THE NEW GAS-HOLDER.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8458, 7 June 1907, Page 5

THE NEW GAS-HOLDER.

OFFICIAL OPENING CEREMONY. IMPORTANT SPEECHES. The ceremony of officially turning the' gas into the new gas-holder, which has just been erected at the Masterton Gasworks, was successfully carried out yesterday afternoon. Despite the wet weather there was a fairly large number of Councillors and citizens at the works, where the ceremony was carried out, and the speeches were made on an smpromptu platform. Despite the continued wet weather which has somewhat delayed the work of erecting the holder, th 6 contract was completed within the specified time by the contractors, Messrs Lucas Bros., Ltd. The holder has a capacity of 70,000 cubic feet, and was erected at a cost of £2,600. Cr F. W. Temple, chairman of the Borough Gas Committee, was the first speaker. He said that the erection of the holder marked an era in the progress of Masterton. The Council had had a long struggle to get the holder erected, and he thought they had been fairly successful in their work up to the present. When he pointed out that 14,000,000 cubic feet of gas had been manufactured at the works during 1905, and 16,500,000 cubic feet last year, they would see that the time had arrived when a little more expenditure at the works was justified. He might say that for the last two months they had : rhade 832,000 cubic feet of gas more than during the same period last | year, and had sold 790,000 feet more ! gas during the same period. The gross profits on the works for the past year would be found to exceed £2,000. He 'thought the public might feel grateful and congratulate themselves on the position. Some time ago the ijras Manager had been asked by the Council to report on the probable requirements at the Gasworks during the next year. That 1 report had been duly submitted, and it had also been shown that the increase of business during the last six months had been 30 per cent. The Gas Comrrittee had worked upon a basis of a 15 per cent, increase, although there was no reason to believe that the 30 per cent, increase wa3 not justified. Now that the Gas Committee had "opened shop" they should secure as much business as possible. Where it was founfl profitable to lay mains, they would be ,put down. The gas was then turned into the new holder by the Mayoress (Mrs <Coradine). The Mayor (Mr J. M. Coraidine) said he did not expect to say much as they had already heard from the last speaker all about the returns of the works, and the policy of the Gas, Committee. He went on to say that the Masterton Gasworks, like every other business concern, had had its "upsand downs,", They were now "up," and had one of the best paying concerns in the colony. The Gasworks was the town's best asset. The present state of the works was nothing to what they would be in the future. If the present policy of the Council was carried .out he was sure that the works would soon become greatly increased in value. He balieved that the holder opened that day would have to be augmented in the near future as, from what the Manager had told him, he believed that they would soon be working up to the full capacity of the new holder. He referred to the excellent manner in which the contractors had carried out their work. Since he had been he had frequently inspected the holder, and had always received any information that he required. The manner in which the contract had been carried out was a credit to Messrs Lucas Bros.

At this stage, on the suggestion of Mr A. W. Hogg, M.H.R., cheers were given for the Mayor, the Borough Council, Gas Committee, the Gasworks Manager, and contractors. Mr Hogg said he had been in Masterton since the Gasworks were first established. He remembered the difficulty there had been at the beginning. A private company had attempted to start gasworks here, but the people were alive to their own interests, and wanted them run as a Municipal concern. Then the Wellington Gas Company had unsuccessfully endeavoured to establish a branch here. Through efficient management the Masterton Gasworks had been a great success, in spite of people who believed in private enterprise. He went on to say that he would like to see the gas made from the coal procured in the State cojil mines. H2 contended that the coal mines in the colony should be exploited by the State and worked for the people. If it was possible to use the coal produced by the State, the Council by doing so would be helping the Stale in a great enterprise. The Minister of Mines had told him that gas could be made from State coal. This had been done in Napier and the gas in that town was among the finest produced in the colony.

Mr J. W. Blackmail, manager of the gasworks, said he could not but feel gratified at the reference made to the management of the gasworks. One thing he was satisfied about, and that was that the erection of the new holder was a step in the right direction. He felt sure that in eight or ten years the works would be up to what was called a 50,000,000 increase, that is, trebled. The amount of gas made during last month waa 50 per cent, greater than during the corresponding month last year. The contractors had carried out their contract faithfully in accordance with the specifications, which were perhaps a little "stiff." In reply to Mr Hogg, with reference to the manufacture of gas from State coal,|Mr Blackman said he had written to the State Coal Department, and they had told him that their coal would not make gas. He had tried some State coal, but it only made gas of a kind. It was not a paying coal for the manufacture of gas. He thought that Mr Hogg would find that the Napier Gas Cftmpany only used the State coal for selling purposes, and not for the manufacture of gas. Mr G. N. Lucas, of the firm of Messrs Lucas Bros., Ltd., thanked the speakers for their remarks with reference to the manner in which the contract had been carried out. The gathering then dispersed.