NEW GASWORKS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10065, 10 June 1910, Page 5

NEW GASWORKS.

OFFICIAL OPENING YESTEJUDAY. i A GROWING INSTITUTION. SPEECH BY THE MAYOR. Ti, nral opening of the new Municip; situated Dear the Master ion Eaifway Station, took place yesterday afternoon, among these present being the Mayor, Mr J. *M. Coradine, the Councillors, the Town Clerk, Mr W. T. Mansfield, Mr J. W. Blackman, Gas Manager, and others. In spite of the adverse weather conditions there was a large attendance, including a number of ladies. ' SPEECH BY THE MAYOR. The Mayor said he was pleased to see so many present, more particularly as the weather conditions had proved so unfavourable. The attendance, moreover, showed that the public took a keen interest in the progress and welfare of the town. The establishing of new Gasworka | was an event that did not occur every day, and marked a most important ( step in the advancement of the municipality. Few people realised the magnitude of the Gasworks in the town, but they should not lose "sight of the fact that it was a huge business concern, with an invested capital of £28,000 of loan money alone, with at least another £IO,OOO spent from time to time out of revenue. GROWTH OF THE REVENUE. When the Gasworks were first started in Masterton, of course they did not anticipate that the growth of the town would have resulted in the present works being erected at such an early stage, but the fact was that the new departure meant a great saving to the community. In 1887, when Masterton first decided to establish Gasworks the first loan was for £IO,OOO. When he held the office of Mayor on a previous occasion thare was another loan of £2*ooo, later a further £4jooo wa3 up, and during his last term of office as* Mayor the amount was increased by a loan of £12,000, making a total of £28,000. Up to the present £IOOO had been paid off these loans, and tie annual payment of interest and sinking fund of £1,620 per annum would j wipe out the whole indebtedness in 32 years. GREAT PUBLIC ADVANTAGE. The time was now at hand when the public would get a very distinct and direct advantage from ths new municipal undertaking. It would no doubt surprise them to learn that the annual consumption of coal had now reached 2,500 tons, and with cartage at the rate of 23 to 3a per ton, they could readily see the great saving in this one item alone. In fact the saving would actually pay interest and sinking fund on £6,000 of the loan monies. There was also a certain amount of leakage that could not be avoided in carting and re-handling oE the raw material, but this wastage would ba almost entirely done away with, ,and consequently they would necessarily be able tj produce a larger percentage of gas. CHEAP GAS AND GOuD QUALITY. "Of all the municipal undertakings that the speaker visited whjie abroad last year, gasworks stood out preeminently as among the most successful. Taking this into considera tion it was not at all unreasonable anticipate that Ma3terton would also benefit from the advancement made with their works. The speaker considered that taking everything into consideration, Masterton gas than any town in New Zealand. The excellent quality of the gas, and the splendid way ths town was providedgWith.lighting, showed the direct advantage derived from having , efficient and up-to-date municipal gasworks. The Mayor and Councillors were really trustees for the paople, and the carrying out of ihe work in question was an example of what their responsibilities were, and how they fulfilled the trust reposed in them. SOME INTERESTING FIGURES. Jieferring to the progress made during recent years, the Mayor stated that four years ago the consumption of ga3 was 12,000,000 cubic feet for the year—to-day it had reached the magnificent total of 26,000,000 cubic feet, and he hoped they would increase the consumption at an equal rate during the next four years. Other figurea equally as interesting were those connected with the installation of gas meters, there being 697 four years ago, as against 1,045 at the present day. COST OF THcJ WORK, Regarding the cost of the present undertaking, the expenditure up to the present was about £II,OOO. The work was a credit to the architects, • Messrs Varnham and Rose, who had oarrtarf out the instructions of the Gas Manager, Mr J. : W. Blackman, in a most creditable and efficient manner. The speaker paid a high tribute to Mr Blackman's ability at* Manager of their GasworkSt and after all, the.success of public concerns depended greatly on managers, and m this respect he would like to say that he had every confidence in Mr Blackman as such.-The Gasworks hadmade rapid- strides during the past four years, and invariably the recommendations of the Gas Manager tag tarn-

Ed out a success. In conclusion tha Mayor reiterated his behtf that the new Gasworks would be of great benefit to the town, and he felt sure that this opinion was sharad by all those present. (Applause). AN ABSENT ENTHUSIAST. - The Mayor expressed regret at the absence of Cr J. Elliot, who ftas on a health recruiting t**lp Cr Elicit was the ciiai'min of the Ga3 Committee last year, curing/ <ha foi.struetion cf ths work<«,■ an I there was no doubt tii3t tiio successful completion of the works was in n great Measure di-e to the tact h\d business ability of that Conn illoiv (Applause). He then called upon Cr F. W, Temple to make a few remarks. Cr Temple, he stated, took a very keen and intelligent interest in (he Gasworks, and his advice throughout the new undertakings had been of great assistance to the. Council. A COMPARISON WITH PALMERSTON. Cr Temple expressed thanks for j the kind remarks of the Mayor. The Council ; was practically a businci« concern, and as trustees for the people they were there to carry out the trust to the best of their, ability. Four or five years ago the Council asKed him to take up the position of chairman of the Gasworks Committee, and all he could say was that he had endeavoured to do his best for the town. He would like to say with regard to the present works that the thanks of the town were due to ex-Councillor Haughey, (Hear, hear). He it was who first suggested that the works should be established near the railway station. As a mark of appreciation ha would call upon those present to give three hearty cheers for ex-Councillor Haughey. The request .was heartily complied with. Continuing, Cr Temple said the Mayor had beea giving them some information with re-; , gard to the price of gas. Only a few days ago, when he was on a visit to ; Palmerston Morth, he had made Force enquiries with regard to the price of gas there, and had ascertained Ihct they were paying 8a 4d per 1,000 par nett, which compared with-Master- / ton's price of 6s Bd, s;oke something for the management here. He losked forward to the time when tr.e profits from the gas would go towards ; assisting the general iate3. (hear» , h.avj ' . . LOCAL LABOUR 4ND MATER- : ■ ial. Mr Blackman expressed thanks for the kind remarks that had been made. He felt very pleased indeed to sea the interest that was being taken in the new works. He would like toymention with regard to the works that . he had endeavoured as far as possible to utilise local material, such as the bricks, cement and timber, retort, etc, as well as local labour. Some of the machinery, of course, Ird to be imported, but it was all erected by his own staff of men. He would like : to take the opportunity of expressing his thanks to the staff for the way they had' carried out their part of the work, and partic-'larly the' foreman, Mr E, J. O'Lea /. FUTURE PROSPECTS BRIGOT. As far as future prospects were concerned, Mr Blackman, with a tone ; of justifiable optimism, said, in conclusion, that he hoped the end of the next four years would see a consumption of 50 million cubic feet of :gas.y .f MAYORESS SETS MACHINERY IN MOTION. ; At the close of the speeches the Mayoress, Mrs Coradine, was called ; upon to set the machinery in motion, which she did by pulling a ribbon attached to the lever. This was the signal for enthusiastic cheers. Inscribed on the ribbou in gold letters were the words "Masterton's New Municipal Gasworks, June 9th,y 1910," the souvenir being handed to Mrs Coradine by Mr Blackman. INSPECTION AND CONCLUSION. At the conclusion of the ceremony, those present made an inspection of the works, when a practical demonstration of the charging of the retorts was watched with keen inteis ets. The Manager, explaining the various stages in connection with the process of gas making. Afternoon tea, under the capable supervision of Mr W. Wilkes, was then partaken of, and the gathering dispersed, much pleased with the interesting and instructive proceedings of the afternoon.