The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1844-01-20

reasons
grant Amongst others, that il would greatly promote
thepubc comfort and that TO effect inis
general benefit 1t required considerable caplia,
which they were ready TO advance, On condillon
that they were protected from runous competition
Monopoes ought never TO be conceded, because
they always confer wealth upon the favored moi
vlduals, TO the injury Of the community, where
wholesome com eiiton should be encouraged but
companies in order to obtain exclusive privileges,
usually assume so much disinlerestedness aud pa
lotsm, that Legislatures frequently become dupes,
and find too late that they have authorized anenor-
nous public evil, instead OF adding TO Its welfare.
This, | believe, has been found 10 be the case
ever since tn above Company was chartered, and
therefore, such charteough, OF course, TO have been
long since cancelled. Cancelled tho doubt would
have been, if persons whose interests have hither-
to suffered had represented the facts to the Legis-
Iature. But what is everybody's business Is no
body's, and therefore the enormity has ioi many
years been permitted to continue, preyng upon the
community, until it has, lat length, become intoera-
BILE
In England, for instance, gas companies have no
monopoly. They go 10 the Legislature Tor permIs-
sion TO sue and be sued only the same as private
individuals; and what is the consequence!
wholesome competition, which enables the inhabi
tants TO light up their dwellings, and their public
roads, at twenty cents per hundred eunlc Iceland
make good dividends, and their shares are always
| at premium. ~
Gas can be made here as cheap as there. If,
therefore, the New York Gas Light Company has
ever charged above twenty cents per hundred Gu
bic feet for gas it has injured the public, instead OF
promoting its welfare, as II promised to do, and as
one of the conditions on which 1t Obtained It's
charter.
have been informed that as soon as the Gas
Company had secured the monopoly 1t began by
charging the public 100 per 100 cubic feet, Of
five times as much other companies charge SINH
larry circumstanced. This alone ought to have
opened the eyes of the public, who should have re-
CURED the abrogalion OF its charter 10 Its Infancy
Its present price IS 40 cents per lGo Gdoic 'estI
more than other companies receive In other parts,
and what is the result9 The corporation, hotel
keepers, tradesmen and others, lind the gas such
an incubus in their disbursements, that the city,
when the moon ought to shine, but doesn't, looks
like some dark, dismal, halt deserted place In the
interior, where the passenger runsthe risk OF break
ing his neck down the wide, cavern-hke, open
easements that yawn at him in every direction, or
of fracturng his limbs over projecting stoops or
over nnumerable crates, hogsheads, boxes, tim
beers, bricks, mortar, building materials, and mounds
of rubbish, that encounter hm at every step.
1t is absurd to suppose that the opulent city OF ~
York cannot find capital enough to torn gas COM
pany equitable principles, as tar as regards the
community, the same as Is formed IN other parts OF
the world, without going to the Legislature tor
protection, un1er preences not likely to be carried
into effect
The investment of large capital is always suff-
clent protection against unreasonable compeutlon
A company cannot be dragged into existence upon
so unsreculative an enterprise as the making and
selling of gas. Its costs and profits are too unver
sally calculated and too well known to mislead.-
II is not like bank, whose paper mill can be put
into motion any extent, without any real capital
IN its vaults The operations OF gas company are
not imaginary, but solidly expensive-it therefore
becomes lis own protector. For the Legislature to
throw its shield overt, and to create II monopo-
Iy, is unjust, unnecessary, uncaed for and there
tore such government grant and protection ought
at all times 10 be refused and prohibited.
Thus the New York Gas Light Company IN charging
from $50 to 400 per cent than other similar compa
nes, has iniringed Of the principal conditions on
which the charter obtained OF that charter
been at all periods since its existence, abrogatable
The company cannot plead unusual expense IN the
manufacture of gas, because it does not exist barrel
of weighs the average about $50 lbs and costs
,ir sings One pound of rosin will make 10 cubic feet
of gas the barrel WILL therefore, make 1900 cubic feet
The material for making the gas will consequently cost
he consumer pays ~ cents FORTH same quantity.
Another very fertile source of dissatisfaction is, that
consumers generally imagine they pay for much more
than they actually burn. TO avoid such suspicion the
company ought never to have made its own meters Is
inconss ent and indicate in any company to make It's
which body can check, 10 measure all
article it has the monopoly o. An Individual has the
means in all other articles OF asceaning whether he is
dealt fairly with hut in the costly article OF gas, he is
furnished with such means however loud and frequent
may be his expressions Of dissatisfaction the subject
But let see whether the Gas Company has fulfilled
any its other promises 10 promote the public wefe,
condition on which it obtained its very mischievons
charter.
Every one is aware that the whole soil Of the city is
saturated with gas Dig few inches only below the sur
lace and the gas is sufficient and quite offensive enough
OF the pipes generally which crowded through and
through, in all directions, by oxidation When the
smallest leakage of this kind is discoverabe such pipes
should be Immediately taken up and replaced by new
ones hut the company will never do this seems, il
avoidabe insists upon the enormous sum oil 20 cents
per 100 cubic feet but will rarely consent to incur the
pense OF even repairs.
This awful quantity of gas is for passing upwards
into the atmosphere SO that every inaban Of the city
breathes night and day Now carburetted hydrogen is
highly injurious to health and in fact absolutely destruc-
tive of animal life the predsposing cause Of agne
ipfa nAuu,u in he
consumption and variety Of other very lamentable ma
ladies, which millions have unfortunately become mar
tyrs to- by living in the vicinity of marshes and swamps
md If the bills OF mortality in this city be inspected the
great majority Of deaths will be found to originate in the
affinity for water that whenever the corroded pipes
near the public pumps the gas PUSHES INTO the wells
and niecls the water, which is rendered unfit for USE
In addition to hese two fertile Of sickness the
quantity Of gas that is at all times suffered to escape at the
works in Centre street is osepowering that person
might well walk into the gasometer at once as go to
leeward Of the companys mandatory Mount Vesuvius
is nothing to it,
This dreadful DESTROYER of health might easily be pre-.
vented but the company will not take the trouble TO
effect it, Is this promoting the public welfare which the
company said had in view when applying for its char
ter II the inhabitants of this city were living in the
midst Of swamp they could not Ihae half so much de-
eterious carbureted hydrogen as they do at present
am surprised that the land and house owners within
the immediate circle Of the pesierous influence OF the
works have not long since insisted upon the removal
so great nusan as 1t must deteriora'e their properly
30 per cent II every neghboring street were kept con
stanty covered with dead anmas, carried there to liz
and rh the cabonc acid gas and hydrogen arising from
the general mass Of purescence would not be more pro
ductve Of disease than the unlimited quantity OF the
gases which now for envelope those works
Had the company been candid enough TO tell the legs
ature that when il had obtained its monopoly it would
charge its customers FIVE times much most othe
consumers pay that it would keep he City of New York
in comparative darkness and consequently disgrace &c
all other opuen commercial cities and that would
permanently saturate the water and the atmosphere with
poisonous gases which should predpose its inhabitan
to liberated throas evers, infammatons and
ety oil other distressing diseases often miscaled inhu
enzas and ascrbed to almost every but the RICH
one had the company b.en open enough TO have avow
ed all this doubt if the legislature would have given
the exclusive privilege to do any such thing, which
wholesome competition would have prevented and would
sill remove.
would, therefore suggest that early public meet
ing be called in order that subject allimporant Il
the happiness and health of the inhabitants of this city
be fully, fairly and calmly discussed preparatory to IN
presenting petition to the legislature for the abrogatio
| of the charter IF the New York Gas Light Company
Every family is interested in the equitable decision
this very serious quss ion and therefore trust that
will be taken up by individuals of influence and wealth
lam hpr al (,as