Abstract
REFERENCE is made in our notes columns to the ceremony performed by Sir Frederick Bramwell in connection with the South Wales electrical power distribution scheme. The Bill for the promotion of this scheme was, it will be remembered, one of six before a Select Committee of Parliament presided over by Sir J. Kitson last year. These Bills gave rise to a paper read by Mr. W. L. Madgen before the Institution of Electrical Engineers on “The Electrical Power Bills of 1900: Before and 1 After” (Journal Inst. Elec. Engin. vol. xxx. p. 475), in which the author dealt with the question of England's backwardness in the development of electrical engineering. The paper may be considered in some respects one of the most important communicated to the Institution of late years. It led to a prolonged discussion—the report of the proceedings occupies more than sixty pages of the Institution's Journal—in which, though various opinions were expressed as to the cause of our deficiency, the general conclusion seemed to be reached that the backwardness was due largely to the out-of-date and grandmotherly legislation which governed electrical I undertakings. As a result, a powerful committee was appointed by the council of the Institution to report or the subject and advise the council whether they should, take any action, and if so what action, to improve the position. The members of the committee were the following:—Profs. W. E. Ayrton, J. Perry and S. P. Thompson, Major P. Cardew, Lieut.-Colonel R. E. Crompton, and Messrs. S. Z. de Ferranti, R. Hammond, H. Hirst, J. E. Kingsbury, W. L. Madgen, W. M. Mordey, R. P. Sellori, A. Siemens, C. P. Sparks, J. Swinburne and A. A. Campbell Swinton. This committee, after holding eleven meetings and collecting a quantity of evidence, has just published its report, which has been adopted by the council of the Institution. As the subject is one of vital importance, not only to the electrical profession, but to the whole nation, it will be of interest to consider this report in some detail.
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The Institution of Electrical Engineers and Electrical Legislation . Nature 66, 35–36 (1902). https://doi.org/10.1038/066035a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/066035a0