TURNING ON THE LIGHT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 22, 27 January 1915, Page 7

TURNING ON THE LIGHT.

FEILDINC'S ELECTRIC SYSTEM. On Saturday last Feilding residents had a red-letter day to celebrate. It was the occasion of the inauguration of the new system of lighting in the the town, when the Municipal electric works were opened, and the light ! turned on. There was a good crowd present, and the proceedings passed off very successfully. Mr R. Masters (chairman), and Mr W. J. Newton (manager) of the Stratford Electric Supply Co., were present by invitation. From Mr Newton a representative of the Stratford Evening Post gleaned a short account of the ceremony and of the new works.

The Mayor of Feilding (Mr Ongley) gave a short address, in the course of which he drew a strong analogy between “the day” of the Germans together “the night with which would follow in failure) compared with the position of the people of Feilding where, “the” day had arrived to be followed by a night heralding the successful issue of the borough’s undertaking. He referred to the thorough manner in which the work had been carried out, and congratulat ed the town on the substantial improvement which had been installed

Cr. Harford also addressed the gathering. It should be mentioned that Cr. Harford has been the pioneer of the electric lighting scheme, and has worked strenuously for three or four years for the attainment of his object. He visited stations in Taranaki with the object of noting the latest in electrical matters, and with the Mayor has now seen the scheme carried into completion, having secured an overwhelming major, ity of the ratepayers at a poll taken on the scheme. The member for the districe (Sir Guthrie) also said a few words, and the Mayoress (Mrs Ongley) switched on vhe current for the street lighting. It will be interesting to our readers to learn a few particulars of tho system which has been adopted. What is known in electrical circles as the “series current system” has been installed. in which the street lighting is taken off the high tension direct One wire only runs through the whole of the lamps, and when any lamp fails, a balancing instrument at the

power station immediately alters the ratio of the current, and the cap of the lamp then becomes a medium | for carrying the current straight on I to the next lamp. < By this system I the lamps are run on a very low voltage of seven to c'even volts, which i minimises breakages. This allows the use of a heavy filament in place of the .very fine fragile wire which is in vogue in the Stratford lamps or those of ordinary supply voltage, | The plant consists of two Willar.s and Robinson’s Deisel engines of a type similar to the Stratford one 1 * Provision has been made for a third plant in the Deisel station. AltoI gether the plant looks very weir; ali though, of course, everything has been i carried out with a. view to economy.

The switch-hoard and appurtenances are quite up to date. About 110 houses are to he connected with the scheme, hut as yet only the street lighting has been completed and- the Mayor’s house wired up for the purpose of Saturday’s ceremony. While tonic of the material for the scheme has been in hand for some time, con. siderahle trouble was experienced in obtaining insulators owing to the war, hut the work is to he pushed on rapidly in the near future. To sum up, there is an alternating current, single phase, with transformers on the poles; in fact, the principle is on all-fours with that of Stratford’s supply. Probably this was the result of the visit paid to Stratford and New Plymouth by the Mayor, Cr Harford, and other Folding councillors, as in the pioneer’s remarks at the installation mention was made of the up-to-date system, and of the material assistance which had been rendered them by Mr Newton and the Company at Stratford. In return in some measure for this courtesy, the Mayor of Feilding heap, ed upon the visitors a wealth of hospitality. “Mr Masters and myself,” said Mr Newton, “were treated right royally by the Feilding people and especially the Mayor. On Sunday we were driven to Mr F/. Short’s sta-

tion, which is nine miles out of Feilding. Here is the home of the famous Hereford cattle and Romnev

sheep, which are so closely associated with the name of Short. A new residence, whif'h Mr Short is erecting, was a revelation to us. It Is being constructed by day work, and Is estimated to cost between £14,000 and £15,000. A lovely “garden,” which is attached to the homestead, covers no less than twenty-five acres.”

In the evening the visitors motored to Palmerston North, and later re. turned to Mr Ongley’s residence. On Monday, Messrs Newton and Masters returned to Stratford after a very enjoyable trip.