Evening star., 1897-01-22
DOLLAR GAS IN NEW YORK
A Popular Cry That is Raised in the
Metropolis.
Seven Companies Now Supply the
Demand for Hluminant
and Fuel.
From the Engineering Record.

from the Engineering Record.
1t appears very probable that during the
present winter the gas companies of New
York city will be called upon to supply
gas at 81 per thousand feet, or prove to
the satisfaction Of the public that such
thing Is not commercial possibility. No
one familiar with the subject will attempt
to maintain that city of the size and To-
cation of New York could not profitably
be supplied with Illuminating gas of good
quality at the price named. Indeed, were
the franchise for supplying the entire city
with gas to be granted to a company now,
we have no doubt that an abundance of
capital would be ready to undertake the
work at even lower figure.
1t is clear that the seven companies sup
plying New York city at the present time,
which includes the operating of twelve
separate gas plants, cannot meet the de-
mand for dollar gas with the same ease
that single company with one or two
large plants could. Had 1t not been for the
folly of allowing one company after an
other to enter the field New York might
have had dollar gas years ago. In the gas
industry competition may be "the life Of
trade but 1T does not bring cheap gas
to the consumer; and of late years the re-
lief has come only through legislative en-
actment
We have no doubt that some officials of
Us dollar gas tomorrow II the decision
rested entirely with them. They appre-
ciate the fact that such a reduction would
greatly increase the consumption of gas
for fuel purposes: that 1t would meet the
demand for a cheap fuel gas, and that
the morai effect Of voluntary reduction
In price would be very great. No more
effective obstacle could be placed in the
way of prospecting fuel gas companies.
At presel.t our gas supply. US furnished
by the different companies, ranges from
about % to about 80 candle-power. The
average is about 26 candles: but II allow
ance is made for the larger quantity of
the lower candle-power gas consumed, the
average would be not far from % candles
The bulk of this gas is water gas, while
the rest is coal gas. The average heating
power of this supply is about 100 heat
units per cubic foot, and 1t Is not probable
that any fuel gas company selling gas
for 80 to 80 cents per thousand would fur
nish gas having more than $50 heat units
per foot. 1t is evident therefore, that a
company selling an illuminating gas equal
to our present supply for 81 per thousand
would give the consumer as much for his
money as another company selling fuel
gas only at one-half that price. To this
Stzbe added the great advantage of hav
ing one gas supply both for heating and
lighting purposes.
The plea is being urgeu that our local
legislative body should be given power
to govern the gas companies" with '-au-
thority to subpoena witnesses, examine the
books and regulate the conduct Of the gas
companies. 1t would be difficult to imag
Inc 81 movement more unfortunate both
for the consumers and the companies than
the one suggested, and no better proof of
this is necessary than the recent granting
of franchise % a fuel gas company, a
grant which most of those who voted for
1t now look upon as ill-advised.
A permanently constituted commission OF
qualified persons is a much better body to
deal with all questions of this character,
not only here, but throughout the state.
1t is impossible to see why such a COM
mission, which works well in Massachu-
setts, should not prove equally satisfac
tory in New York.
- This demand for cheaper gas is popu-
lar cry and is being urged in many COM
munities throughout the land. In some
of our cities the mistake has been made
of granting rights to a competing COM
pany in districts already served with the
almost inevitable result that the two COM
panies combine sooner or later, and the
needless duplication Of generating plant
and service mains has to be paid for, in
the last analysis, by the consumers Of the
product. The furnishing of Illuminating
gas should be treated fairly as q business
enterprise in which investors are war
ranted in anticipating fair earning from
their capital, and any community now
in calling for gas at dollar thousand
feet. to contract that no competing COM
pany shall be allowed to lay mains for
similar service for a period of ten years
at least. Such an agreemen We are con-
fident would be in no wise contrary to
public policy, while 1t would afford an as
surance to investors in the securities OF
considered and their investments are rea-
SOnablV