ELECTRIC ENERGY FOR FARMS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10062, 9 August 1910, Page 4

ELECTRIC ENERGY FOR FARMS.

It is now about twenty years since electrical energy was developed at Niagara. The power derived from the first station was 30,000 horse power, but this wag afterwards . largely'increased, and other plants were constructed by other companies on the Canadian, as well as the American,' side of the Falls, The consequent rapid development and prosperity of the communities iifthe neighbourhood of the Falls encouraged the Canadians to attempt the distribution of the'ppwer over a large part of the) province, with the object i of making it share in the benefit of the cheap power 7t is proposed ultimately to extend the supply of electrical power to individual farms so that the farmei may plant his fields, pump his water, and do hiR general farm work by energy derived from the central stations, the object in this case being the minimising, as far as possible, of manual labour on the farm in localities where such labour is scarce and its cost prohibitive* In ' drawing up their scheme the Com- \ mission advised that the municipalities should not, in fairness to the Canadian companies which had al- , ready made their investment, erect a i municipal power plant at Niagara Falls, but should purchase the power from the companies already in existence there, if they would fuT"'°'i it at a reasonable price. Calculations were made and complete plans drawn up for the erection of a municipal power station, in oiJer that an estimate of the cost might be arrived at. When that estimate had been made the power companies reduced their price to a reasonable figure, thereby enabling the municipalities to buy their power from the existing plants. The municipalities were authorised to construct an electrical highway for the purpose of transmitting the current through the Province. Thus they will buy the power from the private, companies and deliver it within the boundaries of the municipalities, each municipality purchasing as much as it wants and utilising it in its own way. It ia to be noted, however, that the municipalities were advised, for reasons given in the Commission's report, not themselves to undertake the work of electric lighting and heating and tramways, but to leave this to private companies, the municipalities being able to control the rates charged by the private companies through their position as owners of the electric transmission lines. The cost of carrying out this great undertaking was met by an appropriation voted'by the Provincial Legislature, which issued bonds for this purpose. The charges to be made by the municipalities for the power ti be delivered over the lines are such as to provide for a heavy sinking fund. Ample allowance is made for the payment of interest and for , deprecation, and all the charges are to be defrayed and the bonds redeemed at the end of forty years.