The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-26

other places, perhaps 20, 1000 Of them.
Paternalism on Trial in Philadelphia
Philadelphia is the chief American city
which owns Its gas plant. Artificial gas
as an illuminant was first made in the
United States in 1906. A gas company
was chartered In Baltimore in 1915; ono
was chartered in Boston in 1922, and New
York adopted gas for illuminating pur-
poses in 1925. Ten years later gas was
introduced into the city Of Philadelphia by
a private company, the municipality re-
serving the right, on stated terms, to buy
out the stockholders, which was done
in 1871, more than half a century ago.
The United Gas Improvement Company,
q private concern, Is now seeking to
get from the city a lease Of its gas
works, and the city authorities, after
more than fifty years experience with
municipal ownership" of gas works, arc
desirous of disposing of them under such
lease. The City Solicitor, whose position
corresponds with that of Corporation Coun.
sci in the city of New York, has sent to the
Chairman of the Philadelphia Council Com
mittee on Finance and Water an opinion to
the effect that the city authorities have the
right to make the lease, his conclusion
being in the words following:
I'm the existing condition OF the law upon the en-
tire subject l Gm obliged to advise you that. in my
| opinion. the city has the right to make q lease OF its
gas works II authorized by an ordinance"
At the hearing on Tuesday some facts
were disclosed which show how in prac.
l. t;ooI ororatiop Gp,,nSntnal nupar,htor -
gas works in Philadelphia. The area of
number of gas lamps in the city Is z $500.
The current expenses Of the Bureau Of Gas
amount to more han 5000, 900 a year
and the city's loss on gas amounts to about
$15O,O0O a year. The gas burned In Phil
adelphia is sold at a rate no cheaper than
in some other American cities in which the
municipality has nothing to do with sup
plying 1t, and moreover, the quality Of the
gas furnished In Philadelphia by the city
is, as all travellers can attest and all can
did Philadelphians admit, inferior. Col.
A. K. MCCLURE, one of the speakers at the
public hearing in Philadelphia on Tues
day, said:
ave have very bad gas In Philadelphia doubt
whether any other city in the Union has a. bad gas
as we have. You have lost thousands and Thousands
and scores OF thousands. yea, hundreds Of thousands
OF dollars in this city because your gaa Is unit for
use. This is q fact that none will dispute. Men have
given all manner Of theory. but we must look at the
facts. and unless Philadelphia shall produce . better
quality of gas in nve years from this time. probably
as much as rs. 30. or even 30 per cent. of the gas will
be supplanted by electric lights. Our gas works do
not pay. They are to-day q positive loss to the tax.
payers OF this city. They show in q year . loas OF
nearly 4 quarter OF q million dollars"
The reasons assigned by Col. MCCLURE
for the failure of municipal ownership of
gas works In Philadelphia are the same as
are to be found generally. The gas plant
is imperfect, primitive, not up to date, and
insufficient for the requirements of the
city. The management Of the gas works,
instead Of being In the hands of business
men desiring to operate them for profit and
compelled by competition to furnish the
satisfactory supply at a proper rate, are
under the direction Of politicians of no
particular knowledge on the subject and
without the incentive to furnish the city
with the best service possible. JOHN @.
BULLrTr, one OF the speakers at TUESDAYS
meeting In advocacy OF the policy of leas.
Ing the gas works, now operated under
municipal ownership, to the corporation
which is bidding for the lease, said:
"The private Organisations who are stimulated nv
their Interest can unquestionably secure greater EN-.
cheney and better service In manufacturing enter
priSes. Another dtniculty In the management OF the
gas works by the city 10 this: Judlcious operation OF
such q large business enterprise requires that the
persons managing It should be forehanded In the
plant and In the preparations In reference to future
business Pipes will rust and give out. The size Of
pipes ntted for the business will change from time "a
time Extensions and expansions are required. New
material aud new methods arc being from time 70
time required. All this renders inevitable .he expen,
diture of very large sums OF money. A municipal
organization cannot properly meet the conditions and
contingencies OF the future"
In other words, as set forth In the arp,,
ments advanced by those who favor this
withdrawal of the city OF Ph!ladelphia
from the gas-making and gas-selling bust
ness after long experiment, 1t has proved
to be a failure In operation, for the reason
that the business is not as we'll conducted
by public authority operating on political
lines rs it would or could be by a business.
corporation chartered by public authority
and operating under public safeguard and
under the competition OF rivals to supply
the municipal ownership of the gas plan
acquired by purchase from private com
panies. Millions of dollars of unproduc
! tive investment are represented in tn,
plant. The loss entailed each year upo1
the people OF Philadelphia is from
$loo,O00 to $3.50. 600, v~ariously estimated