The New York herald., 1869-03-14

Sem copS sSe psoSucos Of
| any books or documents which would show tAe Inn
mense profits made BY these monopoliss and deter.
present. From @ ali ise sssiimony have heard g a.
has decided that the Eooks should be produced ana
II they not we win 90 report to the Speaker and
dence, but the books showing the receipts expenses
prOnts and divIdchds must be produced.
the ss woTss Fsr ss years. We declared no dvidsns
then We rave one Of twelve per cent, then ten per
cent and shsn twelve per cent last year; tnrtyiour
Charles II. Everett one OF the meter inspectors Of
the New York Gas Company being sworn and ex-
the employ OF the company some sixteen years, but
have been only about nine years inspector; re-
The company; have never received any other con-
sderation nor present from the company; take the
keeper and when the bills are not paid cut the gas
| on; ! had my book to one OF the b0Okkcepers, Mr..
ea 4e unss 40 t6 not serve any aScs
o the collector and when receive orders to cut the
gas on presume the collector has served notice;
have printed notices and the collector writes them
out he always carries number OF them with him;
am not gasftter; do not know how q meter is
made
Thomas Mitchell, another inspector, being sworn,
testified mainly to the same effect as the previous
Examined by Mr.. Bergen. he further testified
Have never averaged the amount OF gas consumed;
Of my own knowledge I whether the b SooSieepers G
average the amount consumed when metre stops
registering; do not have any opportunity 70 exam
Inc the bills except when consumers show me them;
am Intimately acquainted with the collector In my
district; do not know exactly what his duties are;
do know whether the collector ever examines the
meter after do.
BY the Chairman hear frequent complaints OF
large bills; examine the meters when complaints
are made and frequently md that the meter regis
ters 10 the detriment OF the company.
that you state-the bills are higher, the consumers
complain, and yet the meters generally register
against the consumer A. cannot explain tnat; !
have never seen the tests made after the meters are
George Ii. Kitchen being sworn testided:-Am in
the gas htting business; am practical gas litter;
/ was state Meter Inspector from 1859 to IS6o
when was superseded BY Mr.. Davidson;
ONCE was created the excepted meters were those
which were In use at the time the law was framed;
tween the companies and consumers: / believe l
found the majority IN favor OF the consumers;
examined @ nj . egna OF .ae street burners taxing tne
average pressure; found four OF them to he check
burners which passed four feet per hour without the
nou two passing tSree FEET ana one two
and half feet per hour; two Of the check burners
and two In Manhattan; one burning four feet and
one two and half were in Metropolitan district and
OF the check is to increase gnt without increasing
consumption OF gas; ! did not make o test OF the
BY Mr.. Bergen-I am not practical meter maker
but have examined them very carefully and being
practical mechanic, l can safely say that ! am
thoroughly acquainted with meters; the greatest
discrepancy ever found in disputed cause was
in which the register showed just double the
amount Of gas which passed through; this was
caused by the placing OF small indexi on
| when only 500 passed through; the meter had not
been inspected It was one which was IN use before
I'M
pressure OF gas; | cannot say positively whether
the check burners are extensively used but under
stand they In the districts Of the New York and
Manhattan companes the check s made by putting
three foot burner on the pipe and covering with
hampshire marked five feet, but they burn only four
feet have never any tests made OF the quality
OF gas In any other city than New York; In the tests
have seen made the power was generally about
/ fourteen candles
| New York Gas Company, being sworn, testified-Am
bookkeeper and chief clerk; make out q portion
Of the bills; the inspectors hand in their books and
from them the books made out; the collector
when the bills are given him checks them; / attend
TO any complaints that happen to be made to me;
Of any mistakes being made by the clerks.
A lady from Harlem wAted upon the committee and
desired TO the ofcers Of the company for pur
pose were obliged to trudge through mud almost
had held out f the promise Use that they % would have an
ONCE built near Third or Fourth avenue for the
as yet been taken and the people came TO the con.
cusion that the company wished to Keep their once
ns n @ IN ere sesrsed 80 @ r ana
there to make complaints, ana thus they can i'm
pose on the people especially where ere there are no
walk over TO the foot OF 10th street.
Mr.. Davis clerk OF the committee, assured the
lady that he had experienced the difficulties to which
she referred, but that was subject with which the
committee had nothing TO do He would neyerthe-
less call the attention OF the Harlem Gas Company
to the fact and he had no doubt that the evil would
session to examine the books OF the New York and
other companies which had been produced. after
which they adjourned TO meet at the City Hail IN
Brooklyn at half-past seven O'Clock.
The Investigation I'm Brooklyn.
The Assembly committee OF the New York state
Legislature appointed investigate the affars Of
gas companies and the grievances OF citizens, with
view towards furnishing the House with an inteIli-
gent report OF the actual state OF AFFAIRS this mat
ter, held session at the Common Council chamber
Brooklyn, last evening. p. Mitchell chairman OF
the committee presided. There were also present
Assemblymen Bender. La Bau, Hodges, Baker, Ward
and Bergen The attendance OF citizens was very
slim and the Investigation rather Informal In
character. Considerable prompting was necessary
the part OF the chairman to bring those who
present forward 10 relate their grievances
Mr.. william Jones, Jr., stated he had been taking
gas since 1856; that he had received bills from the
Citizens Gas Company for July, August and Septem-
Der OF last year. but that upon the LIST OF October he
sent In a bill. accompanied with q legal notf-
cation that II the bill was not paid within twenty
four hours the gas would be cut on The amount was
so far In OF any which ne had heretofore paid
that he determined TO investigate the case before
settling II, and offered . deposit but this they re-
fused, and the gas was cut on that same
night Bills which had been paid and
| duly receptei were recalled by Mr.. Libby,
President OF the Citizens Company, and
additional charges were added thereto. He knew OF
family residing IN his neighborhood who had re-
| trained from burning gas altogether for one month
and at the end they were charged the same a.
thougn they really consumed the gas a. usual
| Mr. Armstrong stated that he was not Interested
| ia any gas company. The quality Of gas was gen
eraly poor The bills have been increasnQ In undue
| proportion TO the amound consumed. He took gas
| meter. - 49,
Mr.. Phaen said that on May g. 1867. the same com.
pany alluded by the last witneas rnt tha 80 -