The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-11-25 00:00:00

Corrtsponbencr.

THE OLD LADY'S REPORTERS.
To tho Editor of Ms Dorset County Espreo• anti
At fricultured Oszak.

see by the Thursday's paper that one of
the Chronicle's reporters (or rather the Southern
Times, which is an offshoot of the Chronicle), was
brought up before the Mayor for being drunk and
inoapable,upon which charge he was dismissed—npon
what grounds I must admit my weak oomprehen-
sion will not allow me to discern. Was it, Sir,
because he was not a poor man? Was it because
he was an educated man, and therefore ought to have
known better, or was it because he was only mad
drunk? Surely, Mr. Editor, it is very unfair to
Sue a poor man 55., which is invariably the case
when he is caught in the streets after having taken
a drop too much. It showed how kind-hearted our
worthy Mayor most be to take so lenient a view of
the case but surely there must not he one law for
the rich and another for the poor. I know, Sir, that
reporters are peculiar beings, and may do almost
anything without censure, but I Cannot be silent
when only a short time ago another Chronicle
reporter had his heart gladdened with a little
taciturnity music,and was then left to pursue the even,
or {11111•1112 tenor of his way. So it is now with the
Southern Times' reporter, who has had his heart
i gladdened witha little good advice from the worthy
Mayor, and I only hope that the Old L3dy's two
reporters will go and sin no mora.—l am, Mr.
, Editor, your obedient servant,
LEX.
Dorchester, November 22.

VT-Mt-SHAREHOLDERS OF THE DOR.

CHESTER GAS A.ND COKE COMPANY:

LADIRS AND GINTLII.MEN,—It is now rather more
than a year ago that your last annual meeting was
held, and at that meeting it was stated by the direc-
tors in their report that I was not quite equal to my
position as an engineer, together with other statementa
which contained. but • small portion of truth in them.
At that time I drew up a refutation of some of those
-
statements, but I did not publish it, although advised
to, as I did not wish to cause embarrassment te the
directors at a time when they seemed immersed ito
difficulty, and for fear you should think I wished to
supplant Mr. Pickard, your manager at the gas works
at that time ; but after twelve monthie calm considera-
tion I have arrived at the conclusion that in justice to
myself, even at this late period, you ought to be put
in poseession of the real facts of the ogee. The follow-
ing statement, I think, will maid." you that I am not
to blame for the bad results of the two past years:—
When I first entered on the management of the com-
pany's affairs, they only had, after pi wing the dividend,.
a working capital of about 000. At the terminatiom
of my first year's management there woo • dividend of
six per cent per annum declared, the second year nine
per cent., and the third year five per Cent. and the
working capital was increased from £3OO t s bout £7OO.
The works were in • far better state at tho end of the
three years than they were at the oomioencernent.
Mains, during my management, had been Lvid to the
Great Western Railway Station, the County Police
Station, and to the parish of Fordington, .md the
whole expense paid out of revenue. A new hooch of
retorts bad been set, at a cost of £l5O, for the pa:yaw
of getting rid of the stock of tar and economising the
other fuel, and they inswered the purpose admirably..
The true reason of no dividend being declared at the,
annual meeting of 1861 will be shown by the following:
statements :

At the annual meeting of 1860 the price of pis was.
lowered by the advice of the directors, although I ad. •
vised them in my report to them to keep it at the old
price until they had a working capital of £l,OOO. This.
lowering of the price had the effect of decreasing the
1861 profits £l5O. The works were connected with the
drainage, and water wen supplied to the company, the
I pipe laying, masonry, water meter, i.e., costing about
£9O. The directors did not order coal when I reported
1 to them it was desirable it should be done. but allowed
Ai weeks to elapse before they did is. When it was
ordered no vessels were to be procured, the company
were consequently neeeseitated to use such coal as
could be procured, at the coal merchants, which was
deficient in gaseous product*, also in the yitdd of eoke.
When good coal was obtained from the north it cost at
least 25 per cent, more than in former yeare, in conse-
quence of the high rate of freight. The total loss from
the bad coal and the high price of the article was at
least r.m. How then can these facts be reconciled
withthe statement that the large amount paid for the
coal was owing to the state of the retort& Elf* was
paid for retorts just at the finish of the year, whereas
they should have been charged in the neat year's
beconnt. This still farther reduced the profft Th
following condensed statement will show to whet yea
may attribute your loss of dividend in 1861 :
L d.
Coat of drainage, water pipes, 80 0 0
Des by coal 300 0 0
Clay retorts charged in the wrong year's
account
Profit actually made ... 152 0 0,

Total £728 0
being enough money to declare a dividend of eight and
• ball per cent, per annum; and yet the directors have
pretended to believe that the alterations effected w.thin
the last two years were neoessary in order to make the
works pay a dividend.
It was stated in the ISO report there was month
profit made to declare a dividend of one and a quarter
per seat. per annum; hat aceording to the beet arithme-
tical rules, £152 will pay one and three quarters per
cent. on £B,lOO, and a little be left after that
. . . _

The engineers reported the retort house to be out of
repair, the chimney shaft to be cracked, ace., he. Both
retort house and chimney were in precisely the same
position five years ago, and I believe the chimney shaft
was cracked almost immediately after it was built.
They also reported the retort beds to be unscientific and
badly worked ; yet from out of five of theme retort beds
four were set on the plan of two gentlemen who were
eonaidered by the directors to thoroughly understand
I gee engineering, the fifth setting was an addition by me
in order to keep pace with increased consumption, and
for the purpose of eoneuming the surplus tat, Mad I
understand that those retorts are being prepered in
order to supply gas for the present winter. At le my
retorts being badly worked the engineers could vet pos-
sibly give a correct opinion, for they did not mothe
gas works till long after I left them. As to the relearn
' not being in good condition, it is impouible for retina
to be in good condition when ignorance takes an iron
bar and sledge to knock off the incrustation, 'mined of
burning it off in the proper war Earthenware will not
stand heavy blows like iron. Yet two of the gas engi-
neers, who have been your managers during the last
five years, have appeared to be oblivious of that fact,
arid have destroyed work in a few days that would
otherwise have lasted for a year or more.
It was also stated in the engineer's report that the.
condenser was quite out of proportion to the other part
of the apparatus, being much larger than was necessary.
I stated to the directors years ago that an eight-inch
condenser could not be necessary where the main pipes
were only five inches in diameter, yet the eight-inch
condenser was put up and set to work. They refer to
the leakage of tar, yet when I took the management
there was the mama leakage KB there was when I left,
but I burnt it for three years, and kept it from becom-
ing a nuisance. I could not pay that attention to the
works the last month or six weeks I was there, as I
had to make up • nine months' account and present to
the directors. The pipes surrounding the condensers
are six-inch, and are connected with five-inch pipes
leafing to die meter. They were originally all five-
hush pipes, but were altered to six-inch at the aame
time as the eight-inch condensers were put up, at the
trifling sum of £355. The repairs needed at that time
could have all been done at • emit of £lOO ; betas the
directors understood very little of gas engineering, the
! opinion of & consulting engineer was taken as goepel,and
works erected at a great expense five years ago that
are now condemned as being 110 i essential and unscien-
tific, dm Regarding the pressure given by me, it varied
Jkocording to circumstances. London engineers take
their data from London, where the leakage is excessive,
and they consequently could not be expected to know
whether the pressure given by me was for or against the
Interests of the company. There are a few other things
mentioned in the report, but it is not
.worth while to
notice them here, as I think I have said enough to con-
vince you that it was not owing to my lack of engineer-
ing, the concern did not prosper, but from causes en-
tirely out of my control.
I nadentand your annul meeting bee not yet been
held. How is this I When I managd and kept the
books at the gas works, one month was amply sufficient
for me to take all the meters, and present to the direc-
tors and auditors • correct statement of the company's
accounts. Now there are two to do the work that used
to be done by me alone, I certainly think there Mould
be no delay in holding the annual meeting.
In eonclusion I beg to state that a year ego I offered
the directors to take the management of the works an
heretofore, and to guarantee a good dividend, or to
receive no salary for my services. They did not swept
my offer nor have they been kind enough to give me •
testimonial as to my ability as a inatiagor, al
they expressed great regret at my giving themthe
three months' notioe to leave when I did.
I trust the foregoing statement will show you I am
not to blame for the numerous difficulties the composer
have been plunged into.
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