The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-01-20

ceu1ge OF wear 70 rotoTtS and Malu1s
wear 20 mstersasan paid by the .. hue hue
OF repair with la per cent pront winch mas De-
come sort Of rule with gas companes. o,n., u.u.
Upon these points-the cost of labor ana otnet uems
paues are provokingly retcent aud IN iso nslss
that they know nothing whatsoever about !:
OF an interview had BY inquirer wn.ne secsea
~ Of one Of the leading gas companies viii after tho
manner or Jay Cookies Pennsylvania farmer Muu, ,
the quality OF this reticencs me suooined Is nearly
literal transcript OF The Conversations . :,
REPoRrER (courteously dofiing his hap-Secrsary Of
the Gas Germany oll ., believe sir
REPORTER lin business like wayl-l represent tne
NEw YORK HERALD and would Ike Few Items oi in'
SECRETARY tstiii Misunderstanding can give you,
sir, consistent with the interests OF the company.
REPoRTRa-What Is the quantity OF gas consumed per
year by the patrons OF your company
SEcRsrARYI shall have to send for the engineers TO-
port couldn't you call IN the morningf ~
REroRrER-Are there no reports at hand from winch
data can be furDishedf
SEcRErARY-I'l see.
Here after considerable delay, the report produced,
the official carefully placing himself so there can DO
no looking his shoulder unfods the document GIN
gerly, and inquiries what Is wanted.
REroRrER-What is the quantity OF gas manufactured
by your company yearyS
SEcRErARy--About !, los, 600 600 cubic feeL
REroRTER-The amount OF coal uSodf
SEcRErARy-12l, 600 tons
REroRrEI-what is the percentage OF wastof !.
SEcRErARY-Thrteen per cent about i've per cont OF
which is stolen by the consumer.
REioRrrR-How many miles OF street main has your
company
sAcRsrARy-About fifteen miles
REroRrEa.What tho cost OF labor per foot in gas
produclionY
SrcRKrARY-Have never made up any statistics.
REPORTER Extending his hand amiabiy)-Permit me,
sir. just to glance over that report and save you
the trouble Of eadng / easily extract the facts
withou OBTAINING you from business.
SECRETARY with frightened air)-On, can give
you all the items quicker than you can nd them; the
report IS In manuscript
REroRrER (blandlyj-Never mind that: don't let mo
detaiR. you further; ! am an adept at decipherlng
SECRETARY tslowly recovering from his fright-Ob,
no. cannot betray the secrets OF the company; No
private company cares to have It's affairs paraded before
REpoRrEa-But when company makes money out OF
public necessity It's affairs become 10 an extent public
property.
sEcRErARy-Truo but partial statements create misap-
prehensoD.
REroRTER-But propose no partial statement, and
surely you cannot object to tho clearing up Of any mis-
apprehension which may have arisen from partial and
garbed statements by making an authentic and complete
ono
SECRETARY tsiill upconvnccd,-The company has
made up any statistics. The balance books settle
RkroR1nn-very we'll Give a statement from the
books and leave me to mako the calculation or allow
me to gather what can from the engineers report
sEcRErRyI think it would be better to visit the gas
works. you'll learn all details of manufacture there.
REroRrER-The details OF manufacture not what
want. | want tho cost OF manufacture
srcRErARYI have never made any statistics on that
subject.
R1poRrEa-Are there not several hotels which manu-.
facture their own gas?
SECRETARY Il know OF none.
REroETER--Has nobody ever made up The statistics
Of gas production and distribution and their cost
SEcRETARY-N Nobody that am aware of
REPoRTERCannot access TO the books be obtained by
way OF getting material for authentic statistics?
SEcRETARy--I think not; should not feel at liberty
to grant IL.
The reporter couresied himself out of the dignary's
presence with partial statements singing in his ears
and with Pm ina dilemma sort Of consciousness quite
unnatural to newspaper gas commissioner It happens
however, that there data by which proxmacly to
arrive at the profits OF gas company. Although
OF The leading hotels OF the city manufacture their
gas some have hitherto done at great reduction OF
cost Tho Fifth Avenue Hotel began in this way, and
was enabled supply itself at about half the cost
involved The offensive doors disseminated in their
neghborhood by tho presence OF gas works wore the
sole reasons for discontnuancc The relative proper
tons material, manufacture and disribu-
ton can, however, be calculated with considerable
accuracy from furnished by English reports in
ton 10 the subject In the of the British Gas CON-
pany against the parish OF Raclif interesting
facts relation to those proportions developed
in which the following schedule is a statement:-
RECEIPTS.
Total annual receipts for light .f2l 1872
Receipts for residual products, COKE coal tar &c 1000