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It seems the property did not sell immediately, In 1902 the Tramways was authorised to sell time CinemaScope was installed in 1954.
as one G. Smith of Sandy Bay complained in power to consumers within 50 yards Kalee President arcs were installed shortly
the Mercury of the 22 January 1925 of “the (45.7 metres) of their lines. The Gas Company afterwards.
eyesore of the Palace Theatre, filth and dirt made provision in 1899 for licensing wiremen
collected on the steps and windows, in fact who carried out installations to which its His Majesty’s had two rotary converters
everywhere one looks, and could not power was to be connected. Russell Allport, installed on the ground floor, under the circle
something be done to keep the place clean?” referred to in the report of the Palace, was an stairs, powered by Tramways DC. These were
early licensee, and later proprietor of a large still in place up to the late 1950s, with starting
The ground floor of the Palace became engineering business. By 1912 the Gas Co. switchgear. They had been unused since a
occupied by the Blue Bird Restaurant and, had 339 customers. Westrex selenium rectifier was installed,
from approximately November 1925, the rest along with Peerless lamphouses in 1948/49. I
of the building was occupied by H. E. Round After creation of the Hydro-Electric understand that the converters were
Pty Ltd., one of Hobart’s leading grocery Department, it sold power to the Gas subsequently removed and donated to the
stores. For a number of years the Palace name Company to supplement its capacity but, by Hobart Technical College.
remained on the sides of the verandah. 1916, had purchased the undertaking.
Standard supply and frequency had been set at The Strand also had the Westrex rectifier and
On a personal note, my mother started work as 240 volts 50 cycles in 1910 in accordance lamphouses installed at the same time. I
a junior clerk at Rounds after leaving school with British practice. recollect my father, who went to the Strand
in the mid 1930s, before moving to the as chief projectionist after return from war
Avalon Theatre as a cashier in the late 1930s. As tram lines ran past the Palace in Elizabeth service, commenting about the generator bed
St. it is likely that current for the DC arcs was in the anteroom to the projection box where
The Palace was demolished in the early 1970s purchased from the Tramways, and broken the batteries and charger had been installed for
along with an adjacent building and replaced down to the usual 110 volts DC using rotary the sound system.
by bank offices. Its façade and arched veranda converters or generators. The Mercury of
had remained a landmark until that time. 17 October 1910 described the installation at As I recollect, comments by Ted Burne, who
Kings Hall Pictures in Bathurst St., Hobart as had been projectionist at the Avalon from the
Early Electricity in Hobart a “large fixed biograph machine by Pathè mid 1930s and later manager, the rotary
Frères of Paris, worked by a dynamo driven converter had been installed under the stage.
The Palace was opened just before the State by electricity supplied by the Tramway Co.”. In the event that the Avalon ran a morning
Government created the Hydro-Electric show, there was an interruption when the
Department in October 1914. Before this, Of the four large theatres in Hobart in 1936, it Tramways cut power briefly at 10.15 am,
electricity supply had been undertaken by would appear all had DC current supplied by requiring the projectionist to shut down and
private generators. the Tramways. The Prince of Wales in go backstage to restart the converter.
Macquarie St., the Strand and His Majesty’s
The first electricity generation in Hobart was in Liverpool St. had trams running past, and Those familiar with large DC motors know
undertaken by the Hobart Electric Tramway the Avalon in Melville St. was within a short that they have to be started gradually using
Company, a private company formed by distance of the tram tracks in Elizabeth St. stepped resistances until the motor builds up
Siemens in London, which provided and speed. Otherwise there is almost a direct short
installed the complete system in 1893. Taken In Film Weekly of 2 November 1950, Hoyts circuit and cut-outs will trip the circuit.
over by the Hobart City Council in 1913, the advertised for sale ex the Prince of Wales Retired projectionist Ray McCarthy, who
organisation was known to generations of amongst seats and light fittings, one 25 HP 3 started at His Majesty’s in 1944, commented
Hobartians as “The Tramways”. phase motor and generator, and a DC motor to me many years ago that the starters had to
coupled to a DC generator. The theatre was be used carefully. ✶
The trams used 500 volts DC generated at a being repainted, reseated and an air
steam plant in Lower Macquarie St., Hobart. conditioning plant installed at that time. Hoyts
The enabling Act of Parliament did not permit had taken over operation of the Prince
the sale of electricity to other consumers. following the breakup of the General Theatres Sources:
organisation by Greater Union on Mercury newspaper
The Hobart Gas Company had supplied gas 31 December 1937. Film Weekly
The Organisation of Electricity Supply in Tasmania
for lighting for many years but, possibly as a (P. R. Read) University of Tasmania 1986.
result of the Tramways setting up, sought Hoyts had also taken over another ex-GU Personal recollections
legislative approval to supply electricity, house, the Princess in Launceston, and
initially for lighting. The upshot of this was installed a Wesconomy rectifier and Images:
two Acts, one which gave the Hobart City automatic arcs by Hamilton and Baker (H&B) Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office
Council control and regulatory authority, and in December 1939. It is likely that Hoyts
the Hobart Gas Company’s Electric Light Act similarly upgraded the Prince at the same
1896 which allowed it to supply electricity. time. The Prince were using H&B arcs at the

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