The Express.
London, England, 1859-10-13 00:00:00

THE METROPOLITAN GAS QUESTION.

A meeting of delegates from tin different metro-
leNor Miran WY hold yesterday. at 13t. Marries Vestry
Mall--Mr. Gomm of Bt. Mary Westmloster. in the
ebele—le teeeklet tie question el 'the supply of gas t 3 the
nettepelle, ewe le pew reeoletkee kr the wpm, of °b-
eide( leglthles mielesee la likeness wine mining
shenss_

T e ileitintse ti sterwhan won : IU. Sanaa sad Mr.
Watadmisr; Mr. Great sad Mr. Lit, ;
Cll:.rited sag Mr. left* lornedt; Mr. Perm CWles ;
litrii=al6llr. lamb, sad Mr. Teeneay, lbetia'e-
; . Daaia, It. George% Imsever-earre ;
Mr. Warne, et. 011ierotwttme Mktg; Mr. Merles; Mr.
Puny, ad Mr. Csairee, St. Peacoat; end Mr. Prte,
Nownaloa. Time were aro pewt. Mr. Bad, the bon.
"w . sad ILL Beers.P.O..P. Ikea.
ilt%ll
Liam" new to an Islam e="rbeiievad
the hada to heed asseated le inwards NM.
The CO AMMAN Uwe/ the Int reselatia, to the aid
thst, the Howe reassaten barns pruning the degastira
lel, kat, nes he 'nil enasider the estieet, 1111044111 nth-
alp shield be mile Ms.

lb. WAILS= mid an the objects of the deiagabas had been
thrown over last session, y ocomegneem of their not having
given timely notice of their intention to Wag M • bill, it sea
a matter of immediate consideration what steps they should
take to Imre • better fete for the bill now contemplated.
Tiilmoatsrlousgesat they had employed had done nothing
Be Id propose toot no specific isstructicos
be item le the ant agent whom they might employ, but
that be be penelly
bike bill directed to do all thee wee necessary to
4th
wthe ment.
sem tertberpedi discussion the resole:kw was put end
swim& al were 'Mon autherishig the escretary to take cer-
taia Mee d ermeelenee with third:deem of the meeting.
lb. NOON= (tbe hem. mem* eked kis report, se
foams :

"fin kopertetwo of eters Ufa the proposed Metropolis
fliisstioa Bill, Maas • nessamer pies for the whole
will be more thirty seem whoa we =rider the
Lerzrpl pine which prevails at protest. It ie commooly
that two distinct kinds ef gem ere at preset sup-
plied to the motropotie, namely, park gas at Sa.., and com-
mis pr at 4a. 6d. per 1,0110 feet. Carmel pa is sold at Gs.
wherever it is supplied in the imeirepolis, and its illumi-
nating power is such that a 6-feet liateerieg barter gives •
light equal to 24 or 26 sperm cud= The common used
pa, which at the present time kr an illamisatiag power
egad so half that of the Canal re, veils. coos
erwehly in rite, being sold at Is. 6d. and de.
la pets of Wandsworth; at 6s. in pert of Lambeth,
Lewisham. sod another part of Wandsworth; at 4a. 9d. in
Woolwidi ; sad st 4a. in Mile-sod, Limehour, Poplar,
Whragehepol, the whole of the City of London, and part of
Werkesweg. es have within the metropolis the prices
far simas pa ranging from 4s. to de. ; sr is this the
whole diSeemes, for la all those districts there the 4a. price
peso& so aster rent is charged, while is the districts
whine the price exceeds 4e. • miter rent is charged in addi-
tion It the pies ad gr. Now, the meter rent crane be es-
timated at bee au 4d. per 1,000 feet, so that the prime
really nose nom in ed. to 6.. It will require little op-
mat te owe that such an enormous diffsesses r Ws
abashl met mist mosimpt different parts of the metropolis.
Thum le smother example of inequality is price which is
worth noticing. In many of oar provincial. towns the gas
enseperee re to the habit of allowing considerable diatom=
to hop gamesome of pe. These discouste genomot to some
mese te me mock as 23, sod eves 30 per cont. Now the pr
atopeales Is Leedom probes to allow no diatoms however
large the egasumptios. Without, hemmer, mitering into
the peones whether such discounts are potato err otberwies,
the bet is ceetida, and has bees trendy ascertained, that
thole le ome large class of consumers who do, in fact, obtain •
seasidereble allowance or discount from the amount of their
pa bills. These are the railway companies, some of whom
i annually memo ea much se tenor twelve million feet of gas
at their 'metropolitan station*, and they ere Sword by
the gem companies to the extent of 6d. per 1,000 hat, or mein
than 10 pa cent. =Oulu in the price of the pm. In
ether words, the railway companies obtain their pe foe 4e
per 1,000 in districts where the private consumer pays 4s. 6.1.
It will, perhaps, be worth inquiring on • future ocesraos se to
how far this amiable conduct of the pa °timpani= towards
their powerful customers who rule the destinies of the travel-
ing world is it. fluenced by the consideratios that those cues
tomer could very easily make their own pa, and would pro-
bably est about doing Su if they were not propitiated by a
weeperetively low mice. The circumstance that this large
discount is allowed to certain porno who con-
sume pa is an important fed to be Lens in
mind by the local authorities when seeking to make
contract* be the 'apply of gas by motor to the public
lamps. The following are instances of the low price charged
to the private consumer:-Belfast, 4s. ?A. to 3a. 44. : Bir-
mingham, 4e. to 3,.; Blockburn, 4s. to 3.. 9d.; Bolos, Ba.
to 45.; Brad,ord, is.; Bristol, 4s. to 3e. 9J. ; Cardiff, 4s. 3d.
to 3e. 61.; Carlisle, 4.. 2d.; Derby, U. 9d. to 3.. lid.;
Halifax, 4..; Liverpool, 3e. 9d ; Meeckolleld, 4e. 61. to
3e. Sid.; Plymouth, 46. ; Premix, 4s. 91d. to 3ii. 4d.; Roch-
dale, 4a.; Bribeld, 4s. to 3.1.61. ; Walsall, 3a. 41. to 24.10 d.;
IVbitehaveo, 2.. 61. t i 2s. Now few of the &bees towns are
more favourably situated then Load= with respect to the
oat of raw material for gas making. If the Beal in some of
them coma • few chillies* per ton lees, the vales of the cAte
and other residua produces is also less; so that the absolute
cost of raw material assimilates moth more then would be
stop teed at first eight. Whenever the question of price is
dimmed with a pa company, or any of their innumerable
end active agent% one of tee c nemosest sad most trite
of the arguments made toe of is to this effect,
that the price of coals ia so much higher in London that gas
comprise are obliged to chsree • mush greater price for
gr. than in places where the coal ie chooser. Let us Poundal
this argument for a ummenr. A very *steady, analysis of
the accounts issued to ther shareholders by the Looks gas
c trepanse during the teat Jive years has abort tar
the price of raw material for gas making in Loaders
has varied I roes about Id. to 151. per 1,1100 int,
the stereo, pries for all the companies dries the
r but Ave yeas being about 19d. This is the absolute
1 price which raw material has cost them after (lefts,-
I ing the rem received for the sale of cote, tar, and other ;
residual rodeo's. Now the goortion become*, bow
much of this 10d. will, or can, be nerd in any plat'.
however favorably situated with respect to the supply at
coil. A close automation of the puce* peed for coal, mad of
the prima realised for residual predate, will show that in
few place, rota et the pit's wrath, taco gin be made at a
I keo cost than 42. per 1,000 feet for raw material, so that it is
diflkult ea at 'siren= ease to cosorive ray Mace in which
sea, owing to the relative per' of raw material. ah raid be
6d. per 1,0110 fart keg than is Ladish, yet in a large
pope lion of the towns above-mentioned the gin is con.
aederebly more Wen 6d, below the Load= prier. Consider
for • moment the came of Withell mad Whiteman°, with go
at 2s. 10d. and 2s. per 1,000 feet. In the hatter Ore there
are two compete., ore supplying at 2.. rad the other
at ls. 61. Now supporter foe a moment that
the raw material in Whoehaven costs ebitolotely
nothiag, namely, that coal is so cheap, and the
residual prodacts so voluble, that the one I, tlsno a the
other, thew it to quite clear, if the company cin atf ed to sed
at 2.a. per 1,000, that "As 2a. covers all roe other musts,
including labour, material., lesiva., sad protit on capital.
Tr queen= netwally mire, '• if 24. per 1,0.0 will r mar ell
them charge. In Whitehaven, why not in Loudon ?" Az-
cordiag to tics emu.* of ihn own is it not doer that do
pore in Leedom should ot exceed 10d. for coal plus Ys. for
all otter thargee, mating on the whole 2.. 10d., er to be
libla.•l 34. per 1,000. When we Come to examine into the
moot why 3.. pew 1,000 test will not pay in Landes we
And the qu Au complicated with sassy difLuldes, sod ose
of the mod pimpliest and mountable of these
it tbe anonsous snout of capital which he.
be.. reeklesaly sod wastaiuily exploded en twee
of the Loaders works. Li it fink that the
=Wrest so this sagemies, and is assay cams umesseer yield
errevespet coley, le ts be charged foe ever apes the toads
sod Mamasf of the metropolis? If thin prepuritess etas be
midateleall is the slimed's, it la ego which at ell events
derives se support from the analogue core of cavil.. rail.
, way., and ether undertakings of a similar, ch&racter, Granted
In Wars arse an szoweive eapeoditure of morons' capital,
the oherehoi us derr mat, end do, suffer in proportion. end nos
,k, rha, iir be. tics freakier, shall tats the pair to
anderrril this subject', and view out • proper light, it may he
biped that the Wes vsneniell will not be ezensptssi twin Ibis in-
voilsbis law, offer: ong every enterprise both public and privy.,
it will esessi the hags, of this paper to eater at the preemie