New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-10-13
CITY WILL SUE GAS TRUST.
PRESSURE EXCEEDS Law.
Allied Companies Incur 100000 m
PenaIties-s5O, 900 asked.

The Consolidated Gas Company and its aIeU
soncerns Il was discovered yesterday, nave
~snoe July incurred penalties of about SoVV'VVV
for violating the provisions Of the stevens Id"
with reference to excessive pressure OH 10
mains The city is suing for only about soV'VVV
Of the penalties. The greater the pressure 'Ne
higher the gas bill is the fact which prompted
che eramers Of the Stevens act to stipulate that
the pumping pressure must not exceed ~
inches. water test and that it must not be less
than I inch by the same test The minimum
test is required because Of possible danger OF
sas lights going out from lack Of pressure.
The official test of the gas mains for the city
is made by DR.. E. G. Love. who has reported 10
Commissioner Oakley that the companies nave
violated the new law almost constantly since
July. thereby mourning the penalty Of Sl0OV
day FOR each violation. The tests made by Or
Love show that the Mutual company has main
sained a pressure in excess Of 215 inches every
day since July !; that the Standard company
mas exceeded the pressure about two-thirds OF
the time: the New-Amsterdam about half the
time and Branch No 8. of the Consolidated,
about half the time.
On the report of Dr.. Love to Commissioners
oakley. the Commissioner turned the violations
over 70 Herman !. Stiefel, Assistant Corpora
ton Counsel in charge OF the Bureau for the
collection Of Penalties. with instructions to col
ilect. Instead Of suing for the entire amount OF
lnsnsIties. Mr.. Stiefel IN his complaint demanded
onIv 81 GOO When this fact became known
yesterday there was great surprise that the
law department should not try TO collect the
full amount Of the penalties
1t was expected that IN view Of the anxiety
OF many citizens to compel a better service on
the part Of the lighting trust, and the repeated
declarations OF Tammany Hall IN favor Of max
ing the companies obey the law, the action Of
xf7ST Tau he seV
with offenders under the new law.
When Mr.. stiefels attention was called yes
terday 20 the small sued for in his COM
plant, he said: II had talk with Mr.. Delany
about this, and he said that what wanted
20 do vas not so much to collect the penalties
as to enforce the law, and he instructed me 10
begin suit against each Of these offending COM
panies for 81 600. in order 10 test the cOnstitu-
fionaIity of the act.'
Isn't there danger that specifying the pen
atty of 81. 600 VIII prevent you, under recent de-
cisions by the Court of Appeals, from collecting
anything in excess Of that sum-" Mr.. Stefel
well yes" said the assistant corpora ton
counsel, 'and If anything IS going TO be written
about Il I think we had better name larger
sum in the complaint"
against the Mutual asked for ell penalties in
fcurred from July to July 20, or $4,000. and
shat the other companies had been similarly
ktreated All told, the penalties asked for amount
sso about $4,000. Mr.. stiefel gave no reason for
mot making the sum demanded by the city a fat
$1,000 day for every violation noted by the
bef5cizl lasts
~%Ths trouble with the companies is this sad
ssns Of Commissioner Oakleys men yesterday
80 q Tribune reporter. They are doing bust
ness with their old mains. and are trying TO
sserve customers covering much wider area
Than they served when their mains were laid
sgsnerHtion ago A siI inch main laid at that
iSfms was sufficient for the service demanded
Eof It but with the increased customers It IS not
sSufncient In order to send gas TO the utterInost
limits Of the mains It is necessary to put OH
ss=cesstve pressure at The gas works, and that
5fH s1actiy the explanation OF the constantly in
lrrwasing gas bills It is useless for the COM
.pautes TO say that they cannot obey the law, as
Ave branches Of the Consolidated have kept
sshetr pressure within legal bounds ever since
FShs new law went into effect"