Water Gas for Waimate.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 158, 28 January 1902, Page 3

Water Gas for Waimate.

Mr J. Watt, water gas engineer, waited on the Council with reference to his proposal to instal water gas in the Borough of Waimate. His Worship said the Gas Committee met and drew up an agreement which was forwarded to Mr Watt. Shortly after it was rumoured tbas tho gas was of a poisonous nature and all negotiations were suspended, ' The agreement was returned by Mr Watt with' certain alterations, but no explanations accompanied it. Dr Mason had been,written to re the poisonous nature of the gas. He had replied that when made in the ordinary way -water gas had no smell and was poisonous, but some systems had remedied this defect. Mr Watt had replied that his gas was the purest in the colony and was not injurious to either animal or plant life. He enclosed two analyses showing the gas to be nonpoisonous. The agreement with the corrections wanted by Mr Watt was read. He Objected to being asked to find a bond of £IOOO. Mr Watt was asked to address the meeting. Ha-said no gas company did more than bring the pipes to the foot of the lamp post and the council paid the up pipe and the burner and that was what his pompan p proposed to do. As to the £IOOO bond, he did not see what the bond was foreseeing that they would bo carrying out their own work. If any question of damages arose the council had the works to proceed against,, His Worship explained that a bond was required by the Municipal Corporations Act by all contractors'. ’

Mr Watt held that his contract with the Borough Council was a very small one, that of the * street lighting atid lighting the council

chambers. It was surely an easy matter to sue a company with works valued at £6OOO. However, he would be willing to find a fidelity bond for £IOOO. As regards Dr. Mason’s remarks on the question of the poisonous nature of the gas, he was surprised at the ignorance displayed. Dr. Mason was about 48 years behind the times. His gas was non-poisonous and had a smell of its own. He had tried to poison a rabbit with his gas about three hundred times, and the animal grew at last quite fond of the gas. The gas would explode, but it had the smallest range o| danger of any gas known. As regards the fittings of the street lamps, Or. Colt man thought the cotlncil should pay for these and Or. Barclay agreed with this. The council agreed to do this, and after a conversational discussion it was decided, on the motion of Os. OoUman and Barclay, to finally accept Mi Watt’s offer to inatal the gas under the agreement as amended. The Mayor and Crs. Niool and Coltinan were appointed to sign, the agreement on behalf of the corporation. A claus rti was added to the agreement that should the gas at any time be found poisonous the agreement would be determined.

Mr Watt thanked the council, and said the town would never regret it. Ha anticipated that he would have gas works going in May.