New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-11-27
CHEAPER GAS.
TIVE. CITY GROSSLY OvERCHARGEp IN
STRENGTHENING


STREET-IIGHrlNG.
A WHOLESALE CUSTOMER THAT PAYS nlI IN
pATEs THAN PRIVATE CONSUMERS-OoN-
TRoLLER GREENS EFFORTS TO kEDOCE l III
CHARGEs-RFSULTs OF THOhou1h IN
sPFCrIoN OF THE STREET LAhfs-fLNAs VI
THE GAS PRODUCERS.
Among t,e many investigations tending to-
ard reform and economy in city AFFAIRS not the ieaF
eG,ctua is hat concerning the hghung OF Ihe puoho
stroets The report OF Controller Greens examiners
made "a the Beard OF Audit concerning the claims OF the
several s companies for lighting the streets and parks
Of the city duung ISL has presented the matter 10 tue
uubuo IN a comprehensive form
TIE gas companies having the privilege OF the streets
and syeuues OF e city fOr the conduct of their bust
ness entirely iVc OF charge, aud liz many instances
60 The obstruction OF tho lines Of travel while they
are laying their mains, ought certainly 20 treat the
city with as much consideration they DO their
private customers 80 whom they are under no opi'
Iat.ou vet they TO treat the ey-their largest
customer-as nOpriyileges or immumties were eau'o
aher In referring &c the report OF the examiners AZ VI"
he seen that tho companies charged Tor 'no iisn'S
1881 street lamps burning ten months OF ISL
A claim of ruch MAGNITUDE could not, under the ne"
order of things pass through the Controllers depart
meut without receiving the most searching scrutiny
and as the result Of suescrutuy compete "uyS' VI
the whole subject has been made
The Controller directed that q Board OF Oouh.oIs
,hou,d be organized and after dstrcting the city, had
every lamp from Kingsbrdge TO the Battery counted
l,r street lane, or alley where lamp could possibly
~ laead was visited bv these officers, and the result
w. difference Of 235 between the number charged and
the number found The Board also reported S3s private
lamps lighted at public expense, some decorating the
grounds OF prominent politicians, others lighting the en-
frances % political clubs. hotels dramshops, ana oyster
saoous others advertising quack medicines and places
Of amusement Mr.. Green cOntended that the lighting
Of these lamps was fraud upon the city, and tnat
though the authority place them FOR these private uses
was in most cases derived from the action Of the Common
Council the gas companies themselves had respon-
s.lHtv in the matter which they should not have
euirked for the sake Of the profit it afforded them
Tho examiners first ascertained the quantity OF gas
consumed by each street lamp. Three feet burners
nre used allowing throe feet Of gas, under gwen
procure TO mass through them per hour. The burning
time per lamp, fixed by the department is SS5 hours
AM % minutes Per year making total consumption OF
MOO feet OF gas per lamp each year.
PUB5o AND PRIVATE cONsUNIPTIoN COMPARED.
The sass az which the several companies charged their
prvate consumers was considered a proper one IN tie
ease OF the ct although the companies in serving the
sty we're saved the large expense OF taking the ndces
" the meters, making weekly aud monthly bills, ana
collecting the money. The rates which private con
sumrs were charged and which have always been con
sidared exorbitant were by the New-1ork Company
tsper 1000 feet by the Manhattan, per 1000 feeti oy
the Metropolitan, s. % per- 900 feet and by the Harlem
e 5oplr LOO feet At these rates the bills of the several
companies we're made up by tie examiners and allowed
by the Board Of Audit for the as 10 months Of the yea
ISL, as follows: NJ.