The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-09-28
THE COST or LIGHTS.

The cost Of lights in the larger lows
and Cit. s is oueo f The orsat test problems
that confronts The people ]. Ea.e'gb,
Charl )tte, Wilmington and he larger
towns aud cities, comparatively few PEG
pie use gas because they cannot sfford to
pay the price charged
The Argonaut prints an article show
ing the policy pursued by gas companies
in many cities, which is full of interest;
A citizens committee il Des Moines,
IA, has just made q report on the cost
of gas which has led to a substantial re-
duction in its price in that city, and
ought to be brought to the attention of
city councilmen and municipal r3formers
throughout the Union. The committee
was instructed not to submit any esti-
mates which could not be supported in
the courts in the event of litigation. It
naturally found that those who knew
most about the gas business were, as
rule, most unwilling to give the infor-
nation desired. The mpany ia DeS
Moines would give next to no informa-
ton, and this company was but one Of
thirty-six branches of the United Gas
Improvement Company Of Philadelphia.
Wherever this great gas company had
Influence, or local gas companies felt
that their interests would be injured by
publicity, the work OF the committee
was retarded Even many of the OH
GERS in charge of city works were unwil-
Ing TO throw light upon the real cost OF
manufacturing gas. Nevertheless, Ger
tain officers Of gas companies did gba
testimony, and certain responsible cory
tractors did fer to build aud oP--@t
works at certain definite figures. TAa4
LITTLE by little the committee collected in
valuable testimony. A large number Of
responsible people testified that water
gas, such as is used in most Of our cities,
can be manufactured for thirty cents
thousand cubic feet The cost Of deliv-
ering the gas Gncluding interest on the
cost of the MAINS varies with the slz9 of
the city-the larger the population the
less the cost. The committee finds,
however, that gas at one dollar is profit
able in nearly all cities, small as well as
large. In Cleveland, O.. from estim0ny
submitted by experts, who appeared on
behalf of the gas cmpanies, it was
proved that gas could be supplied profit
ably at sixty cents a thousand
feet, and the company gladly com
promised on seventy five cents. In Terre
Haute, Ind, it is supplied for fifty cents
The prices charged in most cities have
no relation to cost. In Pensacola, Fla
with twelve thousand people, the price
of gas is So 30 In st. Augustine, Fla,
with only five thousand people, the price
is ST. So In Atlanta, Ga with eighty
five thousand people, the price of gas is
$1.00. In Savannah, with nearly as
many people, the price is 81 go. And so
it goes throughout the country. The
charge is regulated everywhere, not by
cost, but by "what the traffic will bear"
What the traffic will bear depends chiefly
upon the ignorance and the corruptibil
ity of its couT Gil. An enlightened pub
lie will not bear the extortion any more
than it will bear the corruption, and
municipal reform must get rid of the
two evils toge her. The Des Moines re-
port is published in full in the May mum
Der of the Municipality and County"
Prof. Frank Parsons has contributed
to the Arena some interesting figures
showing the reduction in the cost of
electric lights after the city ownership
of the plants. Here is his table
COST PER LAMP PER YEAR BEFORE AND
AFTER CITY OWNERSHIP, THE CATER"
SERVICE BEING THE SAME AS, OR BETTER
~ TUE crpyTrE Trr uUpT Arrn