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BRIDGEND COUNTY COURT.

Church Fete at Glanogwr.

DEATH OF MR. R. L. BASSETT.

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Flower Show at Newcastle.

NANTYMOEL.

Caradoc Vale Disaster.

Presentation to Mr. W. Rees.…

WEDNESDAY'S CRICKET.

LLANHARRAN.

SOUTH WALES POWER Co.

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

SOUTH WALES POWER Co. IMPORTANT MEETING. DEBENTURE HOLDERS AND CON- SUMERS. A circular, signed by Messrs. Stanley Boulter, George Collis, A. M. Grenfell, R. P. Sing, and R. Fleming, members of the deben- ture stockholders committee of the South Wales Electrical Power Distribution Com- pany, called a meeting of the principal con- sumers of electrical power in South Wales for Wednesday last. This meeting (said the cir- cular) has been called to discuss with con- sumers the position of the company. The committee feel that it will not be possible to raise any further funds as authorised in the Bill now before Parliament unless the con- sumers in South Wales are prepared at once to enter into agreements to take such addi- tional power as will justify the raising of further capital. Should the necessary sup- port be forthcoming the committee would be prepared to advise their friends to find the capital necessary to place the company on a sound working basis. Mr. vharles H. Merz, who has already visited the district, will ex- plain to the meeting his views as to the pre- sent position and prospects of the undertak- ing. The meeting was held at the Park Hotel, Cardiff, on Wednesday, Mr. Robert Fleming, of London, presiding. He was supported by the following other members of the deben- ture-holders' committee: -Messrs. Stanley Boulter, A. M. Greenfell, Roger P. Sing. and George Collis, with the secretary (Mr. W. K. Whigham). Mr. Charles H. Merz. of New- castle-upon-Tyne and London, and Mr. W. A. Chamen, engineer of the company, were in attendance. The Chairman said it was no use reverting to the past, which had been most unfortun- ate, and he dared say the consumers were as indignant as the debenture and share- holders. Two or three months ago, for the first time, they were made aware of the pre- carious position of the company. They had conferences, and they immediately engaged the best engineering talent they could com- mand to come down and look the situation over, and they came to the conclusion that the concern was worth saving. Their next consideration was as to how it could be saved, from a purely financial point of view. They looked at the Bill promoted in Parlia- ment for increasing the capital of the com- pany, and they found it would not cover the ground. The Bill was radically changed, and had passed both Houses of Parliament. It was now only waiting the Royal Assent, and under this Bill they had power to issue securities that would enable them to do what they wanted—raise money enough to put the plant in first-class condition; in fact, to make an entirely new plant which would make power on most economical terms, and be reliable in every respect. The next ques- tion was. Could they get the money to do it ? They had come to .1 the conclusion that they could raise the money with "proper co-opera- tion and help on the part of the consumers, and that a first-class plant on which they could all rely could be placed in this dis- trict. Mr. C. H. Merz said he did not think there was any question at all that this district could be supplied with power much more cheaply from a central plant, from a compre- hensive system for the whole district than by individual plants installed by the different collieries. Speaking from a minute know- ledge of what was necessary to secure the greatest economy in power production, he did not know of any district in the kingdom where there would be more advantage from carrying out the scheme in a comprehensive way. They could go through any item or numerous items which made up the cost of power and find what a tremendous saving there was by centralisation. Let them take the capital cost. They could buy a 15,000 horse-power turbine for a third of the price per horsepower they had to pay for a 500 horse-power. What was the use of buying a lot of 500 horse-power turbines, or turbines of that order ? No doubt the cost of supply had come up before them in some detail in connection with the present scheme, but he would like to point out that the people who originated the old scheme made a great mis- take in the way they put thiners "before the consumers. He was a great believer in cen- tralisation. For that reason he was a dis- believer in doing the thing partially. The thing ought in the first place to have been put before the consumers in such a form that it would have paid them to use power for all purposes. It seemed absurd to him that they should have a hauling engine at a col- liery and displace it by a motor, and not drive their pumps or even their fans from the same source. It was the pumps and fans that consumed the coal, and the power was there to save the coal. What was the use of trying to run a power scheme by getting all the machines which did not consume coal and running them from A central spot and leaving all the pumps and machines, which were running continuously, to be dealt with on the spot ? Those were the very things which should be dealt with from a central source. Somehow or other this arose in con- nection with the starting of this business. The result was that they had not been given terms which would have paid them. From his knowledge of what had been done, the power was used chiefly for intermittent work, and the price they paid-three farthings per unit-put in that form would not be remu- nerative to, the company. What was re- quired was a form of tariff or sliding scale which would enable any colliery and any power consumer to run any class of machine with economy. He was satisfied that if they discussed the matter frankly and in the pro- per spirit, it was possible to arrive at a form of tariff or sliding scale that they could put on any motor for any purpose with the full assurance that it would pay them to do so. Mr. Chamen said that many present knew he had been speaking for some months on this question of a sliding scale. Several col- liery owners had come to him and said that they could not put their pumps and fans on to the company's supply at three farthings per unit. They had put on their haulages and saved considerably, but that had been unremunerative to the company. The col- liery companies having this flat rate before them had sought about to find the things which paid them best. No concern could make a living by supplying haulage at three farthings per unit. If they put in their own generating plant they at once proceeded to convert everything to electric driving. They put on their fans and pumps and everything else, and in that way they gave to themselves what was denied to the company, viz., a good load factor, and were comparing things which were not equal. He hoped some of the gen- tlemen present would state what they were, I prepared to do in the way of entering into binding contracts at a minimum price. That was the most businesslike way of dealing with the matter. Mr. Boulter said if the colliery owners in South Wales thought that the power scheme was likely to be of service to them in the future, if they were prepared to show that feeling by giving it active and definite sup- port, they (the debenture holders) would as- sist the colliery owers to find the £500,000, in order to put this concern on a sound finan- cial basis. Mr. Henry Lewis asked what the minimum cost to supply the current. Mr. Merz said if one was able to go round individual works and discuss the things in detail with each consumer it would be pos- sible to give that consumer a price in any form he liked it, either in a lump sum or so much per horsepower, or so much per unit. But he had got to give the prices which would, be applicable to any purpose—to a hauling engine or a winding engine, or a pump run- ning night and day. The only way to ar- rive at such a price was by stating it as a dead rent per annum and a price per unit. He had worked this out very carefully, and the tariff on the universal operation of which the gentlemen present would be prepared to find this capital upon was a rental of £1 per horsepower, demanded per quarter plus a unit charge. Sir W. T. Lewis: That is R4 per annum. Mr. Merz Yes, plus the unit charge. That rental of Bl per quarter was on the basis, not of the horse-power installed in the works, but on the horse-power demanded from the sys- tem. Supposing a consumer had two 100 horse-power motors. If he did not run these together, or if they had not their full load, he would not pay on the 200 horse-power. He would only pay on the load taken from the system. Jf they had in a colliery 20 or 30 motors installed—which they should have if they adopted electricity universally—all those did not make a demand upon the sys- tem together. Therefore, the demand they would have to pay upon would vary from 25 to 60 per cent. of the horse-power they had installed in their works. Certain prices had been put before them upon the horse-power installed in their works, but what he placed before them was a different matter. The unit charge in addition to that rental would be id. per unit. That was a very different matter from any prices put before them hitherto. In stating those terms he was asked to say that. with a view to arriving at a rapid conclusion, the committee had put these prices as the lowest they could enter- tain, and they must be based upon a sufficient amount of horse-power being guaranteed, and upon long-term contracts. This tariff was a favourable one compared with any tariff in vogue in the United Kingdom. It would not be possible in many districts, but the South Wales district was particularly favourable to power distribution. If the scheme was car- ried out they proposed putting cables over the whole of the district, so that any colliery could get a supply at a week or a month's notice. Replying to Mr. Vivian Rees, Ferndale, Mr Merz said that, first of all, with regard to reliability, it was possible now, hf the devel- opments which had taken place in the last five years, to provide a system which would be absolutely reliable. Sir William Thomas Lewis said he did not propose to offer any opinion upon the terms, as he was not an expert in electricity, but he supported the suggestion that they should be advised by some expert in the interest of the colliery owners. It was a very complicated question. In his (Sir William's) opinion it would be very lamentable in the interests of the colliery owners if this company failed al- together. Even assuming that a large num- ber of manufacturers or colliery owners had their own supply, he thought it would be an enormous advantage to them to have the chance of falling back upon a general supply of this kind in case of accident or strike, or anything that might affect the colliery at any time. Sir William Thomas Lewis then proposed the following resolution That a committee of consumers, with power to add to their number, be appointed to confer with the De- benture Holders' Committee with a view to a guarantee being forthcoming for taking a minimum of power at prices satisfactory to them, should the necessary capital be forth- coming, to place the power company upon a sound commercial basis." Mr. Henry Lewis seconded. The resolution was put and carried unani- mously.

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TONDU FRIENDLY SOCIETIES'…

IWE ARE INFORMED.

THE CAERAU OUTRAGE.