Our Stratford Page

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 193, 13 February 1912, Page 3

Our Stratford Page

Stratford, Monday.

CR. PAGET AGAIN BRUSH WITH THE MAYOR. HEATED "DEBATE" IN COUNCIL. At the meeting of the Borough Council to-night the air was at times electric, email indications of storms being often apparent. At length there was a brisk passage of arms between the Mayor and Cr. Paget, and it will be observed that the repartee was quite on its own, gemlike in its sparkle. Cr. Lawson drew attention to the state of the decking on the Swansea road bridge. Cr. Healey thought the matter had been brought up before. Cr. Paget, across the table: "Oh, but we've got to bring it up three or four times before you can expect anything done."

The Mayor: "I object to that sort of talk. You've been looking for trouble all night. It's an insult to the engineer."

Cr. Paget: "We haven't got an engineer." The Mayor: "Call him an overseer ■then, and it's an insult to the overseer to say that you had to bring the matter up two or three times before anyhing is done. It is a disgrace, and no gentleman would say it of an engineer, just because he's got to eit there and listen to you and say nothing." Cr. Paget: "If you knew how to behave yourself in the chair you wouldn't say that. No mayor has any right to talk to any councillor as you are talking to me."

The Mayor: "I intend to keep you in your place."

Or. Paget: "You won't be there very long." The Mayor: 'Til be here longer than you."

Cr. Paget: "You won't be there rery long, anyhow!" The Mayor: "I'll be here longer than you if I want to come back, but I'm not going to allow you to insult an officer of the council."

Cr. Paget: "My remarks were not directed at the overseer, but at the Works Committee. Of course, matters have to be brought up again and again before anything is done." The Mayor: "Have you got a resolution?"

Cr. Paget: "No, I'm rising in explanation of your insulting remark to me, air. It's not long since I brought up the matter of the filthy state of Broadway myself, and now we've got to bring it up again. Not only myself, but other councillors have mentioned it. I gay this, 'I have never seen Stratford in a more grossly neglected condition than during the last few months. I insult no officer of the council at all. Yqu can take the insult to yourself." The Mayor: "I take no notice of you." Cr. Paget: "You are the one 'who is' responsible for this neglect. You are more responsible for it than anyone else. My remarks were directed at you and not at the officer."

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR,

The Mayor: "You don't trouble me in the slightest. I don't trouble about a man like you." Cr. Paget: "Thank you!' .

ELECTRIC LIGHT QUESTION. PUBLIC MEETING ON WEDNESDAY. The Mayor has convened a publio meeting of ratepayers for Wednesday evening, and he will then explain fully the electric light loan proposals. The negotiations which it is now sought to bring to a head, have extended over a long period. The Stratford Electrical Supply Company years ago obtained a deed of concession, and established a plant for the purpose of lighting Stratford. Matters didn't flourish for some time, the shareholders' dividends being slow to appear owing to faults which it has since been found possible to rectify. The generating plant was water-driven, and is still water-driven. This entailed a lot of expense in the early days, th« dam causing no end of worry and trouble. Under the concession the' Borough Council was given the right to acquire the undertaking at a price to be fixed by arbitration, and from time to time there haß been agitation with a view of bringing the purchase about. This time the valuators have furnished a report on the plant and its value. A price hag been put on the concern, and the Council has decided to allow the ratepayers to say whether or not the interests and plant of the company should be acquired as a municipal undertaking at, the price fixed. The Council itself is divided on the point, but the majority is in favor of the scheme. THE MANAGER'S EXPLANATION. There has been a good deal of discus-

CRICKET.

LAWN TENNIS.

STRATFORD GUN CLUB

$ From Our Resident Reporter. * * Office: No. 3, York (Junkers, Stratford. * * -'* ****** <>*****<•'* *********<i>4>«*****

sion in town to-day touching the letter in this morning's issue from "Katepayer," the said discussion proving •among other things that the Daily News is very widely and intently read in Stratford. During the day I met Mr. Newton, the manager of the Electrical Supply Company, and he made reference to "Ratepayer's" letter, particularly with reference to the question of voltage. In the letter the writer endeavored to show that it Would he inadvisable to instal a higher voltage plant, because it would mean that all the present installations would be rendered useless. Mr. Newton traversed the letter, and said: "The only people who benefit by a higher voltage I are the Electrical Light Supply Company and the installers (the electrical firms). The company saves by reducing the weight of copper in the wire to carry the current, carrying a smaller current at a higher voltage. That makes a secondary voltage much more dangerous. The other effective part of the argument | is directly concerned with the consumer. A hundred candle-power at 100 volts is the same light as 100 candle-power at 220, 440, or any other voltage, but not so the price of the consumer's fittings. Lamps and all accessories are the cheapest for 100-volt circuits. So soon as you increase the voltage to 220 you' have to pay a higher price for lamps, I kettles, irons, radiators, and so on. Nor | is this all as far as the consumer is) concerned, as he has to pay for an inefficiency, the higher voltage lamps being less efficient than low voltage ones, which means that for each lamp he pays -a slight percentage more for current in proportion to the light he gets. Then again, a great deal is being said about the plant being out-of-date because we are running 40 periods instead of some 1 other fancied number of periods to suit the fad <of the person advocating the change. In Australia they are running (

alternating current single phase in several stations at 100 periods. There, are ■■ at least three, if not four, of 125. (Doming to our own Dominion, Wellington has 80 periods and 100 volts; Rotorua, 50 and 100; Mataura, 60 and 100; Patea, 50 and 100 volts. A large number of 40period alternating current systems have been erected in the Old Country and also in Australia. There seems to be a misconception, too, that because we run 100 volts in our lighting system we can't I run any more for power purposes, but % the local news paper office has a 15-n.p. motor for which the current is transformed to 240 volts, which will be about the standard voltage (not more than 350, anyhow) for power purposes in Stratford." r

ELECTRIC LIGHT QUESTION. REPLY T0 '^raitepaYEßm Sir—ln your valuable Stratford' column I notice a letter signed "RateEa? er \ , ThU should have bee n signed Shareholder," as it has so many statements (or mis-statements) calculated to influence people to vote for the purchase of the Electrical Supply Companv's business. In regard to "Ratepayer's" suggestion that the light is bad, and using that as a reason for purchasing, he should know that the company, is installing a larger plant at the present time in order to give better light. Then. SL furt ,^ er 6 nT. that sme People. wantV 220 volts. Ths- is absolute nonsense.! ifiere is not one person in Stratford who advises an alteration in voltage. The ratepayers will be wise to reject the proposal, inasmuch as the company is trying to sell at an extortionate price the most out-of-date plant at present in New Zealand or Australia, and is to Settenfold its value; while the Council at the present time can put in their own plant (see the opinion: of Mr. Martin' solicitor to the Municipal Association Wellington) Or, if they do not decide to do so they can put in the most up-to-date plant in seven years' time at half, the price they propose* to pay for the' existing plant,_l am., etc:, RATEPAYER NO. 2.

SOME PERTINENT POINTERS. ■ ■ Sir,—l am glad to see that you are rS3 B T* le * ter ? from about the Councils latest scheme, to become the owner of an electric light business. The council as at present constituted may be competent to look after affairs of tins magnitude, but the worst feature about municipal management is mentionH L 5S te J payer l in issue, ed by "Ratepayer" in to-day's issue where for the sake of bolstering up a contention that the borough should own tw^ ect ™., ll ?W. he "We can kick lS» OUt w ,f / hey x don,t &™ us * good, &♦ He , ot t0 add - Mr. Editor, that a real, level-headed council migh be kicked out"'because they happened to offend some speculator who wanted to cut up a property and not road it Properly; or because it won't spend a thousand pounds in making a metalled road for a man's own private,use. All of these things may be used to "kick out" a council, which is really a board of directors and to put in a new set who may not have an idea. There's no permanency or consistency about borough council management/and that is why rnumcpai ownership, doesnt always ,»/ As for the other points in "Ratepayer's" fetter, Rehaa.-gone., beyond his depth. What we want to'know is! - What 'is the plant reckoned to be worth? What is it honestly worth? What is it going to earn?"" W]fS reVenUe w * Jt earn? What will it cost to run the to be for the borough? If Mr. Masters anshowusthatthemunicipalisationof this very unsatisfactory service is co inc to g.ve us Letter light and a bit ofprofit, 1m with him out and out, and a prepared to trust the commonsense of run the electric light business in the interests of the town.-I am, etc., CONSUMER.

; A c l P I ayers who were included wi 8 % T ". al >aki team to meet the ivortn laranaki representatives this to the N.T.C.A. being unable to get a Abandoned. FoP ' oßed mtCh haß bee °

to Eltham on Thursday. Any of the undermentioned selected players who are "* to g° «e *sked to communicate Thin Cameron, Thompson Hunter, King, fichnfleld, and Everiss ' MaCkay> King ' and

- T , he Stratford Gun Club will hold the first shoot in the champioiwhip Be ries

on Thursday afternoon at the Stratford racecourse. The club has a good membership this year, and some good shooting is expected. The handicaps are being framed by Mr. W. Morison, and will be sealed. I GENERAL NEWS ; Mr. Gr. Backhouse, who recently ari rived; from the Old Country, has been staying with his brother, Mr. S. Backhouse. He went on to Christchurch this morning. Mrs. Ed. Jackson returned by tonight's mail train from an enjoyable holiday spent in the Waikato district. The health of Mrs. James' Rutherford 'has been causing her relatives great anxiety recently. On Sunday an operation was performed to give relief, but to-day the patient's condition shows little or any improvement. Mr. J. McCluggage. was a passenger for Wellington this morning by the express train. The sale of a quarter-acre section in Broadway north is reported at £7OO. One firm of land agents reports having sold sixteen town sections in the past fortnight, many of them for all cash.