PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 15 
direct current, 600 volt compound railway generator. Sub- 
sequently the Western suburban lines were converted to 
electric traction in the following order, viz., Dulwich Hill, 
Cook’s River, Glebe and Leichhardt. 
With the conversion of the Balmain line on August 9th, 
1902, the new high tension three-phase plant was put into 
regular operation. This plant consists of three 1,500 
kilowatt, 6,600 volt, 25 cycle General Hlectric Company’s 
three-phase alternators, direct driven by vertical compound 
Allis engines with 32 inch and 64 inch cylinders, and 60 
inch stroke at 75 revolutions per minute, and thirty-two 
Babcock and Wilcox water tube boilers with automatic 
chain grate stokers. Current is distributed from the power 
house by means of duplicate underground paper-insulated 
and lead-covered cables to each of the five substations 
located respectively in the City, Newtown, Waverley, 
Randwick, and North Sydney. Hach substation is equipped 
with two 450 kilowatt rotary converters, six 175 kilowatt 
static transformers and two 500 ampere hour storage 
batteries, with the necessary switching gear and boosters. 
From the substations the over head line is supplied at 600 
volts. The total length of single track of tramways at 
present operated is about 160 miles, of which about five 
miles are still operated by cable and twenty-five by steam, 
the remainder being on the overhead electric system. It 
is proposed to eventually work the whole system electri- 
cally, and the work of conversion is still in progress. It 
may be added that about 400 cars are now in daily service, 
requiring a maximum output of 6,000 k.w. from the power 
house. 
In addition to supplying power for the large tramway 
services, power is also supplied from Ultimo for lighting 
_ 300 arc and 6,000 incandescent lamps in the railway yards 
and stations, also for supplying power for forty-five small 
