YORKSHIRE ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY. A group of men in the West Riding, interested in the woollen and colliery industries, promoted a bill in 1901 which incorporated The Yorkshire Electric Power company with an authorized share cap ital of £2,000,000. The concern was vested with powers of supply ing over a large area in perpetuity and established a generating sta tion near Dewsbury. A supply was made available in Dec. but for many years difficulties were experienced in consequence of the conservatism of manufacturers and the opposition of vested interests. During the war the company played an important part in the provision of munitions, the first shell-filling factory being supplied by them near Leeds.
The company's second generating station was established near Barnsley, where electricity is generated by means of surplus coke oven gas. A third station was put into commission in 1927 at Ferrybridge near Knottingley. It is of interest that the system
of generation and supply adopted by the company in 1903, viz., So cycles, three-phase alternating current, has now become the British national standard.
A large number of collieries in the West Riding and many textile mills and engineering works are now supplied by the corn pany, and in addition about 6o local authorities and other authorized distributors are taking a bulk supply for distribution in the towns and villages. This work has been greatly facilitated by an associated company, Electrical Distribution of Yorkshire, Ltd., formed in 1905. The original capital was increased in 1922 to £4,000,000, and in 1927 a further act was obtained authoriz ing a further £2,000,000. At the beginning of 1928 the capital expenditure of the company and its associated distribution corn pany was over £5,500,000. (L. C. M.)