The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-02-06
The Gas Meter Swindle.

The question has come up in Chicago:
Is the gas meter swindle? This is
question that has often been raised, we
suspect. in other places than Chicago.
Certain it is that the gas consumers are
wholly at the mercy of the gas compa>
MES. By means of fast registering
meters it is possible for the gas company
to fleece their unsuspecting patrons un>
mercifully, and that is what they have
been doing in Chicago. A Mr.. George W.
Gregory of that city, has established the
fact beyond shadow of doubt, that the
consumers of gas have been systemati-
cally and industriously swindled for an un-
known period by fast" meters. Mr.. Gre
CORY has his own test meter, and by the
consent, or on the application of any
consumer, he can test the correctness of
a meter without the knowledge of the
gas company. He has done this in a great
many instances, and has found that fully
50 per cent of the meters he has tested
register from 2 to 20 per cent fast" In
many cases where the meters have been
found fast" consumers have demanded
of the gas company and received rebate
on the bills paid for the preceding three
months. One firm in Chicago was paid
rebate of $500 and in numerous cases
rebates of S25 to $50 have been recov-
cred.
A bill will be int oduced into the His
nois legislature providing for the appoint
ment of State Meter Inspector, whose
duty it will be to test every meter put out
by the gas companies and afflX thereto his
official seal of inspection twill be made
unlawful for any company to use meter
not bearing his official seal. The cons
panies will be required to test all their
meters once year, at their own expense,
and to allow the consumer a rebate on the
previous three months bills in case the
meter is found to register fast" The
bill will provide, also, that the. companies
must test a meter at any time on request
of consumer who may think i: is regis
tering incorrectly. If the meter is found
to be registering correctly or ''slOw" the
consumer must pay for the test. If it
registers fast the company must bear
the expenses and allow the proper rebate.
The Chicago Neaes, discussing at length
the subject of the gas swindle in Chicago
concludes thus: In the consideration of
the gas question and how proper and
economic regulation can be secured, the
swindle which IS being perpetrated on the
public in the matter Of street lighting
ought not to be overlooked. The council
awards to the gas companies contracts for
supplying gas for the street lamps at a
great expense to the tax payers. The
contract price is based on supposed con
sumption of five cubic feet of gas pei
hour for each burner The consumption
is averaged from tests made of lamps il
the police stations, engine houses and
other places where conditions are favora,
bic for consumption. AS matter of
fact, great many lamps not so fayorably
situated as regards temperature and pres
sure DO not consume nearly as much as
those from which the estimate is made
During cold weather thousands of lamps
do not consume more than two cubic feet
per hour. Notwithstanding this, the tax
payers have to pay full price for them.
One might infer that the city gas inspec-
tor could do something to remedy this
swindle on the public, and there are
those who think such an interference
would be not far wrong"