ii2 ELECTRICAL WORKING COSTS. 



with economy it was necessary to employ the standard voltage adopted for most town lighting, viz., 

 four hundred volts for the motors and two hundred volts for the lighting. 



The next question is the comparative cost of gas and electricity. The following are the records 

 of the three previous years when the house was supplied from its own gasworks : 



1902. 1903. i94- 



Coal . . . . 154 18 3 126 7 2 129 6 6 



Labour . . . . 65 19 2 65 13 2 66 4 o 



Sundries . . . . 15 7 n 8 16 5 ^9 



236 5 4 200 16 9 195 17 3 



Less gas and coke sole! *45 13 o n 10 o 17 5 9 



{190 12 4 189 6 9 178 ii 6 

 * Includes stock from previous year. 



After allowing for gas and coke sold, the cost of working the gas amounted to an average of 186 3s. 6d., 

 or about 5*. per thousand cubic feet, a fair average for private gasworks. The following data show the 

 cost of working the electric plant for two years : 



1908. 1909. 



Labour . . . . . . 98 6 8 K&amp;gt;I 16 10 



( &amp;lt;&amp;gt;al 5.5 6 3 55 5 I0 



Waste . . . . . . 10 o i 10 o 



Sundries . . . . . . (&amp;gt; 16 o 6 14 n 



Engine repairs . . 4 10 I 9 15 2 



103 9 o 175 2 9 



or an average of 169 5s. lo.UL, from which must be deducted 8 charged to one of the tenants, or a total 

 of it&amp;gt;r. A sum of about 20 per annum, however, must be credited to the gas account for work 

 previously done by gas, which has not been connected to the electric sen-ice, so the cost of electricity is 

 slightly greater. In the house, however, there is more than double the former amount of light. There 

 is no doubt that at the home farm and estate workshops the power has been used to a greater extent owing 

 to the convenience of being able to start any machine at a moment s notice. 



The above comparison will be improved as time goes on, for metal lamps are being perfected to 

 suit the high voltage used. The apparatus, owing to its simplicity, is handled by- one attendant. 

 Mr. Foster has noted that in addition to the improved state ot the atmosphere and other recognised 

 advantages, he is freed from the damage which was caused to hi^ books by gas. The house decoration, 

 instead of rapidly deteriorating as it did, is as fresh as when done some hve years ago. With a well- 

 designed installation, electricity now compares very favourably with gas in the working cost. If, 

 moreover, allowance be made for the increased life of decorations, the advantages to health, the increased 

 light and the usefulness of electricity in the house for driving labour-saving devices, it would seem 

 to be actually cheaper. BERNARD MEKVYX DRAKE. 



