No_6_1955 — Page 62

At the second Annual Meeting this pes- simism was voiced by a Shareholder who appeared to think that the "Lighting" field of the Company's activities was

very limited.

He said:

I

"May I ask if the directors intend to extend the operation of the Electric Company's business to the repairing of electric lighting apparatus on board ships? There is, I think, a very great field for that. I certainly think the Company should undertake the repair- ing of the electric machinery on board ships which come into this harbour. know something about lighting and I think the Company will find a point at some future time beyond which they cannot expect to increase their busi- ness but very gradually, and I there- fore think they should look out for some other opening for business which will increase year by year."'

In the following year it was decided that in order to increase the installation of lighting into shops particularly, it was necessary to engage a Chinese canvasser. This was accordingly done and a man was engaged for the sum of $25 per month plus 5% on

This new business. engagement did not prove too successful and the terms of employment were later varied by reducing the salary to $ro per month plus 10% on new business. After a trial of one year the increase in busi- ness did not warrant the retention of the canvasser and he was given notice.

Subsequent developments led rapidly to increased demands оп the generating capacity of the Undertaking. The origin- al site of the Power Station was at the

top of Wing Fung Street in Wanchai, and the Station consisted of 2-25 K.W. Steam

sets.

jecture on what might have happened had the offer been made in 1892.

Additions to the plant were made in 1898 and 1900 and in the latter year we find on record the now familiar words "the new engine and boiler were not de

By 1912 the livered in time".

plant

With the end of the strike and

was

Company had a very bright future and tained. certainly would not consider any offer on the return of normal conditions, there was One could, however, con- an extensive increase in the load. The a sale basis.

installation of new plant had kept pace with this increase but in 1927 it was found that the station Building capacity used to the limit and extensions must be made to the Turbine and Boiler House Up to this time boilers were operating at 200 lbs./sq. in. pressure and temperature of 570 F. but when the second exten- had been increased to 525 K.W.

sion in the new building was planned it As Diesels were coming into their own was decided to raise the steam pressure at the Company placed orders for 3 x 175 the Turbine stop valve to 400 lb./sq. in. K.W. sets followed by 4 x 375 KW with a final temperature of 750° F. sets, the largest sets to be manufactured at that time. Three years later the plant was found to be insufficient to meet the demands and frequent mechanic- al breakdowns were occurring.

was

of

It was at this time that the then Dir- ectors realised that the site of the Gen- erating Station in Wanchai

too small and although it would permit extension to cope with a load 50% nore than was then carried, the area was not sufficiently big to site machinery for the envisaged load.

The next 10 years is a story of gra- dual increase of load and additional use which became being made of appliances available on the local markets.

The demands for electricity grew steadily until by 1941 the Station had a generating capacity of 54,000 K.W. and a maximum recorded load of 20,300 K.W.

sales There was a slight recession on in the middle thirties but this was more than made up in the following years. In 1938 an extension encompassing a 15,000 K.W. Turbine and a further 125.000 lb./ hr. Stirling Boiler was made and it was

The Directors then attempted to pur- chase 120,000 sq. ft. of ground at East Point but negotiations broke down when the owners were asking $1.70 per sq ft. with the Company offering $1.00. Four months later the Directors approached Government with a view to purchasing a

reclamation lot beyond the Club site at North Point, and in Septem- Japanese occupation of the Colony took ber of 1914, 125,000 sq. ft.

place and all the staff of the Company were pur- chased for $37.500; reclamation to start were interned until August of 1945. as Soon as possible. In the following

The Undertaking was taken over

intended that a further generating set and boiler should be installed in 1940. Due, however, to the very unsettled con- ditions prevailing, it was thought wiser to defer this extension, which ultimately

a wise course, for in 1941 proved old Yacht

the

by

ог

year Charles Bernard Brown of Messrs. the Japanese forces in 1941, who in course Linstead and Davis was appointed Audi of time found that the plant could not tor of the Company and that firm to-

be used with wood fuel, and as coal was gether with their successors Peat, Mar- not available they dismantled some of the By the end of 1891 the site had been wick, Mitchell & Co., have been the Au-

and boilers machinery

and shipped extended eastwards for some distance

ditors up to the present time,

moved them elsewhere. The new Taikoo and a tank holding 140,000 gallons of

In May of 1916 the residents of Aber- Dockyard feeder was lifted and relaid as water was erected, not only to save coal deen and Aplichau asked for tenders for a cross harbour cable in order to utilize by condensing the steam from the en- gines but also because of the great dif- tricts and in order to forestall the erec-

a supply of electricity to the two dis- the plant of the China Light and Power Company, Limited, which had been ad- ficulty in procuring water for the boilers tion of generating plant in the villages, apted for wood fuel. Much damage was owing to the prevailing drought. It

It is the Directors decided

done also to the distribution system; the interesting to note that the North Point lines from Mt. Kellet down to the vil- important ring inain system was broken Station now

uses upwards of 50,000 gal lages although it was not expected that and tampered with in order to give pre- lons of sea water a minute for condensing

ferential treatment in supply, cables to purposes alone.

exposed were cut, ends left and many parts of the cable system re- moved completely.

The next four years passed with gra- dual increase in income and on the 20th June 1896 the first dividend of 5% was declared on 30,000 shares ($8 paid up) together with the first Directors' Fees of $2,000.

in-

to run overhead

the income would cover the capital costs. Four years elapsed before the supply be- came a paying proposition.

re-

Work clamation of the land at North Point and

proceeded steadily on the

the Boiler House and Turbine Room were erected thereon and commenced oper- ation in 1919. It was decided at this It would seem that the local Gas Com- time to change the Company's transmis pany were rather alarmed with the roads of electricity into the lighting field and they advertised in the local news- papers that they were contemplating the possibility of undertaking electrical busi- ness and also proposed to take sary powers to undertake such business and buy up existing concerns. By this time, however, The Hongkong Electric Company was firmly established and อน a dividend-paying basis, and it appears obvious that the Directors considered the

sion system, bringing it into line with British practice, to 6,600 volts, 3 phase, 50 cycles. Both the North Point Generat-

Station ing

and the original Wanchai Power Station were then in operation and it was not until 1922 that the latter sta- neces-

tion ceased to generate current.

HISTORY 1925-1941

consumers

RECONSTRUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

After the release of the staff from in- ternment in 1945 the engineers were not only faced with the results of this gross neglect, but also with damage which had resulted from air attacks, and from loot- ing which took place on a serious scale in 1945- Approximately 19,000 K.W. of Plant was however still available, but in

was that

very poor condition; 20,000 K.W. SO badly damaged mechanically some eighteen months elapsed before it could be brought back into commission. The remaining 15,000 K.W. of plant was The year 1925 brought the big strike either so badly damaged as to be un- but despite the fact that 650 Chinese em- usable

or had been removed from ployees walked out, the supply was main- Colony.

60

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the