The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-04 00:00:00

THE SUPPLY OF GAS TO THE CITY.

A number of gentlemen attended before the
Court as a deputation from the Alggate Ward
Ratepayers' Association, and presented a memorill
complaining of the very inferior quality of the gas
now being supplied to consumers, as well as to the
public lamps within the City.
The memorial, which was read by Mr. Blake, the
assistant clerk, stated that the gas at present sup-
plied in the City was deficient in illuminating
pewer, and was charged for at a price which was
believed to be much beyond that which the cost of
production necessitated. A petition was presented
to the Court in Nov., 1861, by the inhabitants of
Aldgate ward, in which an opinion was expressed
that the powers given to the gas companies in the
MetropolisGasAct would prove seriously oppressive
and detrimental to the interests of the consumers,
and should net have been conceded; and also that
the amalgamation of the companies to raise the price
of gas was not justified. The memorialists consi-
dered that the question has not assumed a favour-
able aspect since the presentation of the memorial
in question, but, on the contrary, the causes of com-
plaint had increased, The consumers had still to
pay the high price of 4s. 63. per 1,000 cubic feet
of gas, and got a considerably worse light. They
proposed, in order to remedy the evil, that the
Commissioners of Sewers should purchase the
mains
,of one of the present gas companies, that
they should manufacture gas to supply the rate-
payers in like mauner with several other cities and
towns, or that the Commission, having the mains,
should invite public tenders for the supply of the
gas, in order that the best and cheapest supply
should be obtained from private or public compa-
nies. They expressed a belief that if either of these
propositions were adopted it would effectually put
a stop to the inconveniences now extsting under
the present arrangements.

Mr. DRESSER ROGERS, one of the deputation,
said he thought it must be admitted on all hands
that the present supply of gas in the City, both as
regarded the quality and quantity, was not such
as it °ugh! to be; and he thought the ratepayers
had a right to complain and urge the Commissioners
of Sewers, as the local body, to step forward and
give them their assistance. The gas companies had
obtained acts of Parliament which gave them large
powers, and placed in their hands a monopoly
which enabled them to realise enormous profits
—much larger, indeed, than was ever contem-
plated. He did not complai❑ that a 10 per
cent. dividend should be allowed to the share-
holders, but in some companies as much as 10 per
cent. dividend was obtained, He did not think it
was right the companies should possess the power
of paying back dividends, or of increasing the
plant and s' ock, as they were in the habit of doing.
Gas, like water, must be considered as one of the
necessaries of life, and the ratepayers ought, he
thought, to have the benefit of all profits over 10
per cent.

Deputy LLOYD moved that the memorial be re-
ferred to the General Purposes Committee to exa-
mine and report. He deemed the question to be
one of the greatest importance, and he was glad to
find the cit'zens alive to their interests. He observed
that the subject of lighting and cleaning the
City had been recently brought before the Court of
Common Council, and he expressed a hope that the
inquiry would lead to some beneficial result.
Deputy BURNELL seconded the motion.
Mr. SAMUEL GREEN alluded to the weekly re-
ports of Dr. Letheby, from which it appeared that
the illumieating power of the gas was
generally in
accordance with the provisions of the act of Parlia-
ment, and he said he should like to be informed
whether the testings as to the quality of the gas
were teken at any other place than the residence of
the medical officer. He felt that if the gas supplied
to the public lamps were tested it would be found
that it was not of the power Parliament sanctioned.
He complained of the large amount of sulphur found
in the gas supplied to the City, which sometimes,
as reported by the medical officer, reached as much
as 23, 24, and 25 grains per 100 cubic feet of gas.
The act of Parliament sanctioned only twenty
grains, and he thought 801110 stringent measures
should be taken to compel the companies to con•
form to the requirements of the act ; and until
such steps were taken, he felt that they would
never do so. (Hear, hear.) "Within the last few
days he had been informed that in Liverpool the
extreme amount of sulphur in the
gas was 17 grains
in 100 cubic feet ; and if such a state of things
could be brought about in Liverpool, what was to
prevent a similar result in the city of London ? Mr.
Green, after some farther observations, inquired of
Dr. Letheby whether it had not been stated in the
House of Lords that sulphur could be entirely taken
out of the
gas by a chemical process P (Hear.)
Dr. LETItEBY said it was true that such a state-
ment had been made. The process referred to was
the patent of the Rev, Mr. Bowditch, vicar of
Wakefield, but it was said to have only the power
of abstracting rusulphide of carbon,
and it therefore
left untouched the sulphur which existed in the gas
in other forms. The committee of the House of
Lords, having heard the Rev. Mr. Bowditch on
the subject, were satisfied that the question of the
proportion of sulphur in the gas was too important
to be left, that they decided to limit the proportion
in the Birmingham
gas to 20 grains, provided it
was tested by his (Dr. Letheby's) process, and they
bad referred it to him to frame a clause to that
effect, and that clause novv formed part of the
Birmingham bill. With reference to the question
put by Mr, Green as to the testing of the gas in
the City, Dr. Letheby said that the act of Parliae
ment specified that the gas should be tested at a
place to be agreed upon between the gas companies
and the local authorities. He had no alternative
but to test it at that place,
because if any further
proceedings were taken before the justices no evi-
dence as to the testing of the gas could be received
unless the results were produced at the appointed
place. As a check upon the observations at the
testing place, however, he observed that he made

experiments almost evary night at other places.
(Hear.)
In reply to Deputy ELLIOTT, Dr. LETIIEBY
stated further that be had made many observations
for the local authorities outside the city of London
with reference to the lighting of the street lamps,
and his opinion was that the lighting generally
throughout the metropolis was pretty nearly the
same. The defective lighting in the City arose
more from the oldness of the fittings than the bad
quality of the gas ; and he believed that the work
of lighting the public lamps would not be satisfac-
torily performed until the commission had the mat-
ter entirely in their own hands. (Hear.)
Deputy FARRAR said the Court had no power to
act as was suggested by the memorialists, and he
thought the gentlemen forming the deputatio❑
should not go away with the impression that they
could take into their own hands the lighting of the
City without an act of Parliament. He thought
the whole question must be considered before such
an act w*s applied for. (Hear.)