, 1876-03-19
CAS-.


MEETING or THE COUNCIL COMMITTEE.
| THE Special Council Committee On Gas I'D.
! pointed to consult and devise means by which
the cost Of gas used by the city might be dimln.
ished, met yesterday afternoon in tho City
Clerks Office. There we're present Aid. Quirk
(in the chair), Waterman, and Case: Hlldreth
and CLARK being absent.
AID. Quirk stated the object for which the
Committee was appointed. To this end he sup
posed that delegation had better wait upon a1r.
Billings, of the West Side Gas Company, and SEQ
what could be- done toward procuring decrease
in the price Of gas. The first and important
duty was to fiji q time when such call should
be made on Mr. Billings. Tho speaker hsd
heard that Mr. J. Russell Jones. whom he thought
WAS the President of tho Company, had said that
he favored no reduction in prices
The original contracts with the Peoples Cas-
Light and Coke Company were brought in and
read. One was dated May, 1859, the other Oct.
OF the matter Of price OF gas. The latter con-
tract was for ten yesrs, and the price was not to
e1csed So per ], 600 feot.
1t was then moved to appoint committee Of
one to find out definitely who was the President
of the Gas Company. and at what time he could
have consultation with the Committee. The
motion WAS carried. and AID. Quirk Was chosen
delegate.
AID. Quirk said that to his mind the only duty
OF tho Committee was to effect reduction
How it Was possible ho did not know. He be-
1ieyed that it was better to pay so much per
lamp for gas than to pay by measurement.
Aid. Case WAS SURPRISED at the enormous
amount Of money spent By the city OF Chicago
for gas for public Use. 1t was an awful e1rrava-
gance. Philadelphia and Boston did not spend
half as much, and as for St. louis,-why, $780,
600 paid her annual ga4-bill Even Now York
paid no more.
Aid. Heath, who Was present, though not .
member Of the Committee, wanted to soy few
words. It cost tho city about $3.50, ,0Q0 year to
light the streets aud public buildings. It would
cost that much this Tear it gas Was consumed in
the aame reckless way, and the deficiency would
bo found at the end Of the year to be something
monssrous Something must be done to cut
off some OF this. It was of no use in the frat
place to Light SO much territory Many square
miles Of open prairie we're lighted every night
where there WAS no need OF it. Could The Com
mittee but get the price reduced to 81 per 1.o00
feet that would lessen the expense one-thifd. |
s225,ooo at the end Of the 5ear. Tho |
timetable for lighting aud e1tinguish- |
ing street-iamps must be revised, and |
the burners must be changed. There Was no |
need of lighting up go early in tho evening nor |
OF exttnguishing at 80 late an hour in the morn
ing, and 3-feet burners would give plenty OF /
light BY adopting these measures ho thought /
that the bill could DO kept within the appropria-
ton OF $500, 600. He had no idsa that the con-
tract With the Gas Company "as in any way de-
fectlve.
After it waH announced that there were lO400 |
street lamps in the city, and that 5000 were On |
she West Side, it Was agreed that should the
price Of gas be reduced BY the West Side Com
pany, the saving would he very great.