Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-09

Ten Tons of Pennies Gathered at One
Collection in London.

correction In London.
From the London Mail.
Now that the evenings are lengthening
the demands on the resources of the gas
companies are on the increase and many
thousands of pennies are being nightly
dropped into the ever-ready penny-in-the-
slot machines The introduction of these
machines into London households has been
attended by results that verge on the mar
Vicious, as much as ten tons weight in cop
pers having been removed from the ma
chimes at one collection.
When the directors decided on introduce
ing the slot machines they resolved to
provide the necessary fittings, in addition
TO gas stove, wherever it seemed de-
sirable. The cost of providing these facili-
ties amounted to f6 per house, and to cover
this outlay the company charges an extra
ten pence per loo feet of gas to coin
meter consumers.
The effect Of the almighty penny" on
the ccmpany's revenue may be gathered
from the fact that the coin meter con-
sumers number G1,C00, and that the average
taklngS from each are e. per annum. The
limit, however, has not been reached, since
from 200 TO 800 of these meters are being
lifted up weekly, and by Christmas the
company's total receipts from this source
will be equivalent to f2OO,0JO a year.
The almighty penny has worked a revo-
luton in the conditions of the gas supply
Prior to the introduction of the coin meter
Sunday was an extremely slack day for
gas. But now the demand between II and
O'Clock, when thousands of dinners are
being cooked on the gas stoves, is enor-
nous; SO great, in fact, that at times it has
been problem to get sufficient gas
through the mains to meet the demands
of the eXigent housewives who are SUPER
intending the baking of the family joint
Another excellent result from the COM
panys point of view has been the equal
izing of the summer and winter consump-
ton. Formerly there was Il great dis
parity, but the consumption of gas for
cooking in the summer months has worked
a marked change.
Under the slot system the consumer can
obtain twenty-seven and one-half feet OF
sumes about five and one-haif feet per
hour, so that pennyworth Of gas will
light up room for just five and one-half
hours.
1t is not surprising to learn that there
have been attempts to cheat the penny-in-
the-slOt meter. In the meters first sup
Piled the weight OF the penny set the me-
chanisin in motion, bat with the pattern
now In vogue it is necessary to turn ham
die after dropping in the coin, and if a
penny with piece Of Irvine attached is
introduced by any person of felonious pur-
pose the knowing machine simply cuts the
cord and annexes the coin with the cool
ness of a living gas collector. 1t is of
course. out of the question for the evil
disposed to effectively cheat a penny-in-
the-slot machine which is put up in their
own abode by means of disks of metal or
spurious coins, since the imposition is de-
tected the first time the collector calls
and restitution is promptly demanded
But, as a matter Of fact. the gas COM
pany's collectors declare they have scarce
ly any trouble. They are on the best of
terms with their customers, and the dis
honest are few. frequently when no penny
is at hand the consumers will Use a token
or a 2-shilling piece. and then when the
collector calls they will tell him Of the fact
and hand over the pennies, or receive
change, as the case may be.
The collections are made at Intervals of
about three weeks, and there has been at
times an equal dearth of copper money in
south London, owing to the fact that f1O,-
600 in pennies has been locked up in the
gas company's coin meters Since this
method of supply was introduced the Off
Gals assert that they have not lost more
than a dozen of their coin meter custo-
mers, a striking testimony to the popu-
larity of the pcnny-in-the-slot machines.