The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-15
RR0FITS TN THE GAS LEASE.
BEe SCHEME 10 SELL PHIIADEL-
PRTA FUEL Gas ar Low RATES.

M sCMEarE 10 SELF PHLADEL-
PRTA FUEL Gas ar Low RATES.
ne CITY WIN Get w Return Gsr the Use OF its
Pipes nor Thtv Purpose and = HarEe Front
8 viii ne Secured 10 the Iassecs-Sfhyor
warFich's Fart In Signing tire Ordinance.
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. l4.-Many of the citi.
rsns OF Philadelphia talnk that the city
has been buncocd out OF tho property em.
braccd in Its gas plant by the lease signed
by Mayor Warwick. Every proposition made
to the city, except that Ut the United Gas
Improvement Company, was based upon 3 per
centaRo OF the receipts from tho manrfac-
Iure OF sas. Tho contract to, DO made with
sno United Gas Improvement Company, az
embodied In the ordinance which by tho sigma
ture OF tho Mayor has now become operative,
unless tho power of the court interyenes. was
sharply drawn In the interest OF tho corporation
which seeks 20 control tho plant. No percenteSs
10 offered on the receipts from the sale Of gas.
II provides in substance that tho United Gas
Company shall pay to the city during the period
ending Doc. 81. 1907, 'all sums received in OK.
cess Of 90 cents per thousand cubic feet" Dur
ing the next Ave years It is to pay all receipts In
excess Of s5 cents, during tho succeeding five
years all In excess OF 80 cents, and the last ten
years OF the tbirty.year contract II is to pay all
In excess Of 75 cents q thousand cubic feet.
Tho furnishing Of gas as an illuminant, for
which the city now charges 81 q thousand feet,
n o secondary motive with the United Gas I'm.
provement Company. Their purpose, as an.
nounced without reserve by an insider, Is to
introduce the popular use of gas as a fuel In
Philadelphia through tho same service pipes
which are now laid in the street. This gas 10
to DO furnished to householders at a price much
less than that charged for gas as an illuminant.
1t 10 to be served through q separate meter. On
this gas, II. 1t 10 sold at a price less than 30 Genus
SS siioSsa, iro aset 90 SF to at IS & P eents r "a .sons.n az i Il /,
the city will dorive absolutely no percentage Of
es' director torn 81 II sh p,' Edison Electric Light Com.
gsany; and a heavy stoekholdsE OF The United
prohts out Of this lease Of the gas works from
tho sale Of gas ms an illuminanti Why. gas has
only q few years longer to live as a material of
efew yesrs it win entirely supersede gas in
in al! large buildings; Our people would be a
oct Of fools to lake the gas works with the e.: .
RSSiGsSsi ysa rs to set eome. II at the nsn END q aa thSs sim roe
there win be no gas light in houses.
steam and less difficult to manage. il is more
a %ssS Rsp1 ans " you s1 VIII fnd 7 that %s t iSs t Tnits q
largest gas fuel plants in the country in this
city, and that is the entire object Of this lease"
ciated with Messrs. Widener, Elkins. Dolan and
Gibbs. in the directory OF the Edison Electric
ers In the movement by which the Edison Com.
pany wss absorbed by the Pennsylvania Heat.
Light, and Power Company. a $1,000. 900 en-:
WidonerEiEins Dolan.Gibbs Syndicate, and its
wholesale franchise from the city to the same
political influence. so marked in tho passage Of
This company stands to-day at the head OF a
fs9Iy called q lhe ele sEIsot lsh! Tr SSsiPsn WITCH po sre
owned by local politicians, and completely dom.
Company was formed for the purpose Of absorb
70 get rid Of the rivalry Of the Edison Company;
the only independent factor 81 in ,r the public and
Compelled by popular d protest to Veto the orai.
nance passed BY the trust in Councils TO facili.
out the control Of the Edison Company. Issued
trust certificates for its stock in practically the
dated, and plaeed Il under a harmonious man
agcment., With the acquisition of the gas works
me last s element b.an r OF posss'9fl ro@ Gom ths nntS o ~ Inc
syndicate, which owns and controls all the fran
monopoly Of the contract Of lighting the city
suburbs with gasoline. They have supplied the
consumed at the price of 81 cents and q fraction
This gas lease viii be heard from at the COM
ing February election. Organizations Of ciu:
Gems are being rapidly effected in every ward Of
Chosen ehe enls Here Hnef Is the ne" way one az Of Mr.. Dolan's as
sociates argues the gas.lease problem:
This city cannot manufacture gas with. q
profit. There are 1000 men employed at tho
works wher, 500 are necessary. Mon are en-
ployed at $3 o day that II private corporation
could hire for 81. The Legislature hxes the ratio
of wages and establishes an eight-hour, day for
work. How can the city make a profit in max.
ing and selling gasf"
The United Gas Company controls or operates
gas plants in about fifteen cities. 1t is on record
that q few years ago this company distributed
25. 200 gas stoves in some Western cities to In
troduce the use of gas as a fuel and make l;
popular. 1t Is the profit from the manufacture
OF fuel gas that this company looks. to for Its
revenue in the future, and from this revenue
unless gas could DO sold for fuel at upward of &c
cents n thousand feet.
In signing the ordinance the Mayor Of Phila
delphia could not have done anything else anc
be consistent. 1t was he that presented the bill
to tho Common Council through, his private
secretary on Sept. 2, accompanied by 0 state
ment that he had given this legislation his stud!
and attention since Aug. 9. He Is said to hav'
told members of Councils while the Legislation
was pending that he would approve no other bil
TO lease the gas works but the one he sent 70 IN
would have been passed over his head. II e
quired a three-ffths vote to do this, and tn
original vote on the passage OF the bill lacke
only two votes Of the requirement. The only II
consistency in the action of the Mayor Is IN
stand he took In his last annual message !
April. 1897, when he placed q valuation OF $50
100000 on the gas plant and said 1t was tn
city's most valuable asset and should never .
parted with.
Threo Fires In Jersey City-six H"rssa ID