The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-01-23 00:00:00

WEYMOUTH.

FATAL SHIPPING C• ortyrir.—A I echooner.
of it If.st, bietd ?rota Waterford tr
n ir.th art*. went wawa on Saadi evening in
the W,4 Wiy mar to the !moron Herring Cormgoard
Station. The muter, mate, and boy were loved by the
; one mon war &earned. Before she struek
~.e., wee by the gusrditos of ottr Gout, who did in
thy eo,ild to ure Ur, and wer• f 4tUDtt4 enough to
»wile three of them on board. Al semi* o'elook on
,day morning, the marts wont still illeading. hot is
bored she would become • total wreak. The
tbdrina (not the Minerva, as previolody eeresebed) of
Abreystwith. which was ashore In Weymouth Say,
beeme throws ererboord s portion It., servo—Digo
riir —wm brought it. Weymouth Harbour on gemda,
mo•niss.

PItaILOIIII Paltiftilti Or Yee limn pm Join
WlLtdaWn.—(Yront s Curre,petuiret.). On Band., t•o
mo. ram nir• in t:o alanva. vino-% proashivi
thnpoqin in Wornosath, pains details of the perilous
voyafir illey Lai had from Lawton. TIN ship is Isom
.mended by Mr. John Wilbares; sad Messrs. Alesauder
S. 14 Davis. A. T. Seville, J. Maloof., owl J.
igii.„ionin.s, • ith their wires, were on heard
when, 110 Wmlowelsy west,tbey left Landau fag Adthid.
end other poll. of Au•drelit, thence t.• Van Dieumn's
Land, and finally to the South Pacific Islands. Ou
Thnr-day morning the fen fury of the mile. which has
ottivd so much destruesion imionpt shipping aa the
we tore, roset, can felt, atrilting the Tome( on be side,
and eirrying away be wbsleb at and davits. The ple
also blew away the foretopead, cawing one nfi the smug
to boat. Is was feared that she was drifted to leeward,
which wooed Ming I.er on toe Preach west, or DOOM-
lawn near 'he Oaskela. 131. e, however, answered her
helm elm r.1.41e. and that calamity was everted. At
one time the ship was in such . daatteroes position that
the captain and pewee/eve pro themselves lip for lost.
Voder these trying circumstances prayer and prime were
offered up, and self ie mimeos, two fur, of the elements
abated, sad somi lifter the venial reached Portland Roads
in stfrty. Mrs. !tickle sustained a slight hijnry, as did
Ont. bet it is repeated thattb• former will be
able to moo her voyage when the wog sails.

THE OAS QIJESTION: IMPORTANT MERTINO.
On Mou'lli overniol • won large sad important
poetise of the eps encomiums of Weymouth was held
at the Auk Heil, for the pawpaw of hearing. from O.
Flint.o, E-'i. as. exteettion cm the prima oast and
nneauf..cture of gas—tho frauds and chicanery often
wreaked by the manufacturers of that article, and to
adopt such IDlOnirre ma might be deemed lecithin to
.bria; about • reform in the pries and quality of pa.
Os tie in' ion of Mr. Rowland Thomas, Um Mayor
was called to tbe chair.
The Maros, on opining the proceedings, read the
placard convening the meeting. and mid that seeing um
largo an emetniblv there that 'eyeing Ise had no doubt
that they all felt great interest In the question of gen
reform. And it was undoubtedly natural that they
thou, • feel interested, bottom the question was one of
great importance to Mit town. It was pretty generally
known that for several years past, the gas supplied to the
loan hod been miry theMeient in quantity and bad in
,imode, no I not only an, but he thought that the eon•
sumer' oaght he pi • reduction in the pries of that
.article. When les looked round him and saw by those
hills the price they were paying for pa in other teems—
when be maw that at Plymouth they were Rotting their
gas for 2. he. per ilmesand subin feet, be thought that
BA to. was • lithe too high for Weymouth. For his
own part he wield not see why we in Weymouth should
not have peas cheep as thaw in Plymouth. ROWerrii,
It was not for him to go into this manilas, as Mr.
Flintoff was present would jointo the whole affair,
and lay before theca stolen whereby they, by adopting is.
,might rid themselves of the plenums of which they
tnow ontaplatued. He begged therefore to introduce Mr.
Flint-if to lipuir notice. (Applause.)
111r.tnifirisits on rising saW the people of Weymouth
were now doing whet had been done in most other
towns nod cities in the kinedom, where, for a series of
:years, iedividuals or oompsoial had bold the monopoly
of making and supplying gm, of charging whatever
price they phoned, and of giving whatever quality of
gm they chose. The consomme being obliged to sue.
comb and pet up with them exorbitant charges, whether
right or wrong, had at kat sought redress, and where.
-OM they had goes into the matter they had obtained
it so tuurutughly that the wrong wee not likely to moo
with them again for • very long time to come. In
200 cities. -101 town, cf England, the people
had mat together is the MN way they had that WAS
—tor toe purpose of anyuiriog into the question
of supplying pa. They did not meet for the purpose
of ',mein:, themselves in antagonism with the existing
gas companies, but simply in self defense. All that the
consumers said was, give tie a fair amount of gas for a
fair amount of money. But the po companies were
to this, and emitted that gm could not he sup-
eprtenibesper although they had been compelled to
redoes their Price. Whenever the matter had been din
massed, ant the parties were determined, unlace •
*beeper and better meek was supplied, to oapply
thec.selees, the companies had either invariably lowered
the price:Lps or been driven out of the place alto-
si , be had no doubt would be the ease la
VP:Loath. /Applause.) The roam° why the maker@
of gm bore so very heard epee the consumers was
because the latter understood so very little about the
question. Although it lied beim hie lot to address more
than • thousand assemblies is England, Soothed, and
Ireland, be had Dever. In the coons of his life, mot
Le hod hoots ad* a.wi'dtoldrifikett., •s. Principles principle,. of making stea• Who..
cornpanlet undertook the lighting of towns they entered
on an engagement to serve • certain quantity of gas for
• each hurom at a certain purity, and the inhabitants
said it was the duty of the Corporatioe, or Board of
Oommiesinners, as the cam might be, to see that the
contracts were fairly and properly carried out. And so '
.11 woo, horhow were they to do it? These men had
'been kept in Ignorance of the mantels/Aare of pa,
although It was in itself, perhaps, one of the most
simple things of thy for one to understand. Bat they
could not be apprenticed to the trade, and the know-
ledge was not to be purchased with mosey. Them
•compaaies were generally star ed by theoulaton, whose
sole object was to pt money. They often knew little
or nothing of gas making therdelves, and when they
made mistakes they mole the consumers pay for their
error.. But se science had progressed, the leers oath.
subject had beau reduced lot, shape, and they knew
by certain rules and results all the minutiae of
lOW lie healer. There was now no joggtl,ig
practised that easki deceive • pa engineer. i
thold be practised no imposition, there was no amid
scheming that gas managers could resort to, that could
not be tested to the greatest nicety. Now it was on
acemant ci the ssandalouna impositions that had been
practised npon the gas tionsumere in Weymouth that
some of the tradeemea in the town, attar putting up
with It for mummy years, had resolved to does no longer.
They had therefore not for him to expos* the jugglery,
and before he had oonehaded he should ithOw Sham, most
cumulatively, that they had for • series of years both
most grossly imposed uman, sad he would likewise
show them how they, in Weymouth, could obtain that
redress the people In almost every other town in the
kingdom had obtained. (Appian's.) They had been
told—it was the old tale of pe monnpolista— that gas
could sot be produesd so cheaply in Weymouth as .1
aould in those other places whore gas was sold in
Lirrrerorforshanoedm at weberrP: tat
thaNtowa, If
"ta
or a pair of trousers, or a pair of books coda
not bs made so cheaply here as they could elsewhere,
would not everybooy say that such an assertion
wee simply noliceloust The fact was, the turning of
coal into gee warn simply a mechanical proems, and If
the people in Weymouth were charged more than were
the teople in Plymouth, and many other place., it
showed that something was radically wrong—either
teat those who .uppliei them with gas did Dot under-
stand their business, or that they were charging a most
exorbitant profit for making the sad into pa for their
consumption. Now, if he took • tou of «el to turn it
info pc he should pnt it into oven., similar to thane
shown oe the diagrams which bath behind him, to be
baked. Whits this was properly dons, the toe of opals
would ykla 9,44/1/oubto lost ot sus, 10 pilots of tar, 10
gallon. of ammonia water, and 13 met of coke It was •
err, gee.t, 'iota very common &limy to-suppose that the
pries of coal had • very material hansom on the cost
price of pa.. It wee what was asserted by the gas
monopolist.,and the assertion warn generally believed
by , peop it. There never was • greaser mistake. A
ton of cosh which in Weymouth sorts 16a. produced
13 cwt, of coke, which be sot down at Sle. Mei people
of Weymouth pm 9.1. per Get which gives 9.1. more
than Mr. Flintors calculation for the 13 cwt.] The tar '
and ammonia he set down aut Is. 6d. more, which added
di the pee 10e. 6.1, thus making the net of the
itIW material, for making upwards of 9,000 fed of gm
oost just 4.. 61., or less than 6,1. per 100 cubic feet.
And yet the Weymouth gas company had the esenranoe
to my that it was the high price of coal that made the
cost of gas to con,mmers se. 64. per 10001 To this, lees
than 6.1. per 1000 feat for coal, had to be added the post
for labour, fuel, and everything elm required in the
menufeetare of pa, white) he put down at 7d., be did
tais on good authority. It had been shown over and
over again, that in Plymouth, the gas company in
which had been called the model gas company of the
kingdom, which shared for its gas only 2. 91. per 1000,
that the epee of Goal, and every expense connected with
the manufacture of gait, wss only la. ld. per 1000 cubic
let, and that all beyond that sons went for the cod of
ddribotion, interest upon capital, and profits. And
what mold be done in Plymouth could be done in
'Weymouth. (Great applause.) Why not? Th. com-
pany in Weymouth had kept the 00ornmors here
It • complete deter of hoods's*. If they did
01.,4,,.. the profits he dated, they might hare dons
on " their OUSWHISI from first to lad had been properly
r"....ced. And if It had bees Ul managed, was it for
the consumers to sympathise with them, sod Pm,' the
n:,."thnt wren demanded, simply to woke up for ill
---"Licenwllt, Wes such • thing known in trade as for
le tie to hive doehie the real value of goods, blooms*
111:^ ta•domnen bad no greedy mioneanagod his business,
—at he "'at noa•RMd to sell them at • fair market-
aide value and keep hie Seed above water Let them
remember there waut ho friendship in trade Every
Oedemas knew that it neon the way in which he
noluct om f
ed his Masi 'em
w either
stand
or fell. And for ht.... 4 a••••----wwf
f why should Om pi trade be different
rota any other trade?
month teg.. • • Il• hOf saver visited Wirt-
visited th..:,,—"° t nolmaimmily, Hs had never
YYMOUI fa. ti weekvisitedilww.thsttu, „s helm% hot be had
the ontatd.-1.„`.", it a..., o•hba locked at them from
the outside toess o.l.llr.dterlT:M2PCM,....._wha4_,..,lte t,mew..,"
without fear of P.o.Par "'"
compatiblo for thy they wen elderly in-
whothpedattchzep.7; mpormat to.a
,"..a.r.•.Ortment who bad no towed
• ow, tear.) He
and fight step by step, ..4",..n.Pvenit'"ed,_ coupe forwsrd
anxious that the eolapw,, aimo.l? Poem- Hs woe
" "7° • ammo
putting in their pls., a .4, .l
oppodusity of judging the jury an
not guilty. (Cheers.) Well, h. ~.."7.•aa• guilty or
ash, bad mid, and what did `ir,""*". week.,be saw they were situated j. 7.7 'll,t Pin*
that DO one but an idiot coati
s mach
as dreamed of, if it was isitinta:4--ex.;
should be the unease of illuminating the
mouth. They use. fur better situated (Sr th;,j.,—
of eoutraboad goods than for the wpm*
Then they bad two reservoirs or gm holder,-...."7",*
which wotld, petit" hold not 10,000 feet
a 4 Ps, mad

•ho other some 40,000 fs at. Was this welded Why.
in order to give this I. we & proper supply of pa they
ought to have • meter to -Wood, ..c, of gee, and
the cousymey could never make mia well fov the town
notes, they bad ma additional meter. The way they
had been going on was most anicedel, tree to their owes
interests, and they Wed taxed end oppressed the de-
signers by making them pair an iniquitous awl nand on.
just pries foe gas because they could not supply their
waste. Before he vest farther be would ju4 refer to .
few of the towns named upon his red diagram, to 'how
them bow grossly the mummers had been hooded upon;
and then he would tell them bow they might get their'
gas at • redwood rata. They were teld by ges moelopo-
lids, as he had before stated, that the price et gas
depended upon the pries of cod. If swell wan the ease
timee who lived where dal was cheap should hare eat
at a mere nominal sum. But let them see. In the
tows of Newcastle, where coals were within a ce sns's
throw of the gal work., some would have them believe
did gee ought to he mush dipper than in the town of
Weymouth. Rat such people left oat of slew this fact,
thd where coil was chnap it he as Ike via. cheap. In
Newei.tl•• " they d by the degr.m, pa C's
cold at 3s. per I 001 cubic feet. They obtained
their coal at 6*. per ton, hot they obteined for the
produce of that del by coke, no only shout 6'.
instead of lls. Sd. -Web was obtained In Weytuoseh
In Lando., the coke from a ton of coals realised Ilk.
They therefore saw that wherever coal was dear coke
woe dear, and that the high prime of coed had little or
nothing to do with the pri • of gat bedoes the
products made up for the difference. At Perth, they
got 6. for coke, they used all cannel coal foe which they
paid 261. per ton. Their gm coat the melody 2v. per
1,000 sod they eold it for 41. 21. Is Plymouth, the
model compsny be had spoken of, coal was lit 94. per
ton or 3d. per ton lees than in Weymouth. They
realised by Use sale of the volts, Act, Be. 94. net too of
coal, or 2.. 9d. lees on the ton of coal than in Weymouth,
thus giving the Weymouth company the advantage of
le. 91. per ton for all lb. coaL they used. Now, if
Plymouth, then, coald afford to sell pa at 2e. 94, per
I,ooofeet, ought not Weymodth to be eupplid at 2. 91?
As for labour, It wee positively dm ape is Weymouth
than at Plymouth —whleh was souther advantage in
favour of the Weymouth company. But there we,
another thing to be looked at. They all meat know
that if a tradesman supplied 600 stone of bread, or 500
pounda at graseery, and had toosesy it are miles, they
could net deliver it so cheaply am they could if they
oely bad to drry it fite yards. It was just so inr
to the distribution of gat The ocet for distributionrd
e‘i
to be added to amp-Woof gaa. Nee in I lyneouth they had
35 miles of pipee for the mie of 170 melitona of lest
of pa. Is Weymouth they had sight miles of pipes to
supply something like 25 millions of feet of gas. The
Weymouth company had stood in ha own light in this
matter. The cheaper • company sold its gas the more
consumers it obtained. If they sold it a. cheap as they
did In Plymouth they woold undoubtedly have nearly
er quite as mush (*estimation of pa per mile as they
had in Plymouth. The wade aad leakage was the
same. Therefore the mein being 0001 down. the greater
the consumption the greater were the profits to the
company. If thee was double the consumption there
would be double profit*. Now, if • tradesman in that
town had double the number of onetomere to morrow
be had to-day he would be aide to supply them, but
the Weymouth enanany, if double the quantity of p.
watt wanted to-morrow aa eaa wanted to lay would
not be *hie to 'apply it. They Lad not the means.
Were thvy acting me • tradesman would set? All they
seemed to want was to make the people pay to the
cannot for the gas they amid manufacture, and nothing
more. A largely increased supply they wield sot give.
Their pipe* were so oxydieed, so rotten, their works to
worthless, that they ought to be swept away to make
room for some one else. (Applause.) All thad this
company had done Wes most un-English, most unfair.
When their last Act was obtained, It five canna ire
arid on the bill, pretending to be shareholders, to
make .believe it was a company. But the soespany
was all blended in one non—or, at least in one man and
five shadows. (Great laughter ) In obtaining the Ad,
no on. opposed this man with See shadows. That
Bill im certain obligations. one of Wash .se, that
the gas supplied should be equal, in illuminating power,
to 10 sperm candies—that Is, that five feet of gas
should give as much lights' ten such eandlei as he bad
Is his hand. Another restriction wee, that this se
called company should divide only 10 per cent, ad
that if more than 10 per cent profits were made, the
orerplaa should go to the eoneursen of Weymouth in
the reduelion of the price; and that anyone might
know what profits were made, it was emaated that In
January ia every year. this "dummy^ company—this
shod of • company should make out a correct 'tetanus!
of all Its accounts and file them with the Clerk of the
Peace of the comity. Now, from the tied of ones-
monolog these wewrka, from first to lest, this company
had never filed • single seconet. Instead of filing the
assounte the works had been leased to • Yr. Church or
Chepel, and the Corporation, who were supposed
to look into thee matters and me that the ratepayers
had Jorge. done there, knew no more about this ones.
punts affairs than did that candle he held in his hand.
(Applause.) Then, the Act of Parliament, to insure the
due performance of these things said, that in the event
of this company not complying with these Injunctions,
they might he summoned before the recorder and fioed
In • sum not exceeding £5O for every Dowparformence
of this portion of the contract spot which the Ad was
obtained. Well, the company had been threatened
with these proceedings, and what mia the result?
The Corporation had been told they might go
to work and Ana them sa soon aa they plimmed.
The company don't care one lot about that, and
for the reams—if fined the company will pet
It down to the cost of manufacture of gm, and charge
It to the consumer. (Hear, hear.) Thus it would be
men, the EY ODOsen.e.• had ',ally net reams% for if
they fined the company for doing wrone, they weal&
here to ray the gee for that wrong out of their owe
pookee. They would be called upon, perhaps, before
long, to get a new enadnient to do away with this
abominable monopoly. (Great cheering.) Had the
company filed their socounta, the probabilty was, their
kettle of fish would have been upset • long time ago.
They thought pest ,pa by not filing those amounts they
Were safe, but they *odd now be compelled to do so,
audit they should be, it would probably be saga that
the proprietor got 10 per tent., sad the Church as
additional 10 per sent If so, they could be made to
disgorge all the illegally got profile above 10 per cent.
From what he could see of the leaSSer, however, the
two must have appropriated • mud larger sum than
10 per cent, above the amount allowed by law. If the
works bad been carried on properly—as they ought in
trust for the coosainers, who, In • certain seam had an
interest in them —acoording to his calculation, the pro-
prietor and his lessee had received over and above the
pries the gas ought to be sold at, DOS len than from
£2,000 to 23,000 • year. (Cries of "Shanse.") Nov he
had in his hand, • copy of the calculations he had aide,
showing all the particulars for the establishmset of
works and manufacturing gas for Weymouth, whlaii be
should read to them, and at the close of his lecture he
should band it to the newspaper peer, In order that
there might be no mistake about it. It wee se
follows:-

Cost of marks, 12100 for every million of
Ps manufasfarod, or . . . £l5OOO 0 0
Cod or manufacturing 25 millions of
. . .

cable feet of gas in 386.1.7. in Weymouth.
2.400 tom of coal, at 15s. . . . 1800 0
200 tons of cannel at Sta . . 319 0
Parilleation, Id. per 1000 feet. . . 28 1 0
Wages au works, at 3.c. per ton of cc.].. 309 0
Wages in streets, at la. per ton. . . 133 0
Flalaris., manager, collector, ko . .200 0
Hod debts and allowances. . . . 25 0
25 0
. . . . . . .

Renslrsrio works aad mains, 88. par ton. 88 13 4
Rates sad Taus. . 120 0 0
. . . .
Ineidestsb, printing, stationery, postage, La 69 1.

Coke bo babiretorti. .

3i5 o i

23580 6 0

Dodoca—ralao of 2660 oltal-
drops of oaks, at 9a . . 1197 0 0
Value of 26600 gollncup of Mr,
sad 26600 pllom of am.
mocia water. . . . 199 10 0
1906 10 0

Total oast.

Rzsum.

I. d.

Can of producing 1000 cubic feet of psu
.bon.
Allow for leakage. . . .
Interest on 401100 share capital, at 74
per mit.. 0000 borrowed eapital, at
-- 2 101

Selling pries of 1000 cable feet of ps. . . 2 10d
If then gas be could made at's fair profit for 2a. 101 d.,
vac it not monstrous to charge Sc. 84.? Somme,
tredeenian were to do such a thing what would be odd
of him? Suppose, for °temple, Yr. I.:harsh himself
were to GOON into one of their shops for a eartala article
and they were to ask him 30 or 40 per cut. beyond
what he knew wee a living pro6t, and beyond what he
knew he mold get that article in umber town, would
he not tell the shopkeeper he was an impostor. and walk
away declaring the shopkeeper should never smell •
'rap' of his money? (Apples...) Now, whet would
apply to the tradesman would also apply to the pa
ma:Ashdown% Them was another point he would jut
allude to. In 1847 Parliameet had He attention tolled
to the acts of certain companies, and oommisiours
were sent to overhaul their amounts. 1t.., thee found
that some °ampules, being by sot of Parliament com-
pelled to lower gas after paying a eertain percentage,
had never divided more than what they called 5 per
met., but they had done thie—tbey gam what they
termed "bonuses' of 10 or 15 per cent. —making to-
gether, with dividend and bongoes, 15 and 90 per cent.
I. 1846 the late Joseph Hume looked into this matter,
and the coessquenes wee the Ocicamiseinners of Woods
and Forests examined into the manufacture of gae at
Wakefield, Wolverhampton, mid other Swiss, and Is
their report they stabs that (taking sow a town aa
Weymouth) gee ..n b, made for la 414. per 1.000 °able
feet. fie (tie terkiner) had allowed la. N. per 1,000 for
the manufacture. He had adopted these figures for the
Mel 16 years, merely varying the east according to the
pries of coal, and they were isdispatelde. They outs
from the highest extbority—efter an. *airy by the
Occentiesioure of Woods and Forests, sad published by
the aetbority of Parliamest. Another thing be would mall
their attentiosto was the impurity cii,rfkai If a tool-
patty thought well to bioname their d they could
always do so by Waging their pa, for the maker mold
" doctor " the gas he sold is the same way the paldiem
" doctored" hie gin, The peblissu thirsted his gin—or
doctored it, by addling water to the spirit ; the ese
maker, hy adding atreospberie air to his ges. This
amid be dolle to the ezteat of shoat te per cast. If,
thee, the Weymouth rompsoy Were to Obtiei to doctor
their pith this way, the ecommer would be *barged
Sc, 84. per 1000 «Ate feet for the supply* of the goo
be comma with the Mr s• breathe. Bat It war not ca.
Getty by milks; stmesphorie air with the pa that
U Wised of babbitt the
adulterated ps was as
coal six boars it was epitte the retort eight or too
bouni“,e If my employed inferior mai, tbr7 isorooood
do
trhe
t.dberci. of.a.rig,
of tairsomiliaten,"withost giving the
added
Proper Illuminating power. nth " stelethipg "
to the gas oft la the pa-maker what Sho juwt,
Va. to the Lorton milk mea--it nod tbe .
would make the obsior mark els feet of mos lee Wax
‘l4l may three Isla of pa inn earruhrie Mari

I ear.) The lecturer neat proeseded to explaiu the grey
in which the illuminating power of g is wis ascertaiu•d.
and recommended that in future some party shenld he
employed to tea the quality—it wosid pay the con-
sumers ten times over for the trifling outlay it
would cost But, in conclusion, he said, the best
and indeed the only means they had of ridding them•
. selves of the monopoly was to adopt the same plan that
had been adopted in other pieces. Not oily smut they
be determined to hart gas at a reduced rate. but the)
must 111,10 LIMAS% in having it of • purer quality—right
up to the proper standard, if they intended to make
Weymouth what it ought to be. To obtain this state
of things they mast take the ball by the honor."
Irt:lL. ID" form • ••‘• ousipsmy and erect new gas
The present proprietor with Ids present
liPtiarstus could not supply the Will —tits pipes were
osydised and ration, an 4 the affair was worthlee to •
new company. It might be that alter a while, if he gam
they were in earnest, la would be glad to sell his works,
but it would be simply ridiculous to eureka", them.
. Nor need they have any qualms of conscience in thi•
matter. By alerting • new company and a-ruling all
the custom thoy would he simply paying him off in his
own olio. He had listed most unfairly toisoude them
refusing to allow thou to know what hi, own profit.
vein after entering into a solymn engagement so to 4.,
In (P&p' that he might obtain the Aet, to tree' hi.
work,. The way for them to set eu at ogee to form a
oommAtes as the nucleus of a new company, get so
agreement drawn up for the consumers of VA k. Sign...D-
riest to take gas of the new eonspeny for • eoriain
period —ga• of the highest purity—giving nearly double
the illuminating power the present gas gins., when
supplied up to the mark they are under an
engagement to supply it to the public, and pledging
the new company to supply this pure gss at a
taut of not mo • than 3e. 6d. per 1,000 feet,
Why niceteen-twectiethe of gas consumers in
the town would Ugn ii and then what would Gm
present company do? Why, it would break their nivel,.
They could not supply • small quantity even at the
price they were charging now. Their I Ave would he
jest the Ml.*, and they must make 3,000 feet to supply
two. They were perfectly justified in adopting this
course, and if they did not adopt it, the probability
was now they hod begun to move, the old 'tympany
weld go to parliament for greater power., and thus
bind the burden more tightly round their nooks than A
wed now. If on the other band they did take up As
matter in earnest and form a new oomoshy, they would
. bandit themselves—they would benefit their neighbours,
and they would plate the beautiful town of Weymouth
oo an equal footing, with regard to gm, with the other
large Wiens and cities in the kingdom. (Great applause.)
Kr. Joon§ Gatw said he was sere they all felt
deeply interested in the subject, and he thought he
might predict they would now push this matter t a
seemedul is-us. It must be in the knowlalge of many
of them, that wider the old direction of the tile Mr.
Godson, they didn't pay more than 30e. for the light
they now paid 410 g. Bush being the case there must
neeesaarily be something radically wrong somewhere.
Not only was the gas bad hut It was aid unnecessarily
high even were it • good article. The resolution he had
to move was as follows :—'• That it ix the opinion of
this meeting that thii pries *barged for gas in Weymouth
baa been onneerearily high, and that gas of improved
quality equal in illuminating power to 18 sperm candles
can be afforded and ought to be itipphed at 30. 61. per
1000 cubic fret."

Mr. Ronan; had greet pleasure in lemouding the
resolution. There was not a gas eo ...inner. be was
sure, but mouths.* felt tlost their gas bills bad gone on
increming. while their lishte grew more &In. All
attempts they bad Towle had proved unavailing. and
the only means ev.deotly left for redress ins to take
the matter Into their 01/11 hands. There we. quite
enough spirit la the town and enough capitaL If the
gossamers would only hand together, they would have
• eompany who would construct gas work.. that would
be • eredit to the town; and they would effectually do
away with the monopoly which bad hien thrust upon
them.

Tim resolution win carried unanimously, amidst
✓eit coplanar.
111% ROWL4•I"./ Thu:mai proposed the next resolution,
, which was That a thew gas oompuny be now formed
to be salted 'The Weymouth Gas Consumer.' Com-
pany,' with a capital of £20,000 in 2,000 share. of CIO
sash, and that the following gentlemen be • provisional
eommittes to carry this roe lotion into . fleet, with
poser to add to their number Mwors. J. .7. Rolls, M.
E. Boonton, J. R. Hoboes, 8 Yap, Jantes Sly, James
Drew, W. rlymond., T. R. Graves, John Talbot, R.
Newinton, Rose, Joseph Go•ks. lily, R. 0.
Hallett, and it. Thomaa." H explained the reason
that had Induced boo to • the to Mr. Flintoff,
to come and explain the toatter • the gas consumers
k Weymouth. tieing .us the anteament com-
mittee of the lime law unio, he with the
others, for s that by the let of Parliament
the COOOpMf .111pelled to I-19 their balanee-sbeets
yearly. They wanted *hin, tor the purpose of sweating
Ilte profile, but found th• 'le ter had heels filed. They
anp iel to Mr. • 'hotel, Aral were told very bluntly by
bin ticy would get tt.thing there. They told him of
tb • penalty thee wet- liable to for not complying with
the Al la reepset to their amounts, and be shalkaged
them to d their attest. if. then thought as eveu one
was eomple,iong about the gas it was time to make a
stir. Rut i.e thought, in (aims., to Mr. Burdos, be
ought to be put in possemion of what was about to take
place, as probably he might feel &wowed to most the
requirements of the town and he wrote the following

•
V iPI.I
" oymouth, January 6, 1866.
" To N. Burden, Esq.
• Deer Sir.—Knowing that you are so largely
interested in the Weymouth Gas Works. I have for.
warded the arm:lord notion of isolating. I Amid add
that the promoters of it ate actuated by no unfriendly
spirit, but are sating as business men, feeling that they
might to be supplied with a better article at a lower
Imo of charge. Hoping, as they generally desire, that
the =War will be met in an emicable manner, you
will be prepared to make such satisfactory arrange.
meats as may be acceptable to the ranting, and thus
prevent greater bitterness than already exists.
1 have the honour to he, kb,
}LOWLAND THOMAS."
To this he received the following letter in reply.
" South Ville-plaes, Newcastle-on-Tyne,
January 9, 1856,
" Mr. R. Thomas.
" Dear Sir,—l sin much obliged, and trust the ps
lecture will not turn out so formidable in ita results as
It threaten,. There are oases where extravagant rates
have been asked for gas. Take the Prim of Goole as a
criterion, the price is not too high for Weymouth at
vireo. Is a new company ',neared to put down
£O.OOO to fight the parliamentary battle, end afterwards
to sell gas at 2a 6d. per 1,0001 They may rely on it
they will have smoothing of that son to meet. People
bat better keep their mosey Is their pocket..
Believe me very truly yours,
J. N. BOILDON.*
Re bad inquired of the Town Clerk and he had informed
hint that the streets being vested IS the Corporation,
the Town Conned mold give the power of opening the
streets to • new Company, andftMia no Act of Perna.
moot would be misdeed.
Mr. S. Morn moonded the resolution and it was
serried unanimoosly.

Mr. J. .7. ROLL" in an able speech, moved. and Mr.
Sol- SLY, he his moll-known Innumerous style, seconded
the hollowing moieties —" That tisk meeting pledges
itself to support the Weymouth Oa. Consumers' Cots.
palsy (Limited) by signing undeetaleinwe to become par-
&mien of gas, let a peke not meseding 3s. 6d. per IWO
cubic feet; it being distinctly understood that the pa be
of the highest poesible purity, and the illuminating
power equal to eighteen menu candles."

On being put from the 'chair, this resolution was
also carried unanimously.
Mr. R. THOMAS mid there was something on the bills
defective eastern If Mr. Pinta would
oblige them, he was sere the meeting would be
happy to bear that gentleman's explenotion on that
paint. And no. be was on his feet, be would add,
that be was aetborised to state that if there wee soy
pence prompt connected with the pa company wishing
to make any remarks or desirous of asking any question
relative to the supply of pa, Mr. Fliotoff would be quite
ready to answer him. He should also like to bear what
Kr. Flintoirs experience was about the neorsaity of
going to Parliament for an Aot to snake pa where a
company, established under an Act of Parliament,
already existed.
Mr. Fillmore said the meter question was • very im-
portant roe. It was one of the moot carious Metre.
meats ever invented to measure out such a necessary a.
gas. No doubt a gas meter was most essential for the
maker to measure out hit pato the parcheeer, and not
only ought it to be supplied fres of charge, but It ought
to be a correct measure. But he knew of no other
Instrument that had got to do the diabolical. dishonour-
able, dirty work the gas meter bad been made to perform.
The gam meter had berm to the gas company what the
pomp had been to the Loodon milkman. The original
meters Immured the gas correctly, but Use molten set
themselves to work to see how mesh they *cold make
the miters overcharge the consumer, end they found
that if they meld so construct an instrument to carry
the sates. higher, my, occupy with water 40 per cent, of
the chamber that should be allowed for gas, then the
meter would register 40 per sent more is, against the
consumer than be had seteally riassumed, thus sheathog
the consumer to that extent. They thought that It
they mould supply such meter, as these they meld led
companies who would prefer them, and they VMS not
deceived. By making these abominable lying madam
there were so many who were unfair moues to employ
them against than fellow mem that in ski end the
Mem became so great that Parlianseali wee sailed upon
to intedere to pet • stop to the ramislity. In
1864 be was **gaged to Weenie on the subleet,
and he took ore to pieees and exposed its
villainy, for be could call it nothing lees, and he proved
that that meter registered as much as 84 per cont.
against the consumer, or, in other words, that it charged
rthe consumer CS for where it ought to only
e:g4 pa e
£l. When Pastiament took up the question,
out of the 1,103 gas sompanies in the United Kingdom,
not one had the andasity to come forward in support of
these fraudulent rosters. Parliament made it illegal to
manefasture any more of those evilest meters, and
those whisk had been maaefeetnred since thee were
oirmen, and gas ecospecies could not cheat with them.
But abbesses net one of the gas remnants' could not
support the in stem of using 'reedlike% miter,, they did
something else, said this showed to how great an exteot
they won adopted. They asked to be allowed time to
gin them seplased„ for they said if they were to be got
rid of at ones they would be missed, that Ps Ullithalt
must be stopped for that all the gas makers Is the
country meld not supply all the orders for a very long
time to come., and so Parliament, Is oonsideration of the
great lomiusesimes they would be pet to, gave
them 10 years to get rid of their old meters in.
Es had been asked to ezplain his views as to establishing
a new eotnpany without an Act of Parliament. If they
could open up their streets for the purpose of laying
mains without an Ant of Parliament, they Gould este-
blish a new company and start new works without an
Act of Parliament, Mt if they bad not the power of
opening the streets, they must go to Parliament for
powers, and might have to speed the three tboseasd
panda in Agieleg the battle with the oil company NI
had bees broadly hinted at Is Mr. Bardes'e
(Applause.)
Kr. Batman prepoesd a vote 01 thanks to Mr.
Minim, for the vary azeollent and instreetive address
he bag glum them. Kr. Rom oamaded roolalion.
sad it was ainied

__Jekret.

Mr. FLINTOET, in thanking the meeting for their kind-
ren said, that altbonelt u one belongs' to tbe g
company had dazed t. face I.im that sight. Yet, when
I • was VIM they voted be busy smooth t try and
throw discredit on what be bad said. Never mind. Let
them take dews what wax said, and when be came
again be would overthrow all their algumente and upset
tls. whole lot. (Applause.)
Mr. 01/0•111 then proposed, and Mr. ATLISSURT
wooded, a vote of thanks to the Mayor for taking the
chair, which, being mist coa , was acknowledged
by hi. Worship, and the meeting—certainly o-a of the
mon unanimous and inglential public meetiao velvet
saw in Weymouth—km=lmA. d.