The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-02-15
- City Gas Works Mr.. EpIToR

49, CITY Gas WosKs Mr.. EDITOR:
IVA "A Merchant" in the columns Of the
Whix, the lith of February. says: Our city has
this responsible position, superintendent of our
Gas Works. and IN 10th cases, has retained their
sersiCesbut short time
| This Is true; hut where is the fault? Who shall
We ceneure: be first Superintendent (nr. Camp
bell) Was left out by those very reope. the mass
es,' who, according to "a Merchant are In way
| Interested i'll tho proper and economical manage
mpnt OF the establishment" though one of she best
second CHR Wynpe> left for other services not te:
ing willing 10 rick vote ofthe very PEOPLE PUT
him IN office, notwithstanding "a Merchant SAYS
he is both efficient and popular. And now it is
| proposed that be- the Superintendent, "bhou d BE-
| teectad by the Council"
| "A Merchant" says the City Charter requires as
param unit consideration. that the Gas Engineer q
snail be politician, by making the Office elective
| ~ the people at large Pray, then must not the
| member Of the Hastings Court. the superintendent
ofcur Water Works equally az In rortant an officer
sors &C. &c. all all be politjcis MS for they
| elective ~ the people at large" Certainly so !;
what then. ls the superi ntendeut mot Enrip eer1
Of our Gas Works to be an eZcept n. par ercesnce'
THIS 10 high ground, truly even our judges are
eecttd by the people but the superintendent Of tha
Gas Work OF the city of Richmond must NJ { he
subjected to the degrading ordeal of popular eiee
iiou. becsuse. torsooth. with them, it's people
ciecti )ns popular and ii Id them a short lived
Importance and the masses Use sight Of the OBJ
Ject entirely. giving way to their feelings and pre-
Judices' at elections: and then comparatively
email numter OF the voters are ccDsumers OF gas,
(diint know that beforel and "are in way ipter-
e"tsd in the management OF the establishment. -
Are the voters of the city less interested in the
| p.pduuVes for Gas than for Water, If they are
inter ssted alike in both why should thoy net elect
| Gas Works il We were constructing Gas Works in
al The If Parts firally TO into operation we should
I have an Engineer" beyond tue experience of any
one in our city; but the works are complete ma
cuinery all working well. plans all rect: that
all that is wanted, in fact. is c9refut, indtstross
SYSTEMATIC gentleman who has e,i,; aron enough 10
Ii J,ar Ed nuAf and
! set TO woIk by an Engln err to superintend tte
whole, TO say that there less than fifty such
men in this clty, would he an unwarrauted re
| Il ction. ~onid like TO know how much Gas Er-
| cheering Gid either Mr.. campbell or MIR. Wynne
KAY s Sben they rs TOOK charge Of hs We H.
selves with the whole operation Their friends said
| So and say SO now. And are all the qualifications
fer such position concentrated in those two gen.
tlemenl Ask the honest and industrious mechan-
les shou: our foundries and finishing shops
Th"n. our present SUPERINTENDENT has BEEN 70 the
North educetinz himself. aud gre wing very init.
mate with the gas engineers of New York, Phila-
delphia and oihar Faces. Yes, he was absent some
OF bic absence! Who knew, Of all the gas coasDm-
ers that he was sbsent. The gas was made, puri
ma ana dIsf m S INST as wall sEd gsra'nsy q
skills
Iwou'd further ask can 10 one else go North and
heca Inc intimate with the engineers of New York
Philadelphia and other prsminent gas works. ex-
eepf cur pre.ent superin' enden'. and obtain such
One word more. "A Merchant" says ." the iner-
camille part of our community want good gas, at
the 1 west cost" Why should this class be- more
entitled TO good and cheap gas than any other class
Of rur city9nsi
Tue truth is just this: il supsrinter dent of Gas
Works IL necessary is we acknowledge. for he yir-
uay controls an expt nditure of about SIOa 600 per
anDum. we should have oue now; not one whose ser
vices divided between the management of rail.
road and cur Gas Works, but me whose lime should
be wholly occupiei aud directed to the economy of
these Works. which have coat our city some a110.
o'0 and whose operations daily average an expeudI.
ture Of 80. And the Council has not done its duty
wisely by allowing the half Cor one fifth it may bel
services OF any man, however capable and expe.
rienced to super. intend our City Gas Works. We
have conn etent men among us willing to devote
their tgtoie time to the Works. and would TO doub.
conduct them as economically they are at pre-
sent. Why. then. should one man be loaded down
with 80 many offices Of honor and profit to the ex
ciu'ion of all others2 Unless. indeed. Gas "A Mer-
chant" seems 10 think our present Superintendent
IL The only man in the city capable of filing the
post. And IL so, alas! assi how We have degene-
rated from what we use to scsis
1t TAX PAYER