Morning journal and courier., 1880-03-10
The Gas Question.

The Gas question:
 The Committee on Interpretations met this l the petitioners for the charter for the Muni- | cipaI Gas Company of New Haven.
 The first witness called for petitioners was l Thomas B. Scott, of Poughkeepsie He said he was clerk in the Eagle office. They have | two gas companies in Poughkeepsie, one mak- | ing coal gas and the other water gas, under the Gwinn-Harris process. The new company | was established in 1874. The old company has about l, 200 consumers and the'new con- pany has about $50. The old company origi- | nally charged $4 per thousand feet. When the new company was started the price was reduced to $3, and the price at present is $2 per thousand in both companies. Thought the gas of the new company was the best, all though both companies were furnishing good gas at present.
 On the cross-examination by Governor In gersoH witness said he had nointerest in either company, and did not know whether either company had declared dividends. Said he had heard that both companies were about to con- solidate. Presumed that if they did so the price would be raised to $2. 50, but it would not go any higher than that, as the limit was fixed by law. He did not know whether either company made any money and did not care. He said there had been some trouble about
 the leaking of the gas by citizens, but no more
 about one than the other. Was not aware that
 there had been any complaints in the papers
 about the new gas.
 David 0. Sanford. of New Haven, was
 called. Said he had held the position of in
 spector of lamps for two years. On January
 l, 1879, there were in New Haven 9O6 lamps
 extending over 6S miles of streets. There are
 412 naphtha lamps. The city pays about
 $2, 200 for gas in public buildings per year.
 The charge to the city is $2.50 per thousand,
 10 of. In addition the city pays about $500 for gas in the engine houses. The city pays
 $31 per lamp this year, and last year they
 paid $35 or $36. found on examination last year that 93 out of 4O7 stores used kerosene instead of gas. think @ majority of the students in Yale College use kerosene oil in preference to gas. There are about IA GOO tenements in New Haven according to the Fire Marshaps estimate. have heard the stores and offices estimated by the same officer at between 8, 3,OOO and 4,OOO. I think the re- duction in gas to the city was made about December 10, 1879.
 On the cross-examination MT. Sanford said the contract with the gas company was made at about the same time every year. The con- tract was made for the naphtha lamps about the same time. The price paid for each naphtha lamp is $27 per year.
 Edward Butler, of New Haven, was called said he had resided in New Haven since May, 1866. He had been in the employ of the Pal ladium for a number of years, and for most of the time had been nominally editor of that paper. Gas had been used in the Palladium office. Sometimes the gas had been very poor, and he had been compelled at times to have additional light. Had many times been asked by citizens to poke up the company re- garding the quality of the gas. Had been spoken to twenty or thirty times in regard to the gas. From what he had heard during the past few months he thought there was number of persons who were in favor of @ new company. Thought if new company