New-York tribune., 1903-05-07
THE EAST RIVER GAS BILL

With reference to the East River Gas Coih
pany's bill, which is now receiving tue NhaS
careful consideration, it has been Represented
in behalf of the company thai Tue piii heiSi9
enables it to do the city the great IdNol vi AZ
moving the gas plants from the lsiaho Oh n"H
haitian. That point was strongly urged III
communication recently sent TO TINS ONCE III
which the writer expressed surprise and grlet
that a simple matter should be so seriously HIS
understood: that the facts should nave beeh aus
torted and the company accused OF rapaclls
when its actual intentions were DeheVoiehl-
ye+ II NOW anDears from the Corporation COun-
sells opinion and from various staten'"nts '''''P
at the hearing Yesterday that the bill ro'S A''
at all closely resemble the companys deScrlp-
tion of il which was sent 10 Inc 1rlpuhe' a""
presumably TO other papers
It is doubtless true tha, the inhabitants OF
this boroupb would be benefited by getting rid
of +ba GAS nIants and we fully agree with Com
roissioner Monroe that the bill would be highly
meritorious if it sought to accomplish tnat
single object in the right way. 1t may pos
sibIv anpear also. as the Mayor suggested yes
terdav that the bill merely confirms right
once nossessed but since made imperative by a
technical deficiency. and that In consequence
the company has a stronger claim to faVorabie
treatment at the present time than is generaliy
conceded But Mr.. Rives makes 1t clear that
+be hill confers valuable privileges throughout
the territory formerly comprised in Long ISL
and Ci+v and exacts no compensation. Theo-
reticalIv tne company is required to pay the
city the same percenta ge of its receipts in that
region which il pays in Manhattan for the rlsht
TO supply public and private buildings with gas
but in reality. since it merely supplies otner
companies the compensation is entirely HUI
sorry" That is to say. it pays the city MOTH
ing now. and therefore would pay the city
nothing hereafter. OF course, that little feat-
ure of the bill was not an accident 1t was de-
signed and 1t makes bad impression
Moreover. the company subjected itself to sus-
picion and finally invited a hostile judgment by
APPLYING to the legislature for a franchise OF
this sort instead of to the local authorities.
The charter gives the municipal government
complete authority to take care of such matters.
Why did not the company follow the natural
and suitable method of procedure by laying It's
case before the Board of Aldermen and suDSe-
ouently presenting its arguments as to COM
pensation. etc. to the Board of Estimate anu
Apportionment: If it had been asking for moth
ing which it ought not to have and dld not
really believe it possessed, and had been anxious
to perform public service which the meanest
intelligence is capable of comprehending 1t
would have conducted the transaction here in
stead of at Albany. The truth must be that the
legislature was invoked in the hope Of escaping
the rigid scrutiny of the local authorities
though we cannot imagine how the company
came 10 suppose that it would not be necessary
to send the bill to Mayor Low. Under present
conditions It is usually mistake for corpora
ton to resort to such tactics.
1t is highly desirable to restrict the manufact-
ure of gas to quarters where it will cause the
least possible annoyance, and we have no doubt
that the municipal administration would cheer
fully join with the East River company in ac-
complishing that object. But it is pretty clear
that the company, having set about the busl-
ness in the wrong way, with much less regard
for the public interests than it processes, and
in defiance of the sound policies embodied in
the charter, should now make new and proper
beginning.