|
The story of the first electric supply in Gloucester, NSW, Australia is the story of one man, Fred Lowe. His first association with the district was when he was appointed in charge of the Taree Railway Locomotive Depot with the opening of the railway to Taree (and Gloucester) on 4 February 1913. His qualifications were well above the position but it suited him at the time. He remained in this position till the railway strike of 1917 when he left the railways to go into partnership with Robert McCormick in a general engineering business and motor vehicle repair shop. This business, in Manning Street, Taree, first named simply Lowe & McCormick, was converted to a company in about 1920 styled the Manning Motor Company Ltd. They moved into a new premises, opposite to their previous location. The new premises were commented on very favourably by the Manning River Times which described in detail the complete layout. This was a most profitable enterprise and undertook all manner of general engineering apart from a Buick dealership and repairs to motor vehicles. They also sold farm machinery and cream separators and serviced the machinery. During this period Fred Lowe was a consultant electrical engineer to a number of organisations developing electric supply companies. He advised the proprietors of the Taree electric supply when they changed their generating system from dc to ac. He designed and supervised the installation of the electric supply in Wauchope and similarly the Wallamba Dairy Company when they installed generating plant to supply Forster and Tuncurry. He was called to Gloucester by a syndicate (mainly of local graziers) to assist in the development of a Gloucester electric supply. He presented plans for a ‘turn key’ installation of the complete plant which was accepted by the syndicate. The syndicate was not incorporated and, rather foolishly, he took them at their word and ordered all the plant and equipment in the name of the Manning Motor Company. After all the orders were placed in both England and the United States, for the generating plant, the syndicate folded. The Manning Motor Company were left ‘holding the baby’. They attempted to cancel all orders but by this time the equipment was in shipment to Australia. The two main companies concerned – Crossley Brothers of Manchester, England and the General Electric Company of Schenectady, USA through their Australian agents – both agreed to assist in the continuation of the enterprise by allowing long extended credit at a very low interest rate. This was a most worrying time to all concerned. Fred Lowe was then, virtually, forced into acquiring the property, installing all the plant and equipment and operating the power station. This necessitated moving from Taree to Gloucester and about that time his wife, who had been ill with TB died, leaving him with a five-year-old daughter (Peggy) to look after. He managed to find board both for himself and Peggy in Cowper Street just along the road from the power house being constructed. The installation of all the equipment was made by 1923 when operations commenced. There was a comment that Gloucester was brought from the Dark Ages when the lights were ‘turned on’. The enterprise was never very profitable and was saddled with debt and undercapitalised. Apart from the debt to the engine and generator suppliers a local doctor, Dr Charles Maisy, contributed a sum of £2500 and Fred Lowe £400. (At 2003 values these sums would have been about $250,000 and $40,000). ==New company== The Manning Motor Company was virtually split into two identities with its business in Taree and the electrical supply undertaking in Gloucester. This continued for four years till in 1927 a division was made when a separate company was formed in Gloucester, The Gloucester Electric Supply Company Ltd. The assets of the Gloucester business were purchased from the Manning Motor Company and Fred Lowe relinquished his connection with Taree. The Manning Motor Company was eventually purchased by Permewans who still operate the business. The shareholders in the new company were Fred Lowe and his brother Ernest Lowe, who jointly held the great majority of the shares, and a number of local people. Ernest Lowe was a cinema proprietor and ran the Strand Pictures in West Wallsend. He eventually acquired both cinemas operating in Gloucester at the time the Majestic and the Star. The company had a franchise from the Gloucester Shire Council to run the business for a period of 25 years when the council could exercise their right to acquire and operate the undertaking themselves. At the time of the changeover of the companies Fred Lowe met and married Mabel Newbery, who had been visiting a friend in Gloucester who was the daughter of the local Police Sergeant, Sgt. Morras. Mabel then became a mother to little Peggy who at this time was eight years old. They built a new house in Church Street diagonally across from the power house. This was to be the home of their three children, Jim, Jean and Ethel. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gloucester Electric Supply Co.」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|