The San Francisco call., 1899-03-10
Finance Committee S
Inquiries End.
PRESIDENT CROCKETT ARGUES
UNDER OATH HE MAKES I'M
PORTANT ADMISSIONS.
Expert Fred Holweg Gave Interest
ing Testimony on the Quality
and Cost of Gas in
This City.

J. B. Crockett, president of the San
Francisco Gas and Electric Light Com
pany. and Mayor Phelan had a verbal
sparring match last night that lasted two
hours, at the end of which time the bout
was declared a draw. Mr.. Crockett then
crossed swords with Fred Holweg, gas
expert of the Finance Committee. and
the discussion that followed developed the
fact that Mr.. Holweg, who keeps a drug
store at North Beach, has spent consid-
cradle time delving deep into the mys-
teries of manufacturing gas.
When the investigation into the affairs
| of the gas company, which was begun last
| Tuesday night by the Finance Committee
of the Board of Supervisors, in order to
fix compensation to be paid for lighting
the city during the last two months, was
resumed last night. President Crockett
was the first witness called upon to tes-
tify.
Mayor Phelan had evidently spent many
hours preparing for the ordeal. He had
! spread before him reports upon the SUBJ
| ject of municipal lighting from all over
the world, and questioned Mr. Crockett
closely on all matters pertaining to gas
and electric illumination from the time
the first gas plant was established in this
city up to the present day
Mr.. Crockett, who is an exceptionally
well posted man, answered his Honor s
questions with apparent honesty, and
never once during the two hours that he
for an answer.
He frankly admitted that there was an
understanding of a verbal nature between
his company and the San Francisco Gas
Improvement Company which enabled one
company to supply gas to consumers in
certain districts where the other COM
pany has no mains, the company supply
/ ing the gas receiving the profit and the
other the cost of service He also ac-
knowledged that the two companies have
an agreement not to cut rates.
Mr.. Crockett further stated, in answer
to various questions asked him, that the
gas supplied to households in various
portions of the city costs about 80 cents
a thousand feet to manufacture and so
cents more to deliver it to the house
where it is consumed.
A report on the municipal lighting of
the city Of Belfast. Ireland, was intro
duced for the purpose of showing how
much cheaper gas is supplied TO that city
of his own position Mr.. Crockett argued
that 1t would not only be unfair but IN
reasonable for the Finance Committee to
allow the comparison Of the gas rates
charged in the two cities to play any
part in the adjustment of the present diff
ficulty for the reason that the conditions
in Belfast were different from those eX-
isting in this city At least Mr.. Crockett
believed they were, and as the Mayor was
not familiar with the situation in Bel
fast so far as the production and manu-
facture of gas is concerned the mau er
was dismissed without any further argu-
mert.
Fred Holweg was then called upon to
give expert testimony on the quality of
gas manufactured in this city and the
cost of its production. He was questioned
by the Mayor, DR.. Perrault and finally by
Mr.. Crockett and his attorneys. Messrs.
Rix and Wheeler, and when Holweg left
the stand ne also left an impression on
nearly all of his listeners that he knew
thing or two about the manufacture of
gas. The Finance Committee Will go over
all of the testimony introduced and de-
eide upon the compensation to be allowed
the gas company some time next week.