New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-02-23
GAS.

V00a
In all probability the bill to provide tor
a board of meter inspectors, INTRODUCED
on the tenth of the month by Mr.. Walker
will come before the House to-day.
It provides that inspectors, who give
bond, shall be appointed by the Mayor
| who, on demand of a consumer, shall
monthly examine the meter and give a GER
| titicate which shall be the measure OF the
price to be paid, and prevents the cutting
off of the supply when this amount is ten
/ dered. The fee for this inspection Is very
| small, and will be remuneratlve only In
the event of continual demand TOR the SER
vices of inspectors. In the present con-
dition of things they are likely to nave
more work than they can perform. BE-
sides this, a tolerably severe penalty Is
provided for an o~vercharge.
The Committee on City Affairs returned
the bill to the House without action, and
Mr.. Walker procured the appointment OF
a special committee, to which the bill was
committed. One advantage is certain to
result from its passage, and that IS thai
there can be no overcharge on the register
of the meter. Complaints OF this l
will therefore cease. Whether this GER
tainty of the amount of consumption Will
be to the advantage of the consumer or the
producer remains to be decided.
One thing is certain. The supply OF
gas to this city has more drawbacks In
proportion to its convenience than hat
of most other cities. 1t is often OF lnfe-
rior quality if the consumer is permitted
to iud &c by the amount of light received
from burning it. Its delivery, or more
correctly, perhaps, the pressure is very
unequal. A fair light may be given one
night W 18th the stop cock half-turned, the
next may require a full turning, and an
other only the faintest symptom is pro-
duced, or all these may occur IN a
single evening. Many parts of the city
where pipes should be laid the posts are
surmoup ted at the expense of the city
with lig ht from oil lamps. For example,
even a corner of a portion of the property
of the company is SO lighted. The price
is enorm Gus, being larger than that de-
manded from almost any other city. In
addition are demanded fees for the put
ting up of meters, attachments, the meter
.x-zIg IL akLo- .-o;1 ,~<olc -h;oh = m
pressive on the small consumer, which are
not exa cted in New York, Boston, or Phil
adelphia. There the companies are only
too glad to obtain new customers.
The company can not plead poverty.
Long since it has stood on an impreg- |
nable financial basis; it has bought out its
most formidable opponent without a dimi-
mutton of its dividends. 1t owns many |
substantial buildings, a railway
and rolling stock that delivers it from the
burden of freight charges, and has a sup |
ply of coal which, for its purposes, in
quality surpasses that used in Eastern
cities. 1t is able to drive all opposition
out of the field either by blacklnall or
open fight.
1t is the most gigantic monopoly, con-
sidered as such, that New Orleans has
ever had to support. The bill of Mr..
Walker will control it in one particular.
1t will insure honesty in delivery. Another
wedge TO be driven is to insure honesty in
The next, to insure nothing
more than a reasonable price shall be ex-
With these three guarantees the
company would have the support Of all, |
could extend its business, and thus in
crease its profits, and would in a few years
be honestly supplying the whole city in
of a part.