The New York herald., 1871-11-25
THE Gas QUESTION.
.,e>.>sSe,SS~SS.~D~S>
What a Member Of the Legislature
Is Going to Do About II.
WE MUST HAVE GOOD GAS,
A Bill that win Create a Stir and Facts
that viii Back 1t Up.
THE GAS STILL PICKERING.

The gas question still continues to give the gene
raj pubic great deal to complain about and the
gas companies no small degree OF uneaslness. But
The complaints OF the one and the uneasiness OF the
other do not by any means emanate from the same
.'turn OF mind" for while the public CON-
PLAIN bitterly because OF the bad gas that
10 yet furnished by the companies, notwith-
standing the exposes In the HERALD as to
their utter disregard OF their patrons rights
the companies feel uneasy over what may be done
with them and their charter by the Legislature.
few days ago one OF the officials. who always has
. certain amount or influence at Albany with legis-
lators when gas bills one OF the orders OF the
day, sneerngly remarked, when HERALD
reporter reminded him that the power OF the
Legislature which had given the gas COM
panies their present strength might, the
coming WINTER shrive them OF much OF
their powers, 'That Is impossible charter
TO corporation is vested right. and 1t can't he
taken away without cause, and we can prove that
we do as well by the pubic as any company can do
and lose money! Now, 1t may be interesting to
this official and the companies to know that one OF
the Assemblymen elect from this city is now busly
engaged in conjunction with OF the best lawyers
IN the metropolis,
FRAMING A GAS BILL
watch, II 1t becomes q law, VIII be proof positive
that the companies can he brought to terms, all the
talk about vested rights to the contrary notwth-
standing. The legislator alluded to was member
of the last House, and knows well the Albany
ropes pulled so often by the companies to detr-
ment OF the general public that they VIII have be
very smart indeed, to defeat the bill. It's terms
Will be SO precise and its fairness conspicuous
that any attempt to defeat IL by the COM
panies win only serve to open the eyes
OF the very few people who have an idea
that the companies are dong their best and have
always done so. The Assemblyman states that he
has been very carfu collate facts and figures
cerning the workings or the gas companies during
the past five years, which he believes will materially
hasten the passage OF the bill once 1t has been
laid before the Legislature. ae has already In his
possession quite q number OF afdavits not only OF
persons VINO have been outrageousy swindled in
the matter OF gas bills, but also Of employees OF
some OF the conmanies, VINO know just exact tly
what kind OF coal and now much good and bad
coal ls made use OF 10 make
WHAT THE COMPANIES CALL PURE GAS.
1t should be understood that 1t is no easy matter
scr outsiders to get at the inner workings OF the
and their facts TO themselves and under the circum
stances they may be q little surprised TO nnd out
when the bin referred to comes up in ,he Assembly
Interests Tor the sake oi ihe dear public Is based
on simply nothing az all 1t is said that there WIN
be some nice revelations made as to how the bills
g. Sssssna asa af saa as 81 RS ssso
. special committee appointed beiorenand to lind
put the why and the wherefore Of things which, as
nj present. il wii be rememSered I tnat % Wien the
last legislative investigation was made Judge DAILY
his amy o 10 two
and over, was sent 10 him for payment, although
the whole time the bill was made out for. the next
LEGISLATURE VIII have 1t Is ealmed, great many any
before Il tee@ when the bill Is brought forward.
IL does seem very strange that the companies, Il
they do use the best OF coal ana make the pest OF
IS strange that the officials OF one company Will talk
50 ghbly about any other company than tner own.
reporter might well endeav0r 70 find needle In
haystack as 10 find Outthe truth OF what Is done oy
The companies, or to ferret out the figures which
would give the public true insight into the pront
and loss business, by which somehow their patrons
always come out second best.
OF one OF the officials OF the New YORK Company,
ais the cause Of the bad gas supplied TO consumers
ave supply no pad gas.n
'Do the other companies 7"
"They may hear some complaints about the up
town districts; but then, you know, people VIII
always grumbien
.'Yes, and when they have not. We have often
had complaints aDont our gas; but we almost always
.sThey tell me at one or the upper district gas
houses that your company do not take up your
..But we do; and know the uptown companies
have small pipes in some streets wnere they ought
not TO have them.n
And thus 1t goes Each company considers itself
better than any one OF the Others and its partlcu.
lar self very much slanoered II any lnsinuaiion Is
thrown out tnat 1t not 10 Its Guty to the public
AS TO the fact that the companies are responsible
for Keeping the glasses OF the street lamps clean,
they say they do the best they eau; but how they
Can do so when, in a district say that reaches from
river 10 river and over forty blocks IN straight line
uptown but twenty men are employed to do The
general work OF lighting, &C, is mystery. How.
ever although the complaint is general just now as
TO the bad gas furnished In
THE STREET LAMPS,
private consumers are by long odds the great
est sufferers. In some large boarding houses
mp town tue gas for over two weeks has been so bad
that candle lgnt has been substituted, and in some
large stores down town refuses to bum at all
cept In blue chickering's that give no illumination
whatever. A HERALD reporter had a talk yesterday
with a gentleman VINO has a large establishment on
Broadway and he said, In answer to o question as
TO the quality OF the gas farnished:-
'Why, sir, might as well have no gas at all. II
Durns 30 low when II does burn that II Is OF no use
and 1t very often goes out altogethero
ado you require gas during the dayf"
al 90; then II Will burn we'll I use II all day
long In certain parts OF tile store for You SEQ, II Is
90 dark back there 70 The rear that light OF some
KIND is necessary. can't account for Tic way the
gas Is carrying on. Fve complained TO the company
over and over again, but 1 don't get any satisfac-
non. Tney always say 1T is impossible. We fur.
nish good gas the fault lies in your burners "
"Pr0bably your burners are at iauit.n
'But they are not have had my pipes cleaned
and put up bran new burners. and II is all no use."
ado you ever have good gas ~
.'0h, yes; but, cOnfound II, that's just what
puzzles me. II shows that the companies give
better gas when they want 10 show what they do on
the average. My idea Is t1at some days they take
notion and use good COAL just for the show OF the
thing or, proDabiy, when they know some HERALD
reporter Is around'
ii may be that the companies viii find out In q
few days that they mad better give up the idea that
tie pipes are to blame FOR the bad gas Tor the facts
show quite the contrary. Tnev might as well do SO
as 10 wait until January, when The Legislature
wlIl take them In hand.