The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-04-12
Do Gas Companies Cheat?

1t is sometimes suspected that gas
companies pump or force air into their
gas to swell its volume and cheat their
customers. This is preposterous. Even
so small an admiXture as l per cent Of
air would diminish the illuminating
power of the gas 6 per cent; and as
gas companies are obliged to maintain
a good quality of gas, they would have
to enrich it to make good the loss cauS-
ed by the introduction of air, the cost
of which enriching would much more
than offset the very slight gain that
might be otherwise effected by the use
of air. The gas companies would lose
much more than they would gain.
Gas consumers are apt to think
themselves in the power of the COM
pany that makes out their bills, and
to believe that these bills are made out
to suit its wishes, regardless of the
amount of gas consumed. This is
great mistake. 1t comes entirely from
Ignorance of the way the amount con-
sumed is arrived at, aided by a want
of thought as to the actual situation.
The gas company has nothing what
ever to do with the size of the bills.
That matter rests entirely with the
consumer. The size of the bills de-
ponds altogether upon the quantity of
gas consumed and upon nothing else.
The selling Of gas may almost be class
ed among the exact sciences. The con-
sumner Is provided with meter, the ac-
curacy of which he may readily verify
at any time, and the trustWorthiness
of which is fully shown elsewhere.
Every foot of gas burned must first
pass through the meter, and the only
way in which the company can get at
the amount consumed is by reading the
meter That is done as nearly as posi-
BILE on the same day or each month by
men employed especially for the pur-
pose.
Now, as a matter of course these
men may and sometimes do make a
mistake taking the index of the meters.
But, as is elsewhere explained, that
mistake is sure to be corrected the
next month Besides, the correctness
of these readings is much more easily
proven that the weighing of sugar,
for instance, on the grocer's scales.
In both cases the goods are sold by
measure. The grocer'S bill is paid
without demur and as a matter of
course. Why should the gas bill be
any more an object of suspicion?
Now, conceding the general correct
ness of the meter and the meter read
ers, the only possible way for a fraud
ulent bill to be made is through de-
Ilberate cheating on the part of the
reader or Of the clerks who keep the
books and make out the bills from the
meter returns. Would these men do
such things Of their own accord? Ger
tainly not. If they did, there must be
motive. Either they must get per
sonal benefit from 1t or else they do 1t
by specific orders from their superiors.
II they get a personal benefit, some
Or them must perpetually be liable to
blackmail to keep their nefarious prac-
ttce hid. Besides. it would be impos-
slole for such practices to long remain
concealed. The same reasoning will
apply in case such practices were by
order Of the officers or directors of the
company. Now, gas stockholders and
oflcers are certainly as reputable citi.
ZenS as other business men. They are
not more liable to plunge themselves
into persistent iniquity than their
ne1ghbors, to say nothing of the pe-
cuiiarly risky nature Of the fraud
which has been limited at. Aside from
the moral turpitude of such a course of
deliberate fraud as must exist if it is
the habit of gas companies to swell
DIS, does any reader suppose the di-
rectors are stupid enough to pursue IL
under the conditions which must sur.
round them? Would not an exposure.
sooner or later, be sure to follow? An
answer to this will in the minds of
nine hundred and ninety-nine men in
thousand, effectually dispose of the
too hasty and too prevalent belief that
deliberate fraud is part Of the stock
in trade in Saline