New-York tribune., 1885-03-03
GAS METERS AND GAS BILLS
TIE COST OF GAS AND GAS DIVIDENDS
o.s PRESIDENTS AND GAS CONSUMERS DEfoHh
THE COMMITTEE.


n,.o c.s Committee was late in getting to
,os,c,aav The time for the session was 1890 D. IN.
A, =, O'clock Senator Daily appeared Mt the Mor'o
IJo,se aud at / 80 Chairman Thomas came Ill A''o-
consultation II was decided to send j. haidch 'h0 o
rert accountant, to the office OF the Metr"po'""
Campany at Forty-sxth-st and Bro adway u ~
che books and accounts President Zollikoher oeo"i.
,ha, the expert wonld not be allowed to see tnc o
,,,sss ,,omher OF the committee was there 10 "css
what was needed and Senator DAILY finally agree " ~"
company tho expert General Tremah An' 0 Thouao
ford represepted the complaining cit@ens' 90
BATTER president OF the Harlem Gasisn' ~. con
rooa,,ad and testified My company went in'o 'no Vo
~,,, ,,ndar CAN'T itazaton of $3. 10000 put wncn
., n,t,ce on valuations made its report IL cu' u'
aowu 20 So 100000 AS result of that coh0oi'"''o.'
49,. have turned over all our real estate, MAINS e'c' "
the Consolidated Company.
o.-Is not your company about to close i's "'rAs' a.
Yes air We are about to close all of our WORKS our
customers being supplied py otner "oih' ''''Ae"
the Consolidated Company 49, co.
Gepcral Tremain read the grant made py tno '
mon Council allowing the COMPANY 10 Ia! , nn"'uo' r
duce gas etc. 1t provides that the CITY 'a9 aoin.
possesson OF the plant OF the company on pA.iis no
cost price and 10 per cent advance MT hu'.cr was
asked by General Trcmain what reason he couu 's'o
for the of the company with Others IN we"
o this clause in the franchise granted by the CITY MI
Rutter said he was lawyer and could not give ah
answer. .o,,, d,
o-IIave YOU made any permanent Improvements M n
vor works recentlyi A. We spent more than 9Zoo'ooo
a. ,rov,,o our works in 1888 and 1854. We could
produce about 1900, 900 cubic feet OF gas per oay
cost for distributing gas from the gas hoiuoi
state with certainty. We havc reports 'n"' ~ 80 ,
cxactly Our gas costs us 90 or 90 cents per ioo " Wy
ho,dcr Our percentagc OF loss Is greater tnah Win
other companies because there Is so much ois''"s "
nutting mn new buildings, which damages our mains
Our real estate consists OF liz city lots' % o' wv
bounded nv One hundred tenth ana one nuIucu
and-twclfth-sts, Second-ave. and the E"s' h'o'' o
tax last year was $37 97s In addition to this we nave
O piece OF property at Ono-hunuIeu anu '
and Thlri-ave., 20 by loS. 49,, =.
To Mr. Auderson-The cost OF our gas Is more Una" %
cents per 1000 cubic feet for distributioh' 'hs VI
course to be added to the cost OF the gas IN tne %
Te iShted between s. 600 and 5000 city lamTs' requr
ing cubic feet of each per hour nor sHs @ To ~ ~
ceved $40 SO per lamp year ns was w Sr district ut
25 per cent. We have 1873 miles OF mains, ~ ing Tsat
win snpped by the knickerooc9GT o e anf
company manufactures ""'0f gas
General Tremain-How can this company supply gas
so much cheaper your company as 10 warrant your
works being closedl A-That cannot say ynn,ovea os
private Of gas in the I'm Sl
smer c did this in the presence o INC e hSd found
meters incorrect, running both last ana SOW. % ano
isSso sSnv test meier he said which is OF the best
make and certified to be correct attach ny ueLcl H,v ~
setber the one suspected running fast or slow am
familiar with the mechanism OF meter hris * IN M c,s
one Que T., Nsw YORK Meters are liable to change in trans
EOraSn agd setting oaa SisS Sme e'sd m
cent too fast have list OF hy-four OF the iarses1
houses in that city whose meters were tesleu anu ou
TO register from to Ii per cent too fast 49,, ,.,
Thomas X Lees. formerly pros ient OF to ow Yore
Comp,y was placed at 81 100000 under the c9psolla
item wa, oganzed IN ls 2s asa anta was originally
SiOOo0O0. The capital was increased 70 - ~
s lHs WAS T psd n rGe new stock was issued to tie
stockholders in the proportion OF our shares o. , o new new
80 year 1871 their capacity was 23OoVoV cc eg'
PER day. IN 1884 this Sas increased TO oU'"''Ooo'
TO General Tremain-We had paid M dividenIs ,I dor !
several PriSr to s7d a. but I'm have 2 ee TSe
dividends paid as follows: In ls1' 20 per ofnI s
per cent; 1850 and 1851 per cent each; iss2 aud
1883 per cent each lss4 10 per eenoah may ayGSo y
dnd Of cent was declared a ana ad psd ri0 to % the
Musiepai Company 100000 for tue privilege o. mani
Featuring their gas and about mic Oh mains, m ~ We
purchased the right TO use the process oecre @ we
onvinced that il was cheaper and better Ine conact
prOnlbted any company IRON coming m'o our H @
aud SG3 esn Is 'InS and the Mutual in 1879
sold rs cents per QUO inc TeT ~ tSe same cost as
orr old process. The new gas was cheaper anu ecter
~, ~ Nn1 w oSo in perlaicnt improvements since 1870
This has been paid for out OF inc caihIhgs VI ~ ,
dno dest We have classes OF prices nowoSI 20
and 81 rs. In 1879 we had surplus OF SzOYoyo; man M
f ,,iei on the books at its cost. When complaint IS
made aud verified that meter Is running as WE irD q
rebate We do not average, however, one complaint o
This kind week. - -..,o,. rr,o b,d
possession OF the inventory OF the & ar :" en-
sodated eompInies ana claimed thdt MS ehOll7 ~ ns
direction had been evadcL Ar' Ahueisoh ''''
General Tremain-The question IS very pertinent one
n was oscerained that Mr.. Smith. the treasurer ha
charge OF all the papers connected with tue cohsouacd
sio614o M hse o. for ISs5 ssiso So the Prey9q.
sg1! a years i 1I0 7o Is97 s0gO0 9O 1875 S59o39 ls;
iS79 SO sos; 1880. $4s, s,3o1 81; 1881, S7l643 3Ji
General Treman- the increase of capital by the
consolidated companies have the enect Of lowfImg % ne
,rce oT osl The reduction OF expenses VIII hcces-
ssarily cheapen the cost of production 81. Cha
senator obswhy are me bills Tor gas e greae[ az "a a. se
raarcedi Al have not found such 10 be the Gaze
S% hS%f tnS Gf Ser SSn eospnns are well FUNDED
Mr. GibbsI have not tounu any ope Mpo ~ ~, r., ." ~
make such complaint take iny own Case anu 'D' u
"y feesin isst the capacity of the NewYork Com
pany was 100000 cubic feet per day. The plant was
Ppns Tyemain~fias the introduction OF the electric
,ht lad any effect in reducing the consumption OF gas
A-To some extent. Anything that taxes the pace VI
gas az an ilulnipaor affects .he CONSUMPTION OF eas.
Tho Consolidated Company si make contracts Tor nVe
years with any consumer OF gas at Ae ia'e vi y. ."
81 rs per 1000 feet, according 10 Tue quai''! o"
Senator paycan you tel US how i Is that a the S@s gss
companies have grown so rlch wm9 renu,hg % @ ,e @
of gasi Al only answer for the New orr Oo.,
PAM It owDea Ds s e hse cy This was sod and
lots bought up town ,.,, h,s, .,n,,oved
u.
by the Department Of Public Works since 1877 testified
t2at he had Insde daily since that time, at Grand
At ana seventey- -ninth-st OF the quality OF tue gas
Furnished by each company In 1880 the average OF
fhe New-York Company was 22, 81 candle-power; Man
haitian 19 35; Mutual, 26. 26 Municipal 2s52; Metro
politan 20 "a. and Harlem, 1903 In 1884 the New
York was 2i3; Manhattan 1921; Mutual 2s. %
hJunic,paI 23 I6; Metropolitan, 22.7; Harlem, ls J.
snd the Knickerbockcr Ia new company, "a In lS7i
when the Ncw-York manufactured gas IRON On coal ne
Illuminating power was only equal 10 10 90 Gahuies, @
The imnufItes In Tho gas Of the various companies were
not sufficient to affect the health OF consumers: III he
Manhattan he 27 26 grains of sulphur COMPOUND
And IN is grains ammonia IN each loO cuOc leeI
Sas. This was tue highest OF all the coinpanloss Inc