STREET LIGHTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8153, 10 July 1906, Page 2

STREET LIGHTING.

PARTIAL ALL NIGHT SERVICE. Tho Electric Lighting Committee of the New Plymouth Borough Council decided to leave to the full Council the matter of deciding whether or not the street lights should bo kept burning all nigbt. Iu order that the Councillors should be acquainted with the position, Cr. Brooking, chairman of the Electric Light Committee, laid some facts and figures before the Council on Monday evening. The total cost of the installation to date amounted to £17,517, including £730 now required for additional plant, From this might be deducted £2,500 towards cost of the waterworks tunnel. Interest on th's amounted to £727 10s per annum. Working expenses for the past month had been £57 lis 4d for wages and salaries, equal to £690 16s per annum (exclusive, of course, of £LO a month to be paid to the new second engineer). Altogether the interest and workiig expenses amounted to £l4lO 4s per annum. Ou tho reverse side there were 78 private consumers, using 2742 units in June, returning £57 lis to the Council. Public lighting brought in £33 6s 8d per month. The total revenue then was approximately £IO9O 12s, against £l4lO 4s expenditure. Public consumption last month accounted for 5250 units, and private consumption only 2742 units. The scheme of running all the lights right through the night would cost £4O a year, and the arc lights £27 a year, both exclusive of the cost of current, the amounts being for actual expenses, carbons, globes, renewals, attendance, and so forth. There were two machines at the power-house, each with a capacity of 45 kilowats. One machine was working d lily, producing 52 kilowats. It was thus considerably overloaded. On Saturday nights the other machine was kept going at about one-third of full pressure. He mentioned that sevqral new street lights wore proposed, and the Government buildings were to be lighted from this installation, taking about 160 lights of 16 c.p. each. Should the Council decide to adopt all-night street-lighting, the cost of tho system would be doubled. The Mayor considered a saving could be effected by turning olf the lights on bright moonlight nights, and thus compensate for lighting the arc lamps all night in the town centre. Cr Bellringer considered it would not pay on business lines to keep the lights on all night. Cr Browne, after mentioning that the light was paying beyond all anticipations, favored tho proposal to light the arcs all night, On the casting vote of the Mayor this was decided on. It was decided, on the motion of Cr Wilson, to instruct the electrical engineer not to switch on the street lamps on bright moonlight nights.