The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-03-27
CHARGE GAS BILLS

heA0iDR DFt1I II
discussed of late and In the absence OF correct in
formation on the subject, so many differences unfa-
vorabie 10 the management Of the gas works have
been drawn that feel compelled TO notice and re-
fute the false statements which have been indusfr-
ously circulated for tn. cole purpose OF creating
prejudics against my operations and II possible 10
eff, ct change in the government OF the works.
30 ef,tigable have been the forts 10 promote
these ends that 1t is highly probable that large
nu ber Of the OF gas In this cry rec SAT-
isied not only that ell the gas bilsare much higher
than they ut the same period any year
hut that they get less light than formerly and that
the gas ia OF very ihei 0r quality and still further.
that all of these is due to some defects in the
operations connected with the manufacture and pm
rcaton o. the gas ss s to be- si
all of them 1t being impossible for me to see and
sneak with every one who has had statements 10
this effect made in his hearing, take tfs nethod OF
In the first place. would like those who retail
thee disparaging statements. TO explain why t.a a
past three or four months In all the cities in The
United States! Can it be possible that sll the gas
works are afflicted liEe ours with bad manage
menr?' There il not single city. from New York
to sayanuah and westward as Tar rs Cincinnati and
louisville in which the managers of gas works have
not been arraigned in the papers the charges of
hi III bile incorrect metres and bad Mr. Cres-
son, the engineer OF the philadelphia gas works, has
in his defence and Mr.. Courreney the president of
the Louisville gas company, has pub isled pamph-
t. explaining the causes OF increase in the size of
the gas bills Does not such prevalence Of these
1mpiants 20 far to show that 1t there IS cause for
complaint il must be Of general character, and
that the managemt Mt OF the WORKS IN our city is at
least no worre than all otherss
Without entering into any len2thy argument, 7
hold myself ready sustain the position that there
has not ben such inc in the size of the bills
as to Justify the complaints which have been made.
To prove this, the Clerks books will show that for
the quater ending Dec ls i there sera we ne 3
average amount charged to each one was ~ 81 feet
and for the corresponding date i'll 1857, CO.. bills
averaged SIP feet showing an Increase CT "niv one
foot over the previous year. For the month of Jan
nary 1857 81 bills in Monroe ward averaged SIP ~
each, ard for the same month In lsS they averaged
Sl2 beng an avera ge increase OF 80 ets. about
three feet In Jefferson ward, fr February, 1876,
they were less by So Is than at the same time the
previous year, hut this decrease WAS mainly
owing to The closing of the tobacco factories which
are the largest consumers In this ward this she MD
not be taken as test That there were, Ia eaco OF
the above returns, individual instances of bills
which exceeded the amount charged for the same
tins during the previous year by o. 30 and even 100
per cent cannot be denied. But with the averages
above stated, it must be evident that where one bill
was thus increased, there must have been q laI ge
number which were less, and suppose no one VIII
deny that If the greviOus defects complained OF did
really exist to the extent which is reported, there
would have been increase in every gas bill, and
the small bills would have been rare exceptions to
the general rule of large ones.
Many consumers whose billsaIe larger th an usual,
are ready TO say, they know they have not used So
much gas, and often cite some other persons who
use more lights than they do and yet their bills are
I'm .ilrr. TO snch can only say, that the metre
tells best how mncn gas has been consumed
be charged for less gas than is consumed yet it is
impossible for TO be charged for NOR" than pass
es through the metre. III 9 umb Of metr, which
nave EN- sted at the wof ks aud Their uniform be-
clracy justify the sermon that there i, me-
in the city VIII CHI register IN favor OF the works
and VIII there is large gas bill II only be
untzd for by the fact that the gas has been burned
without proper attebtIon being paid Tit Til, &c
in stances are not however sufficiently numerous TO
cause the c)mplaIDts which have been made, AZ d
the real OF the dissatisfaction aIists from 4
diff reDt source.
FOR the purpose of creating end keeping up irp-
r s.iops unfavorabe to the managem mt Of the
WORKS, statements are III de by interested parties
and repeated ut all times ard upon all occasions.
tina; the gas bills are higher now than they were
formerly and tht they are still on the increase and
If the question. "What is the cause = Is not asked
vet the f. rther information ia voluu eered ana the
the listener is told that these things are oaing
tirey to the bad quality Of the gas. which is in
ferior TO what it formerly, that every consum,
Is cOmp He'd to burn twice much to get the came
amount of light. That the new works as erected by
the present superintendent Is IAN abortion" anu
that this officer s 10 bah for all the numerous dit
6cultIes which now exist, and when iudiyidI4l
has in realty large bill and thinks he has been i'm
properly fha ged, this solution OF any doubts he
may entertain it leases him FIR m al charge OF
caIeessntss ia the use OF gas readily accepted ard
believed.
Nor is this the worst feature in the game whi~h
is played When the state OF the M tres is bt ing
taken an opportunity is frequently made, and with
out any ques iUns being asks d, the consumer Is
modest!y ac: as Of having busnt great deal OF
naturally leads to quest ons which give opening
to disle upon the general increase OF the size oil
gas bills aud the unive sal complaints all over the
city" not unfreQuently accompanied with diss' r
,al ions the "eAcesslve pressure, tie 1mproI er
partcation," and other suuJec,s OF like sounding
char: t.r which would be more fully detailed we're
not for the enormous amount oil work demanding
the attention of the informant. These statements
prepares the mind OF the consumer to be dissaiis-
fed and when the bill Is rendered he feels con-
WINGED that il must be larger than it should have
been il the gas was of the proper quality; and he
feels justified IN complaining, because he think 3
that every body has cause Tor 1t. lt was from the
operations OF such that the Clerks office was
flied in the month OF December, with more COM
plants than were ever heard before and in numer-
ous instances when The bills complained of were
compared with that for the corresponding quarter of
the previous year. they were found To DO less some
times ~ or Is per cent.
There can be no doubt, that nine-tenths of the
consumers OF gas use more than there Is any meets
sity for; and they could have much light they
now ceive, without pay ing so much for il. Per
sons who have used gas for three or four years,
wi bout having their burners removed aud replaced
with new oats, shouli know, that by the burning
away Of the burner itse.f by which the openings
are made larger, and NOR. gas Is passed through
without any increase OF light that large per cent.
age is in this way added to the bills. and every con-
SINNER should know that by adjusting the metre
cock (Which is inside of house between the me-
Just to suit the demands that they could then use
as m1ch gas as is required without Iisking the
waste oft. These are matters with which all per-
sons conn ct with gas works are well acquainted;
and were halfthe time paios taken to give this
information and to instruct persons in the spplca
tion OF 1t, which is now occupied il making Gispar-
aging STATE ments and creating false impressions on
surned less dissat faction !elt towards the ope-
ratf ; tn gas works
For fear I mas be understood rs Implying in the
above that the gentleman Who i9 opposed TO me in
this canvass is N any way implicated, l unhesita-
tingly di-avow any such idea, feeling assured that
he is too honorable and high minded 10 stoap to such
aet-, to use any unfair means to promote his adj
yauceinent.