THE KAPONGA LIGHTS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 47, 30 May 1916, Page 3

THE KAPONGA LIGHTS.

SUP PL Y 0 F ELECTRICITY. CURRENT SWITCHED ON LAST EVENING. The supply of eurreut.for lighting of Kaponga. by electricity was turned on last night. Owing to the gale, on Saturday night seven or eight poles, carrying an extra heavy cable, were blown down in the main street, and about a quarter of the township was left in darkness. . Mr H. Priestley, who has been in charge of the construction work, erected the cable, temporarily, and the current was switched on. No official ceremony to mark the ooeasm-i was held-on account of the inclement ■weather last evening and also the acei,dcnt .to the poles. .The street lights lit upu'ithout a .hitch. All'the public buildings, and about .-SO connections- to private houses June been installed, a.u<> all Svl«>.Jiad the pleasure of using Urn electricity last night expressed tlnimselves as well satisfied; ' It is pated- that a certain number of connections for power purposes will be installed. The 45-kilowatt direct-current plan;, which was supplied to the Town Board by the. National Electric Supply Co., 's driven by a 70-h.p. turbine, the power for which is derived from the Kaupokonui River. The river runs through the township, and from the dam to the power-house, a distance of'about a quarter of a mile, is a 2ft. Gin. punline; . It is estimated that the plant, which cost £4890-to iustal, will be self-sup-porting at the end of a year's running. The annual expense is estimated at £OOO, and i|. is anticipated that when the private houses and other buildings have been connected, there will be a margin over that sum. The construction work reflects great credit on tlu< engineer, Mr Priestley, who has been retained to take charge of the plant.