hesi-tation. to adopt a system of producing power which, in, their view, might or might not he satisfactory. This feeling had now completely disappeared, and on every hand,, those farmers who had not already done so wore scrap ping their oil engines and going in for the more convenient and less costly electricity. He mentioned that during the period immediately following the war when benzine Was at its dearest, this’fact naturally influencing the cost somewhat, it had cost him over £4O per year for upkeep of a four-horse power oil-engine, which he used to operate a five-cow milking plant. With electricity the cost of operating the same plant has been reduced to less than half, and the general efficiency greatly increased. It wa f s to he remembered also that the chargp per unit was considerably higher in the Waikato than it would be in HorowhenuaT which would make the use _ of electricity in this district an even, better proposition. ‘ As foil cooking and the multitudinous purposes for which electricity could be. used about a house, Mr Leask stated confidently that no housewife who had experienced its benefits would ever willingly be without it. For cooking it was. ideal, especially in, the summer months, as no matter how high the temperature at which, food was being cooked l no heat radiated from the range, and instead of haying on a sultry summer day Jo bend over a glowing range in the stifling heat, the work could be done in coolness and comfort. The oven of an electric range could be heated to a point sufficient lor baking in a quarter of an hour. The, 1 joint, cake or whatever it was intended tO' bake woufd then be put in and the power switched off, when the oven would retain the heat sufficiently long to cook it thoroughly. ‘ I ain glad to notice,” Mr Leask said, “thiat the Horowhenua.. Power BoardTa making strides in the reticulation of the district, and I am confident that u the "farmers use the power as they are doing in the Waikato-and I do not doubt that they will-—the scheme will be a great success. The; Central Waikato Board is now paying its way, and it has not cost the fanner a penny beyond the cost of the electricity used, which, as I have stated, is. below that of petrol. The general convenience of electricity for both power and lighting is also a fact which should not be lost sight of. , . , T "I would, also like to state that,, l consider the Horowhenua Power Board is particularly fortunate in having secured the services of an engineer of Mr Overton’s experience 'and ability. The work he has done in the Waikato is a, guarantee that what is being done here will be well done and give the general satisfaction which has resulted ini our district. "I notice also that the Board has engaged Mr W. R. Jack, as installation inspector. Mr Jack supervised my installation and his expert knowledge of electric power and lighting is very favourably known throughout the Waikato.” "You can lead a man *

to the Altar if you give him no chance to think.”