The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-22
VOL LXXH.-NO. 234.
The GAS SCHOOL has LET OUT
EFT THERE'S A LOT or SUMS FOR
THE CLASS TO DO YET.
nl,ai schoolmaSers throw Bouquets At
the End-NIAthewsOn Explains why the
Price can't he Lowered With MOVING
Time Near-ReaI Competitor Found.

The class in gas from Albany finished lite
iossors in cubic feet and kilowatt hours at
AS o'clock last evening with Sohoolmaster
Hughes sticking TO his sums to the bitter
end sigh Of relief went up from the
LAWYERS and lighting officials who have been
4, attendance every day for weeks when
senator Stevens declared the session adj
i,urned at Il @ call Of the Chair. There will
probably be one more public session next
week. at which the committee expects to
clear up the odds and ends Of evidence.
There was much handshaking and a
General exchange OF compliments among
tre members Of the committee the counsel
IN both sides and the gas and electric light
experts after the chairman's gavel fell.
Il congratulate you said Charles F.
Nlathewson attorney for the Consolidated
oimpany, to Schoolmaster Hughes, 'on
very able presentnent Of a very involved
case full Of difficult details.
NV dear fellow" replied Mr.. Hughes,
~ has been a pleasure to have had TO do
with such a fine man as you.
Saving which" remarked Mr.. Mathew
en-, he covered his face with his toga
and fell. pierced with three and twenty
wounds"
To the reporters Mr.. Mathewson said:
THE records show that the cost to the
Consolidated company, exclusive OF any
raserve for loss by removal Of the general
ing plants to Astoria, averaged o5 cents
par 900 cubic feet for gas at the burner
in 1906 ia reserve fund equal TO 10 cents
par l. 900 feet be allo we'd, which was the
rate argued In the Boston investigation,
in which no emoval Of plant was involved,
that would mean IS cents a thou sand TO our
Company before any dividends are paid.
That would leave only about 50 900 for
dividends. or less than per cent on the
value of the property used in the gas making
business and only per cent. on the amount
fthe property II the value Of its franchises
he deducted.
we anticipate a full and fair oonsider a-
ton of the facts by the ommittee, and we
feel confident that they will reach our
conclusion that a reduction in the legal
rate charged for gas would not be justified
especially when we are about TO move TO
Astoria"
Chief Engineer Bradley testified that
the pressure on the mains had nothing to
do with the candle power Of the gas. Then
he told a lot about coke and other by
products Of gas and what figure they cut
In the profits Of the company. He also
took occasion TO deny a story printed In
what Mr.. Mathewson called zone Of the
least respectable Of the newspapers TO
the eject that the gas supplied TO City Gas
Examiner Love came through special pipe
from the works.
Dr. Love said that he made tests Of the
candle power Of gas from each plant In
Manhattan once a week. Before consolida-
ton took place on Jan. /, 1898, he made
tests every day. He also made regular
a. an, a ma
Have you ever made any tests in Brook
lynn asked Mr. Hughes.
Il have not was the answer.
ANY in The Bronxf'
Not regularly. / made some tests
there three years ago.
do you make any tests In Queens or
RichmondH'
I do not
why? The ~ arter says that these
tests shall be ma, all parts OF the city,"
i presume it j. because we never got
my appropriation for the work. There
are no testing stations in those boroughs'
Has there ever been any inspection Of
electric meters and wires In this cityf
mot that ever heard off,
sThen Section 6ls Of the Charter has moi
been complied within
Not TO my knowledge.
DR.. Love said he made frequent chemical
analyses Of the gas furnished by the Con-
soidated and always found It good as
far as purity was concerned, He alsC
took a whaok at the much abused Jet photo
meter, declaring that he never used !
because he did not consider 1t reliable
The bar photometer for him.
A real simon pure competitor OF tn
lighting combine in the old city OF New
York was discovered when Z. II. Rosen
quest, president OF the Bronx Gas anc
Electric Company, was put on the stand
To be sure, the capital Of his company i
only $4,000, scarcely worth mentioning
after all these weeks Of millions, and IL
yearly output Of gas Is 100000 cub
feet, Just trife more than the daily capacity
Of the Consolidated and its allies. Never
theless, Mr.. Rosenquest declared that tn
concern was absolutely independent Of
the combine and that IL neither bought ga
or electricity nor sold them to any othe
company. The price OF gas In his territor.
Is tiI5.
just before adjou rnInent Mr.. Mathewso
put vioe-President Addicks on the stand
and through him he put in a shower Of
figures concerning the cost Of the Astoria
plant, what the company would lose by
moving in depreciation through the aban
comment OF old plants on Manhattan Islam
and how much Il cost them to manufactur
\ and distribute gas.
Chairman Stevens then declared the se'
zion adjourned but the electric light SHARP
begged NO hard for n hearing that he r.
convened the committee. General Manage
Iieb Of the New York Edison Compan
took the stand and ratified on figures 8
fast that Senator Stevens, In the intere'
Of the official stenographer, begged hi
T. ease up.
He said that since 1899 the company ha
spent over Sl5,OOoOoO in cash on powe
stations. annex stations and undergrom
sys, ems, and that tie storage batteriC
alone represented an investment OF ov'
10000. He went exclusively into Il
whole subject Of public and private ligh
ing and said the company would cordial
welcome a municipal meter testing burea
II thoroughly equipped and placed nd'
the charge Of competent experts, 70 who
the customer could appeal in case Of doul