New-York tribune., 1903-02-06
NO G4S INSPECTORS.
Commands Haze Consumers at Their
Mercy.
REMARKABLE JOKER" IN CHARTER.

AS far as an- Efficient inspection either OF
consumption according to meter or of quality
is concerned, the gas users of this city are al
most absolutely at the mercy Of the gas com
psnies For some unaccountabIe reason there
was inserted in the charter clause re-
stricting the testing of the quality Of the CITY
gas to not oftener than once week. and there
also is a provision which says that the gas
must be below the standard go candlepower)
three consecutive times before the city can re-
cover the stipulated penalty 500. imposed fo7
furnishing igas below the standard. This per
r17its the company. if so disposed. 70 lower the
quality of the gas for t-vo weeks and then raise
it's quality the third week and thus escape the
penalty
The new chsrter says that the Commissioner
Of Water supply Gas and Electricity shall have
under his direction a staff Of gas inspectors
who shall make regular and frequent inspec-
tions of the meters ard quality of the gas
commissioner Monroe SAYS that the Board of
Estimate has not furnished the necessary funds
for these inspectors. and that therefore there
is no inspection.
DR. E @ Love the city gas chemist, makes
weekly tests of the illuminating power Of the
gas but he frankly admits that if the com
panies have any desire to deceive him il would
be comparatively easy to do So by lowering
the quality between inspection periods.
MANY COMPLAINTS OF GAS.
Complaints are almost constantly being re-
ceived at Colonel GIonroe's office about the
inferior quality of gas furnished consumers in
The Bronx and in Richmond. Only in the Bor-
ouCh of Manhattan is there any testing Of the
Illuminating power of the gas.
Tn my annual report 70 the EIsycr-f ss4ra4t
call attention to the lack Of proper inspection Of
gas consumption in this city" said Commis
sioner Monroe YESTERDAY 1T certainly seems
peculiar that the ~na~ter says that we shall not
tess the gas oftener tha. once 4 week. As the
Board of Estimate and Apportionment under
the new charter has not appropriated money for
inspectors this department has done nothing in
the way of INSPECTING | receive reports regu-
larly from Or. Love the city chemist. and the
quality Of the gas seems to be up to the re-
quirements notice that the gas furnished ny
one company. the Mutual. on one occasion. in
November 1a-t show ed a test Of only Il. The
quality seemed to improve on the next test ana
since then it has reen at least 2o.
Il asked President Gawtry and Chief Engl-
neer Bradley of the Consolidated one day if they
had had inserted in the charter the clause linn
iting the city 60 one inspection week said /
DR. Love he city chemist. yesterday. MI
C:awtry said that they knew nothing about II
until after tn charter was adopted. lie sald
that so far as his company was concerned 1t
would be willing TO have the gas inspected once
dsv. The Consolidated company dominates
the situation All the gas companies are fur
nisbing gas up TO the required test, and one
company the East River. with works at
Ravensvood Queens Borough, is sending its
customers gas that reaches test OF a candle
power.
BILL To LOWER THE PRICE
Il notice that Senator Fitzgerald has intro
1uced a hill reoufrirl, the gas companies of this
cit,- "a furnish gas Of II candle power at -
cents thousand The price now is 81. II that
hill becomes a law the gas companies will have
tn hustle Gas Of n candle power can be made
on = 1arg, scale at ~ cents thousand, nut II IS
doubtful If the old companies would pay much
of srvtbinp in the Wy of dividends at that
It,, Tho Consolidated Gas Company is CAPT
+arized at S71 600 900 and covers only a portion
of the CITY of Nev-Ycrk- In my opinion a gas
,lor+ costine $40 600 000 would furnish all the
,,sa6 nv tho paopla of this city at - cents or
Iees = thousand The company that did this
,.o,,rd mood 10 have the field pretty Wuch 10
i.~o1f bop-ey-er Under the present system OF
i,sraction the people are almost absolutely at
.t ,,ar,,- of the companies. If the coal strike
80 Iaete5 tiu January 1 the companies would
,,o+ have bAen able supply the demand for
o.s InsnActiug stations distributed over the
citv are NEEDED to protect the interests OF the
raop1e and authority to test the gas as often as
the city sees fit.