The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-10
DISCUSSES NEW
GAS FRANCHISE
RenviIIe Chinook Points Out
What He Regards as Bad
Features of 1t.

RenVllle ChlnnOck, formerly repre-
sentative from the Thfrty-f1fth district,
yesterday gave his views concerning
the gas franchise now being asked by
| the st. Paul Gas Light company from
the city of st. Paul. Mr. Chinook
said:
The gas company has presented to the
| people of St Paul proposition for
| franchise which l consider as bad, if not
worse, than the one they are now work
| ing under refer particularly to the
minimum fee of 81 per month for gas
| and II the gas company wishes to obtain
twenty five years. which is a long space
| OF time, it should furnish the gas for 81
| per thousand cubic feet, with no other
| obligation upon the citizens.
The company also has a meter deposit
which In some phases of its character
may be all right, but in the state of Mas
| Sachusetts, where the gas companies are
| owned by the state and where the laws
| are most stringent as to the furnishing
| OF this material to the people. they have
allowed the gas companies to charge a
| they placed upon the gas companies the
| burden of paying a rate of interest equal
! to the legal rate for the money thus OBJ
| tanned from depositors.
Duluth Plant Furnishes 81 Gas.
The city of Duluth, with less than one
half the inhabitants of st. Paul, is fur
niShing to its citizens gas from its mn
mcipal plant at the present time at the
rate of 81 per thousand cubic feet which
is TO be reduced on Jan. l to 80 cents, and
| there has been further reduction prom
| lSed, L believe, to so cents
Figures that have been given me by
| the Duluth Gas company show that the
| gas costs. manufactured and ready for
consumption, including that used around
the otflces and buildings of the company
% o.lOO cents per thousand cubic feet,
leaving a profit on each thousand feet
| OF gas delivered of nearly 81 cents.
Further than that. it has been we'll
! known fact in business that municipal
| corporations have rarely been able to
private institutions. hence the net cost of
gas in Duluth could probably be reduced
| somewhat If manufactured by a private
| institution rather than by the municipal
| ity, and also the gas plant in Duluth hav-
| ing been recently acquired at large fig
ure is, understand. paying interest upon
| its Indebtedness at this time; yet in view
| of all these difficulties, it is furnishing
! gas at 81 and agreeing in the future to
furnish it for 80 cents
Minimum Charge But 25 Cents.
The Duluth Gas company's charge for
meter rent is .25 cents per month where
| as the ST. Paul company would exact from
| the citizens 81 per month meter rent. or
| the minimum cost of gas used during any
| one month.
1 believe that the st. Paul Gas Light
| Il
| turing gas, that is. the water gas system
| and the coal gas system
| The expense Of the manufacture of this
water gas per 1000 feet as received from
| the Duluth gas plant, is as follows:
Cents.
generator genera coal. '..'.'.'...... II ~
6 6Hile Fer coal enri c6n;e,t 20 g
Purifying and miscellaneous mate
riais ...'................ .......... Al
LABOR ................... SAC
| 1OldI 81 %
1t would further appear that if the out
put should be large enough for the use of
| both systems, which l think it is in ST.
Paul, the water gas could be manufac-
| tured from the col1eeef the coal gas, thus
largely reducing the cost of the gas.
In all large manufacturing plants the
greater amount produced lessons the ex-
| pense of the product. If the Duluth gas
| plant can produce about 3d. 900, 900 cubic
| feet of gas per year and manufacture it at
1859 cents per 1000 cubic feet it would
| seem that the gas company of St Paul.
whose output is much larger, could rea-
| smaller plant.
Quality Should Be Better.
=, Some attention ought to be given also
produced by the ST. Paul Gas Light co,n
pany. The company should be required IN
der the franchise to furnish greater de-
/ gree of candle power than it now fur
nlshes. Most of the companies in the
larger cities of the United States are RE RE
CURED to furnish at least twenty-five
| candle power gas.
Another. proposition that ought to be
| CONSIDERED at this time is the question of a
gas Inspector. AS matters now stand,
tnere Is no check whatever upon the gas
COMPANY as to the quality and quantity
| OF gas furnished by them. All of the
| eastern cities and some Of the states have
/ enacted ordinances and laws which create
eltner municipal or state gas inspector,
whose duty it is to inspect meters and the
| quahty OF gas furnished by the companies.
Inc gas produced by the Duluth com
pany Is required to be twenty-five sperm
candle power and water gas system is
used there. This system is a little more ex
| PeIsIVe than the coal gas system, which
yields by-products, while the wafer svs-
| tenn does not 'S9
have quoted figures as to the actual
oosI Oh tne water gas, system in Duluth,
| Where the water gas system would cost
SO cents. the coal gas system would cost
put 81 cents, and it is believed that where
the output is large enough and both svse
TENS can be used, the cost in that in
stance will be very largely decreased.
Probable Profit on ST. Paul Gas.
To illustrate the cost of gas manufac-
coal and place its value at S4. This IS
substantial price for the coal that is
used for the manufacture of gas Ac-
| cording to authorities, a ton of coal will
yield from eleven to twelve thousand
cubic feet of gas and about 900 pounds
of coke, eleven to twelve gallons of tar
and some ammeniacal liquor, as well as
some other unimportant products 1t will
be readily seen that, at 81 per thousand
rect, TINS ton of coal will yield we will
say. $l1 in gas. Taking the coke one
half ton. which is generally marketable at
from IS to Sc. would increase the selling
value of the product to about S14, not
speaking of the eleven gallons of tar or
other by-products; and deducting the 81
the cost of the coal, will leave SO profit
on 81 Investment in one ton of coal.
OF course there is the labor and other
| expenses, but they are comparativeIy
small, and it is safe to say that the ST.
Paul Gas Light company realizes from
SO to $40 net on each ton of coal which
1t converts into gas.
l do not want it to be understood that
l am at all personal in this matter as
far as the gas company is concerned /
simply quote the above figures so that
the public may understand what can be
done by other and smaller cities than
st. Paul. and from the figures quoted
which were given me by the Duluth COM
pany. it would appear that the COM
pany operating in St. Paul, with its
larger number of Inhabitants and more
dense population, compared with Duluth.
could, If properly managed, furnish gas to
the people of St. Paul at rs cents ner