The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1909. MUNICIPAL LIGHTING.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2642, 26 October 1909, Page 4

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1909. MUNICIPAL LIGHTING.

At the present time when the minds of our City Fathers are being directed towards the more effective lighting of Gisborne it maj' be instructive to turn to the experience of a town which has settled the same problem to its entire satisfaction. The little town of Waipukurau, in Hawke’s Bay, has never enjoyed the luxury of having a company supply light by means of coal gas, but some twelve months ago' arrangements were made to light the town with petrol gas. The Twentieth Century Company put in a plant and burners and after a month’s trial the Board took over .the plant. The advent of the winter months, however, brought trouble and in consequence the Chairman of the Mr W. A. Chambers, devised a new burner which is now being put in with all new connections. The merits of this new burner were so great that a saving to users of the gas amounting to 40 per cent, was effected. But the advance did not stop here. The system of gas production by means of the original carburretters was found to be faulty and inadequate, as in cold weather it was almost impossible to supply the town. Mr Chambers and his business partner set to work to surmount this difficulty, and ultimately an entirely new method of gas production was evolved. By this new system the capacity of the plant was .increased tenfold, and the quality of the gas was much improved. This system has been patented, and a plant has been installed by the inventors, who have lent it to the town for a period of twelve months, after which it is their intention -to present it as a free gift to the Board. At this stage we can, with advantage, quote the “Waipukurau Press” which has the following:— The cost of production by this new invention is so small that a considerable reduction in the price of gas is* sure to come as the consumption increases. The cost of the petrol, out of which the gas is made, is, at side, not more than Is 9a per gallon, winch is estimated to produce 1150 cubic feet. As twenty minutes a day is ample to produce sufficient gas to meet the present town requirements, it is evident that the' same labor can easily produce ten times the amount of gas, with an additional expenditure of only the cost of the petrol, the interest being the same on whatever the amount offgas produced. This new gas has another great advantage over others—it is perfectly safe. There is no danger of explosions. If the gas taps were left on and the building filled with gas it could not ho exploded. It may also be inhaled to any extent without injury. During July, with 38 connections, the Town Board derived sufficient revenue from the gas to pay all expenses including interest, and there remained a profit of 10s 4d. We have interviewed a few of the larger consumers, and in every case great satisfaction was expressed in regard to the illuminating power of the gas, and the saving effected by the new burner. We have little space,for these testimonials, hut will quote one from a draper who had formerly been in business in Napier: I think the new gas is a long way better than coal gas. The light seems to me to carry, a great deal farther than coal gas. The cost ol one of these lights from the new burner is very little more than that of the kerosene lamp. The safety, of course, is far greater. I believe it ' will displace coal gas, and be adopted throughout the Dominion, especially as it can be produced at so low a price. I don’t see how it can he otherwise. It is a great invention. The Manager of this petrol gasworks says:— I think that in time it will puti, coal gas out altogether. It only requires to become'known. It is much cheaper than coal gas, and there is no danger to the consumer. It is also hotter than coal gas, and therefore is much better adapted for heating and cooking purposes. , Still further, it is absolutely safe; no explosions are possible; and it is healthier than coal gas—in fact, if you left the burners on all night it would be more beneficial than otherwise. If we used coal gas it would be necessary in a little while to erect' another gasometer, at a cost of £6OO or £700; but with gas from petrol we can get on very well as we are for the next 20 years. In reply to a direct inquiry forwarded by us the proprietors of the “Waipukurau Press” wrote as follows: There has not been any coal gas in this town before, but ave have no hesitation in saying .that if. there was a coal gas company here running in opposition to the Town supply that tliev could not live. We have had experience of both electricity ana coal gas in our homes, and for night work there is no comparison' in the quality of the different lights, the Dreadnought being so soft and yet lighting every corner of the room. The same qualities make it an ideal .light for the streets, and we consider this the best- lighted town that we have seen. The lown Board- charge 5s per 1000 net. and as the only costs something like Is ou per 1000 to produce, there is a large margin of profit,' which,, in the niture,

can go to the reduction of the rates, or they can reduce the price of the gas. It seems to us that we get ai much light from 1000 ft of this gas as we did for 1000 ft of coal gas, and even the quality of the il'.uminant ,is more certain than our experience of coal gas has been. If your borough went in for this gas we have no doubt, from the experience of the Town Board here, that the gas might be sold for , something like 3s 6d per 1000 ft, as w© understand that the making of the gas •is a small matter—some twenty minutes being all the time required to make the amount requisite for the day’s consumption, one machine being capable of turning out 20,000 ft per hour. We think ourselves that thni light will put coal gas out of the market in time, both from its beauty and cheapness. The foregoing suggests forcibly that coal gas and electricity arc not necessarily the last words to be said on the question of municipal lighting. If the tjown of Waipukurau, with its one thousand inhabitants, can obtain a light that satisfies the people at a cost to the consumers cf 50 per cent, less than we in Gisborne pay, there is surely ground for careful investigation.