The San Francisco call., 1898-03-15
Consumers Will No Longer Sub init to the ExtOrtiOn in the
 Way of "Deposits.''
An Insight Into the Cost of Manufacture of Gas Which the Companies Have Kept
 a Profound Secret.

The cost of manufacture has always been a carefully guarded secret of the gas companies, not only in thlS put III the Eastern cities as well. Colonel C. l.. Taylor the gas and water inspector, has unsuccessfully sought to obtain in formation on this point from almost every city in the United States, and once, when during the course of con- versation Joseph B. Crockett, presl- dent of the San Francisco Gas Light Company, promised to give Colonel TayIor all the information in his power, and the latter asked the cost of manufac- ture, Crockett smiled and said: "Oh, of course you can't expect me to say any thing about that" In his official re- port for the year ending June 30, 1897, Colonel Taylor gives some interesting figures as the result of his investigation into the cost of gas in Eastern cities. In New York the cost of gas to public and private consumers is fixed by law at $1 25 per thousand of tWenty-candle power. In the ten largest cities of Mas sachusetts the cost of gas for street lamps averages $1 per thousand The price in other cities is as follows: Gin cinnati, $1; Cleveland, 80 cents; Buffalo, $1; Milwaukee, $1; Indianapolis, $1 25; St. Paul, $1 40; Allegheny, $1; Albany. S1 70; Syracuse, $1 30. Regarding the quality of gas supplied by the San Francisco companies, Colonel Taylor
 
 tested by him several times each week, although the law requires that it be tested but once a week, and he has never yet found it to fall below eigh- teen-candle power. The thing that he regrets most is his utter inability to obtain information from the heads of the companies as to the cost of >manu- facture.
 Thomas Price, the well-known chem ist and assayer, has probably given the subject of gas as much study as any body in San Francisco. He uses gas not only for lighting, but for heating and power purposes as well, and is a recognized authority on the subject. Mir. Price explained the process of the manufacture of illuminating gas to a Call reporter at considerable length. He said that the cheapest gas is what is termed water gas, which, although giving intense heat, is of little value as an illuminant. But when mixed with certain kinds of coal gas, or with gas derived from petroleum, the necessary Illuminating power could easily be ob- tained. That, he said was the way gas was manufactured by the local com panieS. The water gas did not cost to exceed 9 cents per thousand feet, and to give the required illuminating power they used Shale, which was obtained from Australia. Crude petroleum was also used, and for that purpose a con- siderable quantity of the product of the Los Angeles wells found a ready market. Either shale or petroleum gas, MT. Price said, gave an illuminating power of above forty candles, while only eighteen candle-power was re- quired by law, so that a comparatively small proportion mixed with the water gas sufficed for the ordinary gas of commerce.
 Mr. Price could not give the cost of manufacture of either shale or petro- leum gas but was of the opinion that MT. Burlings estimate of the cost of ordinary gas was not far out of the way.
 If it is possible for the people to get at the exact cost of gas, they are in mood now to compel the companies to not only refund the compulsory de- posits, but to reduce their rates to fair price.