The Daily News. THURSDAY, JULY 12. STREET LIGHTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8155, 12 July 1906, Page 2

The Daily News. THURSDAY, JULY 12. STREET LIGHTING.

Ox the casting vote of the Mayor, the New Plymouth Borough Council on Monday night resolved to extend the lighting of the seven large electric arc lights in town from midnight till daylight With us, ratepayers are no doubt at a loss to understand why councillors should offer objection to a proposal that has so much to recommeud it. It seems to us, however, that had the position been stated more correctly and explicitly by the chairman of the electric lighting committee, Cr. Brooking, there would not have been the same measure of diversity of opinion. Cr.

Brooking, to whom, naturally, councillors look for authoritative guidance on matters affecting the electric light, affirmed that the adopting of an allniglit service would cost the Council an extra £4OO a year, because the consumption would be doubled. If Or. Brooking seriously believes that such would be the effect of the proposal, all we can say is that lie has a terrible lot to learn concerning finance and the department of which be i 3 in executive control. We are inclined to think, however, that he was merely endeavoring to side-traek councillors who are not so well-versed in electric lighting matters as he is presumed to be.

* # » » According to Cr. Brooking's figuras the total annual expenses of running the electric light, when completed, will amount to about £1,440 per annum. The only direct revenue produced is that received from private consumers, which, on the present consumption, amounts to £sl lis per month, or approximately £7OO per annum. The Council may assess the cost of supplying electrical fluid to the street lamps at £4OO a year if it feels so inclined, but the fact will remain that the cost of street lighting is at present at the rate of £740 per annum. Of course, as the number of private consumers increase, the reveuue from that source will also increase, and the actual cost to the ratepayers of running the undertaking—which is at the same time the actual cost of street lighting - will decrease. The policy of the Council should, therefore, be one that would encourage the citizens to use the electric light in their houses, and the day need not be far distant when the Council would be able to say that street lighting was actually costing the ratepayer nothing by way of taxation. Liter .still, tho cost to the consumers would also be reduced. Notwithstanding the great cost of the installation, it is not one that need cause ratepayers much concern, in the hands of capable management. And here we say that the electric light would nave more private user* if the Council would put itself in the position of being able to tell the people exactly what it has to sell. It is no use talking of kilowats and units and other technical terms that neither the public nor the councillors understand. What the public would like to know is the comparative cost for house lighting of electric and gas lamps of similar candle-power. Naturally, ratepayers would prefer to burn the light for which tlioy have to pay at present, through rate-', whether they use it or not. When they can be shown that the electric light is as cheap, or cheaper, than the light they are at present using, and when they realise that as soon as there are sufficient of them using it to pay running charges, their rates will no be required to make up any deli uency, we may expect such a run on the light as would speedily bring about tho realisation of this desirable municipal ideal. * * * * But to return to the question of street lighting, and Cr Brooking's statement of the great added cost of an all-night installation. Far from there being any additional cost, we affirm that the Council will be actually economising by instituting the extra service, even allowing for the £lO actual cost of wear and tear on the lamps. It requires no elaborate process of reasoning to show ratepayers how this conclusion is arrived at, although it might not be so easy to put the actual value of the saving in round figures. At present the Council runs the plant all night for *,he convenience of 78 private consumers, who probably, on the average, use only a few shillings worth of the current after midnight. The plant generates as much current, at the same cost, »fter midnight, as it does

prior to that hour. The only difference is that while prior to midnight the street lamps and private coistimers use all the current produced, after midnight the valuable fluid, except for the paltry amount used by private consumers, is run into the earth to waste. If the current is worth what Cr. Brooking estimates it at, the Council, in its wisdom, is wasting in the aggregate, at the rate of hundreds of pounds worth of electricity per annum. There are no accumulators in connection with the plant, otherwise the superfluous current produced after midnight might be conserve 1.

# * * * The position is, therefore, that the concern is coating the ratepayers at present at the rate of tli) per annum, and that only about half of [the amount of electricity that is produced for that £7lO is used by the Council, the other half being run to waste in the ground. Would any sane ratepayer aver that it is better to waste the valuable product than to utilise it with profit in the allnight lighting of the street lamps: This fact cannot be controverted that the cost of the current for allnight street lighting would not be one penny greater thin the present cost of lighting the street lights only till midnight. The only extra cost would he tho wear and tear on the lamps, estimated at £4O a year; or by using only the arc lights, .£'27 a yenr. The Council lias just decided to light tho arc lights all night, but the question is likely to be re-opened, When it is, we hope the councillors will see the wisdom of putting to practical use the current they are at present producing at considerable cost, only to waste, arid give the ratepayers value for their money by extending the all-night service to the whole town.