Pahiatua Municipal Electric Scheme.

Progress, Volume XV, Issue 11, 1 July 1920, Page 833

Pahiatua Municipal Electric Scheme.

Many perplexing difficulties have been encountered by the municipal authorities in Pahiatua (a picturesque and thriving borough with a population of between 1300 and 1400) in the carrying out of their electric light and power scheme. Its successful completion marks a very important forward step in the History of the district. Before finally proceeding with it, the Council obtained much information and data from other towns where electricity is in vogue. In addition, ,the Mayor (Mr. J. D. Crewe), and members of the Council consulted experts and made personal inspection of plants in various boroughs. Contracts were in due course let, but the subsequent war, of course, greatly interfered with the progress of the scheme and considerable difficulty was experienced in obtaining material, to say nothing of the vastly increased cost of the latter. At the outset, Mr. J. H. Ryder, Manager of the British General Electric Co., Ltd., Wellington, was specially commissioned ,by the Council to submit a detailed report on an electrical scheme for the Borough. Some time later the services of Mr. G. Lauchlan, Consulting Engineer, Wellington, were engaged, but that gentleman subsequently resigned the appointment. The Council then invited applications for the position of engineer, and from among several applicants the late Mr E. J. Penn, A.M.I.E.E. of Auckland, was selected. The work of erecting the power house was done by day labour by ,the Council's employees under the supervision of the Borough overseer (Mr R. Parker), considerably under the estimated cost, and £6O under the estimate of the Consulting-Engineer, the late Mr Penn.

The Council put aside out of the original loan a sum of £875 to assist in installing the light, and the Mayor stated that for £3 down and a regular monthly instalment, any citizen could get the light put in up to £ls in value.

The Mayor mentioned the comparative prices of gas and electricity. Electric light was 9d. per unit, and that unit was equal to gas at 7s. 6d. per 1000 feet. With regard to installation materials, Mr. Parry, the Chief Government Electrical Engineer, had informed him some years ago that it was not likely that there would be any drop in the price for at least five years.

At the official opening, attended by representative citizens, the current was switched on by the Mayoress