t>.— lα,

34

TABLE II.— continued. Amount op Power in Use in the various Machinery Inspection Districts, and Hours Per Week worked — continued.

: I The above two i tables|give the*amounts|of power being used in October, 19O3.*l|As similar tables are not available for each year, exact increase in each year, the table below, compiled from the annual reports of the Chief Inspector of Machinery, gives some indication of the growth of steam plants in the colony during the past six years :—

TABLE III. Number of Steam-boilers in Use in New Zealand.

There has been a large increase last year in the number of steam plants. The increase in power is equal to about 18,700 effective horse-power in steam plants alone, and there has, probably, been an increase also under the heads of oil, gas, and water motors. Table II. shows 51,465-horse power working 144 hours per week, and 112,247-horse power working forty-eight hours per week. Dividing the last year's increase proportionately between the full-time working and eight hours a day, and taking the locomotives at 50,000-horse power for eight hours a day for the total amount of power now in use (250,000-horse power approximately), the mean number of hours per day now worked would appear to be about llf. This is the average for the colony. The mean time for the various districts would each differ from this. From this result the cases given above of installations of plant sufficient to utilise the whole of the water in any scheme when working full power for twelve hours each day, would appear to about meet present New Zealand conditions. The mean time per day got above for the working of the existing plant of the colony is, however, only approximate, as some of the plants returned as working 144 hours, actually work 168, while others may not work full power all the 144 hours. It is impossible to get an exact time without an immense amount of labour. The estimated amount of hydraulic power, on the information now available, stands at 500,000 b.h.p. for the North Island, and 3,200,000 b.h.p. for the South Island—a total for the colony of 3,700,000 b.h.p. continuous working —about thirty times the amount of power now used for tractive and industrial purposes. Supposing all the schemes to be developed to work continuously, the cost may tentatively be put at £115,000,000 for the 3,700,000 b.h.p., and if developed to work full power for twelve hours a day, the cost may similarly be put at £220,000,000. These figures are intended to cover some extra plant, cost of transmission to towns, but not cost of net works of distribution in towns or motors, or other necessary machinery in factories.

l__ Hours pec week. Steam. Gas. Water. Totals. Grand Totals. Marlborough ..: 144 48 H.p. 75 2,100 H.p. 125 H.p. 315 H.p. H.p. 75 2,540 2,615 Westland Canterbury 144 48 144 48 2,838 3,832 2,545 9,435 77 119 212 1,073 r I ! ! 32 258 311 2,947 4,209 7,156 2,757 10,819 1O R7C Timaru 144 48 1,145 2,340 i 6 194 t 89 1,151 2,623 3,774 Otago Southland 144 48 144 48 8,077 17,310 5,575 8,230 i i 30 1,023 "226 ) ! 1,301 129 8,107 19,634 27,741 5,575 8,585 14,160 180,588

Size. Under 5-horse power 5 to 10-horse power Over 10-horse power 1899. No. ... j 1900. No. 907 496 909 1901. No. 890 490 1,004 1902. No. 981 595 1,194 1903. No. 995 634 1,237 1904. No. 1,144 855 1,448 Totals ... ... 2,285 2,312 2,384 2,384 2,770 2,770 2,866 2,866 3,447 3,447