Stratford News.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 136, 4 December 1911, Page 3

Stratford News.

THE NEW ELECTRIC LIGHT PLANT.

CAULK ADVICE RECEIVED (JE ITS SHIPMENT. Stratford, Saturday. To-day Mr. W. J. Newton, manager of t)in Stratford Electric Light Supply Company, received advice ihat the new plant ordered by the. company had been shipped from England. The news, though late, is none the less welcome. Tlii* zooming I saw Mr. Newton, and obtained from him a description of the machinery which it is proposed to infital. THE PLANT DESCRIBED. The new plant comprises a four-cylin-der vertical Diesel engine of 2fi<) h.p. direct, coupled to a 140 k.w. alternating generator (or alternator), giving current at 22(H) volts when running at 240 revolutions per minute. The alternator is of the revolving Feilds type, with-sta-tionarv armatures, which make all the high-coils easily get-at-able. This new plant will be erected on the company's freehold site oil the Cloton road. By "«eans of this additional machinery it vviil be possible to give a better, service by night and to supply a day load for motive purposes. THE DIESEL OIL ENGINE is an internal combustion engine. The-' orv and practice have shown that the higher the compression in an internal combusion engine the greater is the economy obtained. Consequently, one aim of internal combustion engine-makers is to compress to the highest possible pressure. There are, however, limits to the degree of compression. When gas or air is compressed, the energy thus expended on it causes heat to be generated, and, consequently, causes the temperature of the air to be raised. If the air is compressed very slowly indeed, it may be raised to a high pressure without any sensible rise of temperature, as the beat generated may he dissipated as rapidly as generated." Oil the other hand, if compression takes place rapidly, as in an engine running at a fair, speed, there will be a very considerable rise of temperature. and' a temperature can easily be readied which will cause a mixture of gas and air to explode. If such an explosion were to occur, before the piston reached Die end of its stroke, very serious stress would be put on the engine. , Premature ignition of .this kind has frequently caused considerable damage to engines. Clearly, then, care must be taken, if a cylinder contains a mixture of ga,s and air, not to carry the com-i pression anywhere near to the stage at which the temperature of ignition is likely to be obtained. The cycle of operations in (lie cylinder pi a Diesel engine is described as follows:, (a) During the outstroke of the piston air (not air mixed with. pas or' with oil vapor) is drawn into the cylinder. (lj) This air on the return stroke, of the piston is compressed to a high pressure, (c) At the end of the compression, fuel oil is sprayed in a finely divided form into the cylinder, and, owing to the air being very hot, as the, result of .compression, the'finely divided'oil burns as it enters the cylinder. The spraying in of oil is continued during a considerable portion of the outward stroke of the piston, and during the remainder of the stroke the products of combustion and the surplus air expand, (d) Near to the end of the expansion stroke the • exhaust valve opens, and then, during the exhaust stroke, the gases pass away to the at-j mosphere. AUTOMATIC. TH'EL FEED. The means of regulating the supply of oil fuel is automatic.". The fuel to be injected into the cylinder is pumped into a receptacle, on the cylinder, the quantity pumped ibeing decided by the Governor. If the Toad on the engine increases, the speed f;ills slightly, and the governor weights Tiipve inwards. In doing so they, by.means.' of special mechanism, cause, thp fiiel pump to deliver an increased-quantity. of oil to the cylinder, thus .givipg.'jmorc .power to meet the. load. - If the, loadjs '.reduced the converse is the case, " Air stored inr ■iFccQiyeiffi is • used for starting the j s worked as a: compressed -aiR engine until it has at- ' tained a fair rate of speed. Fuel is then admitted to,.tl'ic .cylinder; arid the engine is then ready t&ke 11 P its load. A description of, the |iitiple .riiethod of starting the engj,fe*%ak'es longer than the starting operation itself. ECONOMY* jN COMBUSTION'. Tn fuel consumption the Diesel engine is said to be tlw!~nw*i- economical yet produced. The thermal efficiency, too, is high, 110 less of the heat valve of fuel being concerted into work in .tlie cylinder. The next best internal combustion engine has a thermal. e;(liciwicy, ; qf. from 20 to •25 per tent., and, a stefain plant not exceeding 12 per: cent ; : r. ■ • The Diesel OiU engine is likely to be largely used for marine propulsion, and already the. Britit>li'Adnviralty is building a couple of cruisers with the engines installed. A great argument in favor of the internal combustion engines is that they -work, with lowe'r. fuel consumption than.other engine's, and this reduced consumption means a considerable reduction in the weight of fuel , to be carried, and additional space remaining for cargo ,or other . purposes. TARANAKI PF.TWILIyIJM. WANTED. A point of interest to Taranaki people is that the Die-el oil engine will work equally well, and without alteration, with almost any combustible oil, and has been worked satisfactorily with residual petroleum oils. Mr. Newton mentioned tli-.it. a barrel of crude petroleum from the Taranaki Petroleum Company had been sent to the makers of the'engines for testing purposes. lie thought it would be possible to drive the plant with petroleum refuse —that i<. the petroleum with the paraffin wax and ben/.iue extracted from it. It is the company's intention, as far as possible. to utilise New Plymouth oil. If foreign oil is used it will only be until such time as a relinery can be erected and supplies can be obtained locally. The engine is of the scavenger type, and will use any crude or refuse oil as long as there is heat in it. So perfect is the combustion that when Mr. Newton was inspecting one installed at I'orirua a piece of clean note-paper which he held over the exhaust pipe for ten or fifteen minutes bore no trace of smell, or smut, and not a single mark on it. and he carried it for some months as a curiosity. Owing o this plant, being placed in the town, instead of in addition to the company's present power-station, a second transformer and instruments in connection with the synchronising (or getting the two plants into step) have been ordered, and thus the new plant can be

»j> 4f ❖ From Our Resident Reporter, *

made to run with the present plant, each helping the other, and either or all will be used as may lit the requirements at any time. The plant has been ordered from Messrs. Merrilees, Bickerton & Day, of Stockport, England, through their New Zealand representatives, Messrs. Richardson, Blair & McCabe, of Wellington. The engine-builders are contractors for the whole plant, but it is stipulated by thg company that the electrical portion must be constructed by Messrs. Brown, Boveri & Co., the makers of the present plant, The two alternators now in use, though working for ten years and eleven years respectively, have never had a burnt coil or a damaged wire in any of the windings, although they have been "thrown into step" many times by none too skilled people in the early days, and so beautifully were they constructed that they show no signs of wear, and have met with 110 damage. SOME DIMENSIONS. The over-all length of the engine and alternator is 27ft. 3in., and the concrete foundations will be 2Dft. Sin. in length. Owing to the excessive weight of the machinery—about 40 tons—the foundations of concrete will be six feet in depth 1 on substantial ground, but the builders stipulate for deeper foundations in proportion as the ground is less substantial. There will be 60 yards of concrete in the foundations alone. The building to contain the new plant will be 46ft. by 22ft.. with a stud of L9ft. The engine itself stands Oft. Cin. high. The cost of th« plant in London was £2856, and erected will cost about £3200, exclusive ; of cost of foundations, building, and so I on. Alternative tenders, in wood and in brick, will be called for the erection of j the building. The above particulars will be of increased public interest, for the reason that the Borough Council proposes to ask authority of the ratepayers to borrow £14,000 for the purchase of the company's plant and interests.

THE HALF-HOLIDAY.

AX ALLEGED INTRUSION. The Retailers' Association will hold its adjourned annual meeting to-night, and will take the half-holiday question into consideration. Some of the members will have something to say about the Chamber of Commerce, which they contend has endeavored to usurp the functions of the Association in dealing with holidays. These members take up the stand that the holiday question in- : terests principally the retailers, and that the Association in their controlling body, whilst the Chamber of Commerce is composed of another class of men, who do not represent the shopkeepers at all. This' is a matter that is frequently the cause of heart-burning in several towns, but it is useful in that the—shall I say—jealousy aroused is productive of some activity in the discussion 'of th'e question over which the trouble arises.

POST uiriiCE HOURS. J ■ 1

AN EXTENSION NECESSARY. The Retailers' Association might well take into consideration the matter of: improving and extending the business hours at our' local post and telegraph office, At present the doors are closed' against the public between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., a most inconvenient arrangement. It is annoying, to put it mildly, when one finds, that, having "missed tie 'bus" at 5 o'clock, a special trip down town must I>q made after 7 o'clock to send a telegram, and there seems no reason why the <)tfi/ce should not be opened. It should be noted, too, that the evening hours, are only- from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. This is probably one of the matters which merely needs to be brought, to '■ the nofice'df ,the authorities to receive prompt attention. One cannot help noticing . j.he "reatly increased facilities given the public of New Plymouth by its energetievfyief Postmaster, and we must hope for some of the good things to come quj w<fy.

A SHOPKEEPER'S SUGGESTION. J

move . The Municipal offices. • There -is' a' shop, and office hunger in • Stratford.tci-day, anxl it is no new thing. A block, .of" .decent upstairs offices in the bestnart kjf "Broadway would let like" the proverbial hot cakes. Here is a chance for our municipal authorities to make money and reduce the rating indebtedness of the people of the borough of RtratfoM) ? •■» ' > The municipal buildings occupy land whicli gives some of the finest business sites in Stratford.. The ground floor Is let to .several business people. Upstairs is the Borough Council Chamber, in one corner of '■ wliicli- ! the city fathers meet to discuss municipal matters of moment. • The rest, of; the big room is full of emptiness, .quite a waste space. On the same llo'or are the municipal offices. The to\y;n plerk. and his assistant are provided., for'. Jjphiiid a counter, but though hidden from view by a partition there .is no real privacy, no comfort in winter; and no accommodation such as a town cie'rV'iwi# his staff in a progressive. borough' ! haVe' a right to expect. There is ft, Mayor's room, but he has to share it with the borough engineer, and wlu-n His .Worship is meeting people there the engineer, is sent to the rightabout, and'.his plans or other clerical work must svitit.' This insufficient office accommodation' must cause a great loss of time to,the staff. Still on the same floor are,the'.circulating library and the reading.room.,' tfie \vretclied appointment of the, .latter'.. calling for special comment. '... .... A progressive, sqrt of business man suggested me flie other day that all this room,,oh! the first fioor might be subdivided,'into .convenient suites of of-fices,-.and'.to. solicitors, ami so on, find .the new municipal offices built on the big ar.ea./of waste ground in front pf the Town Hall in Juliet street. By this means the hall would become a Town'.'Hall in •more than name. The scheme is'''one-that may appeal to the business instincts Of the councillors. But .it 'niav not.-"'T : t may come in for some consideration 1 if'the Council takes over the electric 'lighting concern, for then f «ome deceit' 'office accommodation for .the chief of'the lelectrie lighting department will have to be provided.

, THAiT-READING-ROOM.

' The newspapers in the public reading>oolll would make one smile it their jspwsoness were not so annoying. It I'is aeldoin tljat.more than three issues ;of the leading, dailies can be found. Any

paper having iwything of particular iniirest in it disappears as though "by mngie. Not even nil the provincial papers are liletl. The reading-desks are so placed ihat it is difficult to pass 'be-! t iveen tiiem if the papers are mostly m use. The magazines and illustrated papers, Wellington papers, local papers, I new and old, are heaped together on the one central table. A better arrangement of desks would be to place them around the walls, with perhaps one good fcntral desk. The reading-room is fairly well patronised, but is not nearly as popular as it would be if it were better. arranged and better cared for. ]

SOME SHREWD GUESSING.

Tim stewards to-day opened the box containing the guessers' estimates of the weight of the bullock, three sheep and two pigs, at the A. & P. Show last Wednesday and Thursday, and some very shrewd judging was disclosed, three persons guessing within half a pound of the weight, of the bullock, six guessing the aoiiml weight of the three sheep, and two within a pound of the actual weight of the pigs (dead dressed weight in each case). The results were as follows Bullock (actual weight 84Q , /<jlb): W. Agent (Riverlea) and J. 11. Street (Bell Biock) 8401b; A. B. Gamlin (Inglewood), 8411b. Three sheep: The actual weight, 18iy 2 lb, was guessed by Mrs. C. E. James (Stratford), John T. Scott (Pembroke road, Stratford), Mr. T. Phillips( Skinner road. Stratford), A. Mills (Midliirst), C. M. Copestake (Stratford), and Wrn. Rowe (Stratford). Two pigs (actual weight 21Ty 3 lb): R. D. Brown (Stratford) 2111b, H. Huck-1. seep (Midhirst) 212141b. I

SOME SHOW NOTES.

Did you see the dog parade at the Stratford Show? If you didn't, then make a point of seeing it next year,' and: if the dog marshal, enthusiast, stew- ! ard and friend (Mr. Torn Kirkwood) is again mounted on a fiery steed, watch for fun. ''Tom" provetj himself a great organiser, and must be lauded loud and long for his management of the dog section. "Take the whole management of the dogs yourself," were the committee's instructions. And the result? A great show of dogs; splendid appointments and well-pleased exhibitors, some of the older fanciers saying that nevef in their long experience had their dogs been so well benched and carefully tended. A" man that the public don't see much of at the show, but who is deemed by the inner circle to be almost indispensable, is Mr. W. P. Kirkwood. He is officially designated chairman of the Press and Office Committees, and Press steward. He is in effect a co-manager with Mr. Dingle, the president, who is also a trojan to work. Other members of a "stunning"—may I use the word?— executive are Messrs J. D. Healy, G. W. Hobhs, S. M. Porritt, R. Masters, R. , McK. Morison, D. J. Malone, G. Sangster and F. Dobson. Three meetings a week for a month or two past have comprised their programme! They are all ready, too, to receive a hint as to any' improve- : ment that may be carried out, so will exhibitors please make any suggestions i now whilst they are uppermost in th,cir J minds? j

In this connection, it might be a good thing to have a meeting of stewards and committeemen right away, with a view of entering up in the suggestion book. One nuisance to stewards, reporters, secretary and judges was caused by the r '"eptance of late entries. This should bo stopped by all societies, for it makes a 'complete catalogue impossible. •Visiting pressmen —and I join with them—were loud in their praise of the attention bestowed on them by Mr. W. Pj Kirkwood, the press stewards, and the' officers generally. The show of\pedigree cattle was not as| large as that at New Plymouth, but there were some fine beasts. It is noticeable that the prizes at the three Taranaki shows were won by comparatively few cattle breeders. Few "dark liprses" came to light, which suggests that the shows are not bringing out the ntaiber of successful farmers and breeders that we have a right to expect. But oan a hard-working farmer pay the'same. attention to his stock as the stud-owner, who "does" the whole round of shows? How 1 about novice and district classes? The idea is commended'to the executive for consideration.

(Wouldn't it simplify the office work .ifi the various sections—houses, .cattle, pigs, dogs, homo industries, etc. —each .had a distinctive color for the judges' •award slips? The reporters would welcome the innovation. ■ It. is variously estimated that there were from 7'ooo to !)OTO '-people on the ground on Thursday. ( i The gate takings are believed to be about double those of last year, when vfere in the neighborhood of £l2O. : The guessing competitions were highly remunerative, the receipts totalling over £44 4s.

| GENERAL.

' No one will accuse the Railway Department of giving undue publicity to t|he new time-table arrangements. The announcement made concerned the ajtjerations of the running of the traiii which lias leit here for north somewhere ill tl)e region of 1 o'clock; but the public hav« now to be informed of the altered nunning of the train which used to leave here at 5.33 p.m. and arrive at New Plymouth at 7.28 p.m. This train now leaves Hawera at 4.5 p.m. instead of 4.3 p.m., Eltham 5.15 instead of 4.55, Stratford G.p instead of 5.33, Midhirst 6.27 instead of 5.44, and Tarild 7.4 instead of 6.6 p.m. And this is now only a goods train, with second-class ear attached, and timed to reach New Plymouth at 8,45 p.m. ,The new passenger train (leaving Stratford at 12.55 for New Plymouth) does not shunt trucks on and off at (iverv flag station, this work being left for the night train, and it cuts out the 8;) miles in 2hrs. smin.. which, whilst not a pace record, is ten minutes better than the performance of the next passenger train. The twenty minutes stop at Stratford in the new service (12.35 p.m. at. 12.55 p.m.) will enable passengers to luncji here. This train promises to be a . very popular one. enabling us to travel 'to New Plymouth and back in one, afternoon, and have an hour or so there for business. : Messrs. R. Masters and W. D. Anderson are definitely "out" for the Stratford ward, seat on the Education Board.