The New Zealand Electrical Syndicate, Limited. A. J. Suckling-Baron, M.I.E.E. (Managing Director and Electrical Engineer). Head Office, Old Broad Street, London, E.C., Office and works, Harris Street, Wellington; Public lighting station, Panama Street. Telephones: office, 540; engine room, 814; public lighting station, 258; manager, 476. P.O. Box: 137; Cable address. “Innocence” Bankers, National Bank of New Zealand. Private residence of Managing Director, Wellington Terrace. Electricity, and its application to the wants of everyday life, has long been regarded among the marvels of the century. The establishment of the telephone system some years ago, with all its advantages for the world of commerce and its conveniences for private and social intercourse, has been eclipsed by the application of the subtle forces of Nature as a motor, as a heater, and as a means of lighting the public thoroughfares, the halls and churches, the shops and offices, and the private houses of the citizens. These advantages enjoyed by the public of Wellington in this respect are due mainly, if not entirely, to the energy and enterprise of the New Zealand Electrical Syndicate, Limited. This Company first undertook to page 750 light the streets of the city by electricity, and for this purpose the City Council entered into a contract with the Syndicate. The electricity works of the Company, erected for public lighting purposes, are situated in Panama Street, next to the Government Life Insurance Offices. The building—a brick structure of one floor—contains three of Gilbert Gilkes' vortex turbines, each of fifty horse power, supplied with water from the Corporation water mains, at a pressure of 120lbs. to the square inch. These turbines—two of which are always in use—drive five large alternating current machines—three of which are used at once—and two exciting dynamos. The electrical energy thus generated lights upwards of six hundred and fifty incandescent lights of twenty candle power each, distributed over thirty-five miles of streets, and two are lamps of 2000 candle power each: one at Martin's Fountain, at the junction of Lambton Quay and Featherston Street, and the other at the Queen's Wharf Approach, opposite the Post Office. Owing to the increasing demand for water for domestic purposes, the Corporation has lately made a contract with the Electrical Syndicate, under which the Panama Street works are to be done away with, and also the use of water as motive power. The whole of the streets will therefore be lighted from the private lighting works, where steam is used as a motive power. The private electricity works, which were erected about two years ago, have met with success beyond the Syndicate's expectations, and extensive additions have become an imperative necessity. The buildings are situated on the reclaimed land, on one of the Corporation reserves, having a frontage of 80 feet to Harris Street, by a depth of 164 feet. The architects were Messrs. Clere and Richmond, and the contractors Messrs. Robert Carmichael and Sons. The buildings are of brick, one portion being two stories high, and the upper part of this is used as offices, the whole of the ground floor being occupied by the extensive machinery necessary for the requirements of supplying electrical energy for use in the city. The foundations for the great chimney stack are of the most substantial character, and to get a solid foundation it was necessary to construct a coffer dam to get in the concrete as a substructure. This is in one solid block of about 200 tons, and is brought up to the ground level, from whence the stack rises to a height of 102 feet. Upwards of 60,000 picked bricks were used in the construction of it, and its internal diameter is four feet nine inches on the bottom, gradually reducing to four feet on top. In the boiler room are four boilers constructed by Davey, Paxman and Co., of mild steel, treble-riveted, the plates being five-eights of an inch thick. They are of the marine type, and are hydraulic riveted. Each boiler is fitted with two circulating tubes, with patent strengthening and expansion joints, so as to offer the greatest possible resistance to collapse. All the rivets are out of the way of the fire, and are not subject to the scouring action of the flames. Each boiler is twelve feet six inches long and seven feet six inches in diameter, and contains seventy, three-inch tubes. There is a heating surface of 792 superficial feet to each, and they are provided with anti-priming pipes and injectors. They have been tested to a pressure of 280 pounds to the square inch, and are worked at 140 pounds. A feature for saving fuel is one of Green's economisers, which consists of an arrangement of twelve rows of twelve pipes, each four inches in diameter. The object of these is to conserve the heat which would otherwise pass up the chimney. At a convenient part of the boiler house is a bunker with a capacity of 120 tons of coal. The engines are six in number, four of them having cylinders of twelve and three-quarter inches and twenty inches in diameter, with twenty-four inch stroke, with automatic expansion of the most modern type. A condenser is attached to each. The flywheel of each engine is twelve feet page 751 in diameter, grooved for nine, one and a-half inch cotton ropes, in lieu of belts. These four engines are capable of supplying motive power for an average of 10,000 eight-candle lights. Two boilers are capable of driving three of the engines, so there is ample provision of surplus steam power. With a further view of economising the working expenses, the water for cooling the condensers is syphoned from the harbour in a ten-inch pipe connected with a centrifugal pump. When the condensed steam leaves the cylinders it is usually charged with a quantity of lubricating oil used in the cylinders; this is objectionable, and a row of tanks is arranged under the floor, with a view of getting rid of it before the hot water returns to the boilers. The smaller engine, of thirty-five horse power, has cylinders of seven and eleven and a-half inches in diameter, a speed of 155 revolutions per minute, and a six feet flywheel. Nearly all one side of the engine house is occupied by the switchboard, which is a very handsome piece of cabinetmaker's work, a number of ornamental native woods being tastefully worked in its construction. The whole of the appliances are so arranged that practically any combination of any alternator with any circuit may be effected. In the centre are two alternator tablets, on which are arranged fuses, double pole switches, ammeters for registering the current passing from each machine, and a voltmeter for each alternator. There are eight circuits going out of the station to distribute the electrical energy over the city, with one pair of wires to each, each pair having a separate tablet on the switchboard. By the insertion of a plug, any alternator may be connected with any circuit. All the switches and electrical connections are mounted on black enamelled slate. On the board are arranged sets of lightning arresters, which are connected with each lead going out of the works; so that, should any circuit be struck by lightning, it will enter the building and [unclear: go], by means of the arresters, to earth, and thus protect the alternators from damage. A new compound condensing vertical engine and alternating current machine—said to be the largest of its kind in Australasia—has recently been fitted up to meet the rapidly increasing demand for the electrical energy. The whole of the engines are capable of indicating 1100 horse power, and the alternating current machines capable of supplying electrical energy for 15,000 lamps of eight-candle-power each, the largest engine and alternator being capable of supplying 6000 lamps. - The electrical energy from these works is distributed by overhead cables to various warehouses, shops, factories, and private houses, and is used for a variety of purposes: for electric lighting, electric heating, and electric power. There are several electric motors in use in the city—one driving the machinery of a printing establishment, another that of the Government workshop, Lambton Quay, one at the Wellington Woollen Company's buildings, driving sewing machines, a cloth cutter, and an electric lift. In this latter building, electricity is also used for heating twenty-five large tailors' (or goose) irons, for ironing cloth. Mr. A. J. Suckling-Baron, Member of the Institute of Electrical Engineers, is the Managing Director, and both the plants for public and for private lighting have been erected under his supervision.