Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-11-27
He poesn't Want Cheaper Gas.


To tie Editor Of the Dispatch:
see In to-day's paper that there Is demand
from the people for cheaper gas
For my part do not want 4 any lower
Ihaye been gns-consumerf from the hret' and
my experience ia that after q reduction Oh prico
tho gas bills have always been higher.
soIam perfectly sstls.led for IT TO remain as
II is.
Very respectfully. D. W. bE'hnD"A
November "a, 1892.
The writer of the foregoing communiea-
ton is one of the oldest and best citizens
OF Richmond. He is incapable OF mlsre-
presentation, and what he says - what ne
believes. Hundreds CT Others entertain
the same opinion that he does with reier-
ence 10 reductions in the price OF gas De-
ing profitless to consumers; but IL seems
10 Us that all of them are mistaken.
The gas-meter is not a perfect machlne;
nor ia the average watch perfect time
keeper. Yet when watch is IN order We
nav rely upon it for ell practical pur-
poses. And so with the gas-meter. WINE
il is quite possible for meter to fail to
register gas that passes through 1t, as we
understand its workings, it Is Impossible
for its hands" TO be moved forward
when the gas does not pass through II.
Hence the errors that IL makes ara against
the CITY and in favor of the consumer.
The books at the City Hall are more 70
be relied upon than any mans memory
and they show that Mr.. BEvERIDGEs the
ory is absolutely untenable.
When gas is dear people arc economical
with il. When 1t Is cheap they are more
liberal in the use Of II. The average
household in Richmond uses twice as
much gas as it did fifteen or twenty years
ngo and four or FIVE times as much as II
did thirty years ago.
In the memory of people now living a
! compositor in printing office was allowed
| but one tallow candle for his case. By
that dim light he was accustomed to set
! type. Where is now the man who would
| consent 20 do A 1G-candle power gas
iet was long thought an adequate light for
| a compositor. but it looks dim to him now
| after he has been working by the light OF
an Incandescent lamp! So 1t IS with all
sorts Of people. Year by year they require
more and more artificial light. And right
here IS the origin of the complaints, which
are very general, and of which. MIR. BEyE-
RIDGES is q sample.
| We LIGHT more rooms with gas than for
merly: we burn gas more freely than for
nerly, and we read more and SIT up later
| than ever before. Let no man pronounce
! Judgment in the matter of reductions IN
| the price Of gas until he has considered
all Of these things and consulted the books
nj the CITY Hall as to what his bills were
in years past.
water-cas plant put in the city gas
works as an auxiliary to the coal-gas pant
which we have been relying upon all along
will save us the expense OF building q
new eas-holder, and 10y mixing the two
gases we shall get cheaper gas and better
| gas.
If consumers bulls prove to be no smaller
| than before, II Will be the consumers own
fault. We dare say that many OF them VIII
| increase their consumption IN direct ratio
with the decrease OF prlce; but II so, they
will at least have the comfort OF more
abundant light. Gas.stoves Will come into
more general use when gas is put down to
a fiqure which will make it as cheap tcon-
yenience considered) as any other fuel.
Yes. the taxpayers, gas-consumers' and
general public of Richmond ask Tor
cheaper gas. And they will get 1t II the
| Common Council will concur in the action
of the Board of Aldermen appropriatinS
$4,000 to erect a water-gas plant. II the
Common Council should refuse to concur
why then our gas-consumers must continue
to pay the present rate-a rate which Is
much too high.
at one time the DISPATCH feared that
water.gas if introduced here would prove
| TO be dangerous TO the public health. The
| experience of numerous other cities con-
vinces us that it can be safely used when
mixed with coal-gas.
We live and learn.