The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-27
PEOPLE MOSTLY HONEST.
BAD BILLS FROM DELIBER1TR
IN o. THE RULE.
Good Word. for the Public from an 1cenaa

pnnies-Conditions Preciude n Remedy.
The statement was made some days ago, on
the authority OF one OF the officers OF tho Con.
solidated Gas Company. that one ofthe obstacles
in the way OF cheaper gas was tho tremendous
loss through uncollcctible bills, tho sum total
of which was said to amount annually to $500.
600. Whether other companies and corpora
tions suffer losses of equal proportions would be
n most difficult matter to determine. but It 10
certain that there are large numbers of people
who live on tho interest OF their debts, 80 to
speak. To reach this delectablo condition of
life, and to maintain themselves In 1T. they go
to great lengths and make the lifo of the collec-
tor equal in joy to that of the insurance or the
advertising solicitor. Tho butcher, tho baker.
the candlestick maker, all of thom arc victims
OF these people.
H5ow, although the number of those people n
large, relatively TO the whole population II IL
small, " the testimony of men who have DEAL
ings with them Ia to be believed. To hear a cole
lector tell his woes Is to be converted instantly
to tho belief that everybody who runs up q bill
Is n beat. or would be ono were It not for the
vigilance Of tho collector. But those who have
to do with the results OF the collectors work are
more generous In their conclusions, and to hear
one talk about bad bills restores ones faith In
humanity. They say that men and women as .
rule are honest, even though the yearly losses
from bad bills in this city are enormous. The
calculation Is that only one-tenth Of these bills.
or even less than that, are caused by desire to
dcfraud. As testimony to this effect, none
better can be given than that of Secretary Reeve
OF the Consolidated Ice Company. More people
arc willing to avoid paying an ice bill than any
other kind. it is said. Mr.. Reeve was asked
what the experience of his company had been
in this direction
WELL" he said. with q mournful sort OF
smile. "our losses each year from bad bills are
large, very large. but a very small part of them
are from fraud. In fact, | might say that those
that come from fraud are almost Insignificant.
OF course innumerable jokes have been made
on the subject; but very small material often
makes many jokes. 1t has been the experience
Of this company that very few people will will
fully try to beat their bills. OF course we don't
let them get very far. II would be impossible
for mo to say offhand what our yearly losses
are from uncollectible bills, or even to give an
estimate. In the aggregate they are very large,
but excepting q stray one here and there the in
dividual bills are so small that We can't afford
to force collection. You see we do not let a bill
run very long. The greater part of the bills are
collected weekly, and II there is any trouble
about the collection we stop tho supply of io0
and thus protect ourselves from further losses.
II have found that the great majority of un.
paid bills are caused by misfortune coming to
the debtor. By far the greater part of our
losses come from men who have started in BUSH
ness. with q saloon or a butcher shop, for in.
stance. where they use large quantities Of Ice.
They fail. and we have to suffer with the
other creditors. Once in q while We en-
counter q case of deliberate fraud, but
not oftener than in any other business. With
our private consumers we have little
trouble. The quantity of ice that a family con-
sunes in u week is very small, ranging from ten
to twenty-five pounds n day. With the great
majority of families w make collections
weekly, SO that none Of them gets into us for
very much. or course we are constantly meet
ing with those that would defraud. and they
are not confined to any one class. If anything,
We have more trouble with the well-to-do
than with the poor. Tho favortte trick is to
run up a bill shortly before they move
often find them out. They may order ice from
on to them and send around our collector. II
the collector cannot get money from them and
the amount is too small to 60 to law about. 90 It
| generally is. we stop the supply Of ice. But
they can generally get back again. and when q
company he can generally succeed in doing so,
providing he changes his place Of residence
OF cases. the vast majority, losses come from
the misfortunes OF the debtors. People as Q
viii do so When iI1s the have the en- money. OF Course
we SUI suffer the sane; n m mater what Z :, the reason reason
have to go out of business"
ON the other hand. The gas companies are un:
done's %bS yns greatest ,n ss, so,nefGins at me te h natSin Of
They claim, that people. honest and upright In
al elss, LOOK upon o gas com psntes as Neutral atInn al and
in the city there is no harmony; on the con-
trary. there is.the hercest sort of rivalry. Owing
TO this state OF affairs there Is one way to get
your gas free, and by doing IT dlscrectly there
is no need to pay gas bills at all IL you happen to
be "A householder. Flat jewellers must continue
, TO work with the meters If they wish TO defraud
the companies and run the chance of being
' a I'D. tt IN ~ m nnlten pnt,rf lNt trifh n hNnaA
holder 1t is different.
There are in this city a half dozen or moro big
River, the Mutual. the Equitable. and the
standard being the largest. In many parts OF
householder is served by on. of these companies
and he doesn't pay his bill, Collectors come
protest and they threaten. but II the house
holder keeps his nerve it is all in Ta,n. lie
or take out his meter so long rs there is n possi-
bic chance TO get the money. He aiso knows
do is, TO whistle and the other companies will
tumble over each other IN their hurry TO put In .
h hiytSe '0 does Ssm' hn stnnl!y'T Nsat da ne EdeT' c %rai
pany gets tired at last. and at til. risk
meter. The next day another company puts in
n meter. and so it goes on until all the companies
have been exhausted. BY this time. perhaps.
part of town. Then without any trouble he,
begins again. II he doesn't move, the chances
company again. for it will have taken him .
year or more TO exhaust his credit with the
various companies, and memories of CORPORA
lions are short. And what makes him doubly
secure Is the knowledge that the companles
will not prosecute him. his bill being too small.
II think" said Secretary XoIlikoffer OF the
CONSOLIDATED Gas Company. =" that tho estimated
annual loss to the gas companies OF a half mil
lion dollars may be too high. But, however
that may he, the fact is not altered that our
losses through non-payment of bills arc out
rageous. The majority OF people are honest. but
l think tho majority of people who do not pay
their gas bills are dishonest. do not sec any
way TO prevent tnlS, nnler present ClrCum.
stances Mt any rate, With the intense rivalry be-
tween the gas companies. it Is the easiest thing
In the world for people SO inclined
to dodge their bills. o / course II we
could have a law by which n gas bill 10
n lien on the house we could do something. But
this Is impracticable here. In Philadelphia,
where there Is such n law, the gas product 10
controlled by the municipality, and such a law
Is allowable. But here the gas Ia produced by
private corporations, and II we should ask for
any such law, why would not the Iceman do like
wise, or the butcher or drygoOds man or any one
who deals In q commohity2 No. such a thing IL