Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-09-07
Total for months. .s1as, $50 IS sl47.as 81
Electricity Made the Trouble.

ELECTRICITY Made the Trouble.
1t will be recalled that for some years
the Gas Department of the city was the
only thing belonging to Richmond that
had opposition and that the competitions
made by electricity was strong enough to
sdeplete the revenues from the sale OF
gas by many hundreds OF dollars annual.
l.ss TIE loss OF such contracts as tho Cow
ernor' s. Mansion. the State Capitol. ard
dozens of large stores and manu- s. turing
nlaces wa.e bloHs that the department
could not recover from for a long time.
These customers, one of them, meant as
much to the city as a hundred small GUS
toners, and it required no little time to
fl: their places.
Now the gas engine. the cooking and
heating stove, and the use Of the gas
in printing Offices for the smelling Of me-
tai for the type-setting machines and for
stereotyping purposes. have come to the
rescue of the gas works and the result is
being seen from the table above.
The gas works have seen their worst
days and WILL it is believed, begin to
show remarkable increases in the sale OF
gas In the future.
The department is manned by q set OF
men who are well equipped for their
~
could not be better. There is heavy de-
mand on the deputy inspectors and they
are on the go from early morning till
late in the evening and frequently after
nightfau Their quick service enures to
the good of the Gas Department and to
them belongs much of the credit for the
present success of it.
Oppose Early Closing.
rrt,-
the meeting of the Common Council lasr
week by Councilman Harry Huber. wh0
stated that it was offered by request
which proposes to close the markets of tn
city on Saturday nights at O'Clock. will
likely be taken up by the Committee on
Markets at special meeting to be held
Monday night.
There is no doubt but that the or1k
nance, If 1t is ever reported, will be with
an unfaVorable recommendation. Indeed,
Mr.. Huber. the patron. has declared that
he proposes to vote against the measure
and every councilman interviewed on thu
subject has declared himself against tn,
change.
The Market Committee will meet Mon.
day night especially for the purpose OF
making arrangements for advertising for
bids for a lot of grano!ithic paving to be
done in the First and Second markets
The ordinance also meets with the gen
eral disapproval, in fact. indignation OF
the market men. They say that the larg-
er part of their trade Is between the
hours OF s and 10. Then it is that tl1s
poor man does mis- marketing and then /.
is that the dealer disposes OF the last of
his stock which II kept over until Mon
day would spoil and deprive him of his
profit
The laboring man gets through work be-
tween s and O'Clock, after which he
has to go home. wash up and get soma-
thing to eat. Should the ordinance pass
and the markets close the poor man would
be left without any Sunday dinner. for
1t would be too late for him to buy and
his wife could not make the purchases
without the regular Saturday pay which
the husband brings home with him.
One dealer went so far as to say that
In the event the ordinance was passed
Richmond would loose her markets. An
other said that the man who offered the
insight into the market situatton. BaItf-
more markets are open until Il o'clock
and this may be one reason for the exceI-
lence of her markets which are as good
IL not better than any In the country.
The market men say that they pay rent
for their stalls and also their taxes and
therefore think they should be allowed
to keep open until reasonable time
The Committees Are Too Larxr.
The members of the City Council ara
beginning to saa the prophecy Of several
members Of the old Ordinances COMMITTEES
that the change In the committees In
making them larger would not Be found
f{aSfra hIo Tn the nn3nnrN corn m ffYacO a.