PRESIDEN'’S ADDRESS—SECTION H. ‘Tor 
and one of No. 3, and some of them seized. This had to be 
rectified before the loads could be put on again. 
I do not wish to introduce any contentious matter, but I 
think it is right to the contractors for the generators to point 
out that is a most unusual thing to put new engines right on to 
the maximum load, and I cannot help thinking that if these 
engines had been put at first to a light load, say, for some 
weeks, there would have been no trouble. Unfortunately I was 
laid up at this time with a bad attack of influenza, and could 
not look into matters personally and advise, but it was reported 
to me that the crank pins gave no trouble so long as the engines 
were not worked beyond ‘about 700 h.p., which, if true, is a 
significant fact. Three engines were available, and any two to- 
gether would far more than produce the power required to work 
the George-street tramway. 
Mr. Libbey, the E. P. Ellis Co.’s representative, engaged in 
erecting the machinery, altered the crank pin bearings of the 
two engines from brass stepped ones to white metal. “This did 
not, however, completely get rid of the evil, and investigation 
seemed to convince him that the pins were not quite square 
with the disc, and it became necessary to true them up. They 
were taken in hand, and by about the middle of November Nos. 
1 and 2 machines had been put through their specified tests. 
These consist of six hours’ running under working load of 1545 
amperes at 550 volts, one hour at 25 per cent. overload, a 
short time at 50 per cent. overload, the circuit breakers then 
being opened, reducing the current instantaneously to nil. 
The fly wheel of No. 4 engine was now turned, and that of 
No. 3 was taken in hand. 
The Railway Commissioners asking for more lengthened trials, 
these were taken in hand with Nos. | and 2 engines. 
When the engines were ready, and current could be led into’ 
the line, it was found that the feeder junction boxes in the 
streets were working unsatisfactorily. Of these the following 
is to be noted :— 
The system of feeders and feeder boxes was submitted in open 
tender by Messrs. Noyes Bros., acting for the Callender Cable 
and Construction Company Limited, and the particular system 
recommended by them—of Callender-Webber casing, with 
unarmoured cables, and cast-iron junction boxes—was specially 
discussed between Mr. J. O. Callender, Mr. Elwell, and myself, 
and selected by Mr. Elwell as probably the most efficient of any 
submitted. A contract was afterwards made, the company 
giving a five years’ monetary guarantee. The original feeder 
boxes proved unsatisfactory ; they passed the low voltage tests, 
but not those with the 550 volt current, and they appeared to be 
leaky. Several attempts were made to ir prove them, but with- 
out much success, and the hot bitumen used as a seal seemed to 
