MR PRINCE'S LECTURE.

Inangahua Times, Volume XI, Issue 1789, 1 December 1886, Page 2

MR PRINCE'S LECTURE.

* At Mr Prince's lecture on Saturday evening, full and lucid particu'ars were given as to the method and system of the storage of electricity, an achieve- ; ment winch therefore makes a town lighting independent for a certain time, of the starting or stopping of the engine or water-motor generating the electricity. Mr Prince then went on to say that the general public always seemed to jump to the conclusion that the electric light was very mnoh more expensive than any other light. But this was wrong altogether, for electric light was infinitely cheaper than any light when water costing nothing is ' used to generate the electricity, and further, the light is not tnore expensive than gas at 8/9 per 1000 cubic fret, j even when coal has to be nought and wages paid to stoke, the boilers, pro- ■ viding the light ic on a considerable j ! scale such asatPaddington, in London, { where 80,000 lamps are maintained from one source of steam-power. When electric light was installed on a small scale, and under isolated circnm- : stances, for which, perhaps, a supply of coal and a stoker had to be provided for lighting one house, the light was, of course, more expensive than gas burners, or kerosene or candles, because these latter kinds of light form a portion of a large and universal supply. Put the electric light from water power on the same basis, that is, give it the . same extended and universal use, and it is by far the cheapest light the world has ever used, the sun alone being exempted. Mr Prince said that several persons in Reefton were anxious to form a ligMimr company, andhesaid if they would give him an idea of how many lamps would be needed he would be able to tell them on what basis iho company coald be formed, and he would do his best to assist, it both financially and practically. He might say, however, that if the company charged £2 per lamp per annum the light would be very cheap, because the average year's lighting was 5 hours p>r night, $i£ on that average the charge of £2 per annum, mea?it a price, equal to gas at 3/4 per 1000 onbic fe«t, a price not possible in any other town in the colony. He said the company ought to try and get 500 lamps sub scribed for, and then that meant 15 to 20 per cent dividend, full allowance being made for attention, depreciation, and incidental expensea He said Reefton was specially adapted for electric light, inasmuch as it had no gas works, while, while all its kerosene and candles came a very long and expensive overland journey, while it had hundreds of horse-power in its mirlgt which could give it a letter, purer, safer, more healthy, and much cheaper light. But said Mr Prince, the general public often look at the qnestion of electric lighting with far too narrow and restricted views, for they leave out of the question of the other advantage* of the light, apan from cheapness, Supposing the electric j light ie the uiiut prise a» ustftl

lighting, it has superabundant arguments in favor of its adoption over other systems, among which may be mentioned the fact that while every other light exists by combustion, ind therefore contributes from 3 to 10 times more carbonic acid gas than does an adult human being, electric light burns in a vacuum and therefore do**? not affect the air. All other lights also rob the air of oxygen, in addition to giving it the very same poisonous gas which we breathe ont of our bodies. There is farther an absolute immunity of danger from fire from the light itself, as is exemplified by the English W»r Office having the Woolwich powder magazines lighted by electricity, so that night work, which had never before been allowed, was now carried on with absolute safety. Then, there is the extreme ease of manipulation as compared with any other light ; simply the turning of a switch similar to an ordinary gas tap, in order to light the lamp, and the same act in the opposite direc ion to extinguish it — no matches or fire of any kind needed, and every lamp controllable in the most simple and easy way. So, then, electric light contributes nothing to the atmosphere, and absorbs nothing from it ; is perfectly safe, both as to fire and bodily injury ; is more easy to control and manipulate than other light, and. above all. pprhajw, ife cheaper than oth««r light where water is used and costs nothing. Then as to transmission of power by electricity. Mr Prince said that the great aim of mankind had always been since the advent of steam, to Sud an economical means of subdivision of power. In other words, to find means by which instead of having a 500 horse power engine in one place, the power of that engine could be sub-divided and transmi ted in all directions, and for all reasonable distances, to the users of power in the form of 500 motors of 1 horse-power each, or 10 motors nf 50 horse-power each, or 2of 50 and 100 of 4 horsepower each, &c. In fact, to distribute the motors just as gas burners are distributed, but to much greater distances. By providing themselves with additional water-power, the suggested company could arrange.for the transmission and suV»-divißion of power in the same manner as they would supply lighting, and with no annual expense to themselves, beyond a little oil and waste for extra machinery, inasmuch as the staff which attended to the lighting would also be able to attend to tho power transmission, for one man could attend to a 100 horse water-motor as easily as a 10 horse power one. If tho company supplied 10 horsepower each to say half a dozen mining companies in various direcI tions, they would be transmitting 60 | horse-power, and if they charged £20 per horse-power per annum for 24 hours per day working, they would have an income of £1200 a year with comparatively no more annual expense to themselves. And as regards the price, he had been told on competent authority that L2O per annum meant only 9d per ton, if the power was used for quartz crushing, and the stampers put through the usual number of tons, and he wns quite sure 9d per ton was infinitely cneaper than quartz could be crushed by any other means than •by cheap and direct water-power. But as : many mining companies were not fur- ; nished with water-power, electrical transi mission of power meant greatly reduced ; expenses, if not in some cases absolute financial salvation.