New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-09
IN TROUBLE OYER Gas BILLS.

COMPLAINTS FROM MURRAY HILL-WATER IN THE
METRFS-wHAT The COMPANIES SAY.
A complaint was made lately by old and
respected merchant. living on Murray Hill, that
the gas companies were engaged i'll system OF
petty swindling among consumers in that neigh
borhood The cause of complaint was stated TO be
that the co,npancs had contrVcd in the last two
months TO register and charge for from 30 to 90
per cent gas than i'll the same months oil lst
wear, while i'll some eases the consumer was using
fewer burners. \ TNBrNE reporter called ycaier-
day at a numi,er of houses ON Murray liili and III
other parts of the city. To ascertain II the com
plaint was general. The trouble, however. does
not seem to De widely spread Officers OF the older
ent Gas companies deny all knowledge OF any unfair
Transactions. and state an Immediate manner. OF
redress. Assistant ntrd states Dl,trict'AtiorhrI
Hugh Il. Wilson, who iiVeS at No. ~ west rory
I've have had n great deal of trouble with the
gas company when supplies our house; BON Ill ne
manner spoken of and i'll other ways. We burn the
Metropolitan C0mpanNs gas. Indeed, we are
OBLIGED t. bum Its gas. Tor II Is the only company
which hos a main running through the block III
which live. Having Il monopoly OF the business
tLe managers are. fear, inclined sometimes to take
advantage of us. Last winter my father was DONG
n pr nj deal of writing. We then used three more
bnrners than We are using tins WINTER when nv
mother and myself compose the entire lalnliE. We
had .rcat deal of Ihle with ouI gas last winter
and after several complaints from liz. the company
nut in "a new metro in the spring Nv mother ana
went ont OF the city ahOnt that time. ant remained
away all sumner. When va came LONE We found
thc .,as very bad. We were constantly troubled
with water in the metre. / complained, ana man
came and Showed me how to draw the wHtcr oil.
He also showed me peculiar arrangement about
the metre. There were two walcf-tapS on II. one
on the side toward the street and the other OF me
side toward the house. He informed me That II the
water gathered on the side toward th' mouse IL
was nv affair and the company would he re-
spOnslblc Only for what conld he drawn from Inc
other tap. Hence, whenever | wanted Inc wafer
drawn OF, which soon became m2ticr of Ire lu'nt
occurrence was Obliged Ia send FOR plGinlri anu
give him half dollar to do il Tor me. The plumber
informed me that the new method oil hahinI gas
always produced NOR" wafer III thr metre IMAM me
old WAYS Hence ! concluded that the company
had arranged the me ne 80 that world nave an me
trouble and they none. As the expense "i IafhE
water drawn from the metre amounted every
month to nearly much my ga~blls, began
TO look ont for any other Inconvenience 10 WhIch
the couuauv might subject me. ! examined NV
bills and found that without having Increased
the rate per thousand feet the company was con,
irving to make me pay more every month than |
did last year. My mother and are living alone
and | have been sleeping III the library, winch u
on the same floor a" her room liGhCe ~" gas
now not used at ALL l have been unable {" secure
any remedy to these evils from the COMPANY aS
they invariably manage To throw the blame upon
At No. IS East Th.rtrenth-st person who DID
not wish his name To be mentioned sand: We
have had great trouble with our gas. 40 MOI
know what company supplies Inc mousse. nut am
informed that there only one main IN TINS part
of the street. The gas bills for rach month S'd To-
be moderate even after the gas companies had
effected their combination "a year ago ana Raised me
urire TO 81 - "A thousand. W ItEIn II few weeks,
however, they have risen to a fabulous figure. Our
landlord who II "A gOOdnatuTrd man. demonstrated
with the company and todd the officers that he "as
using no more burners and keeping the gas going no
longer than he had always done But the bills
went on steadily increasing, uhtil finally. rs last
resort he as obliged to have the eas cut ell en-
tircIy All the persons living in this hOnse now
burning kerosene lamps. and wish every one who
is imposed upon by gas companies would do the
SANE"
The reporter called at number of hotels, incud-
ing the Buckingham. Windsor R0ssmOrr. ~. Cl0ud
GilseV and Brunswick: also the Aquarium. Ethc
Stan lard Theatre, Days ami the Bu0u Opera
House At none of these places, however, was any
cause If complaint discovered. The Office OF the
Metropolitan GaslIght Company was then visited
and the nature of the complaints was made known
TO the secretary. That officer said 1t IL lmpoS-
sbe for us to tampcr with the registration OF the
metres. We put the same style of metre in every
house and we seldom have "a comp aint When we
do If is usually from some one who has forgotten
the amount of gas burned, and so ba1ncs MS with
veIcha1 ging. We never charge upon our bills for
more gas than the metre registers That would be
a foolish attempt at imposition, for every one can
examine the metre in his house and make out his
own bill, AS for the possibility of the neTrcs regis
terng mn1C than is burned his course is very clear
Let him go TO the United States Inspector, who is
appOintcd for the purpose Of protecting The rights
of the public. That officer Will examine tie mctc,
and see that any wrong is corrected"
At the offices of the other companies the
officers made similar statements, dlSclallnng all
Knowledge Of any attempts to deal unfairly, and
pointing out the Same means of redress.