New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-03-09
THE GAS INVESTIGATION

The Legislative Committee appointed 10 IN
os,i,to the workings Of the Gas Companies OF New
york BROOKLYN and Buffalo, continued their sessions
at the ST Nicholas Hotel yesterday morning Naehhe
It. Hail. Secretary of the Old Brooklyn Gas company
testified that the stock of that Company was SOVov
but that Its actual worth, at tho present 'iuo,
q oOo 600 The charge OF the Company was - - poi
400 t bnt this charge varied according to the price
NJ materials The average power OF their gas was
oho,t X candles but sometimes 1t ranges as mSh
ms Is candles: the divdendss OF the company Iof ~o
mast five years have averaged II per cent "he o'
M amt "a received from consumer, MS meter is inspo'
al and ~ found TO be out Of order Ia replaced by new
one Mr. W. p Iibbe Of the Citizens Gas Company tes-
tiAed. That at tho organization Of the Company the
charge had been 81 so per 1000 feet, but when Govern
Of ofs ' the gas ' sometimes equals II or IS
I'm January 1862 the surplus fund was SlO 900 BESIDES
having this surplus on hand the company haa pau U
ledge was prepared say that the opinion regarding o
monopohes enjoyed by gas companies was hO' 10
Glasgow tscoand, where the gas was about 80 canues
power, that there was quite as mGfn s company
tesed to the general workings OF that company ou
deyeUPs Bodgeft Secretary Of the wsmsburGh Gas
Company said that the capital stock OF the was
originally $4,000 and tsa6 at various rus rese of .tocR
has always been regulated as Ieg9lrea DS aW ZEN e
pany now pays 10 per cent d'dShas 9 T we're pad
The snrDIus fund on hand now amounts 70
s7OO0O Tho Company charges ior gas sohpTted fos
by the fact that the company has only about SOe
sinners number which barely serves to pay expenses
Tile real estate owned by the Company has Increased IN
value very greatly in the past few years They now pay
per cent dividends but for 10 years no DIVIDENDS were
paid aud the Company did not pay. The Company de.
mands deposits from all persons not wen hhoMn, Du'
paws per cent interest on those deposls ING
CENTS from private consumers in 1868 were t22OO from
street lamps, 500, and from public buildings F@oO'
Judge Day Frst Judge OF the Court OF Common Pleas.
ply Of gas at my house, No. s. Cntonplacc ocouItu
tn the wear 1867 1865 The house was lett Dy lhyee
and family in May IN order that soble IePaIa ,s
he made We went into tho country ana returned
in October having been absent about three months
durnR which time the house closed; no other per
son had access because had the key; day or two
after returned, tho gas bill was presented charging
me with gas for the whole time the house closed
went to the Office Of the Manhattan Gas Company and
saw Mr. Floyd Smith, aud stated the fact TO
HIM; he said there could DO no mistake on the
part OF the Company; the gas could not have
been consumed without my knowledge; told him there
could be nothing OF the kind but returned home and
that wOrkmen had leaving the house shut of the
gas from the street and that when tho girls came 20 put
SO I went back and told him lAIr. SMITH that Il
WAS impossible the gas had been consnnedi
he1 unwilling to admit that there had been any fraud
on the part OF the Company and finally as they had tho
power Of refusing TO supply gas unless PAID the Gn
II. MI Smith prooP@Csse Re h6su pay 1G S%
the amount, and 1 did 30. The Chairman
inquired If His Honor could remember the
amount Of the bill; he replied, 81 cannot; IL would
probably be small, It the supply Of the Summer
Mr. Thos Basket of No sI7 Grand-st, and Mr. Camille
Ramant OF No COS Broadway, complained OF large IN
crease OF their bills for 1868 compared with 1867,
although there had been no increase "a tho number OF
burners or the quantity OF gas consumed.
Dr. Cbas knight complained Of al treatment on ephrt
Of the Manhattan Company. The Committee then adj
They will meet in Brooklyn at o'clock on the same
evening