The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-28
ALL NIGHT WORK ON GAS BILLS
STEVENS COMMITTEE PLANS TO
MAKE ITS REPORT TO-DAY.
Meanwhile the Consolidated IL Ready
to Fight In Court Any Legislative
Price Observation-Disclosures Say
They Haven't Yet Fixed Maximum.


No word had reached the outside world
from the gas chamber in the Fifth Avenue
Hotel at midnight. Inside we're gathered
the Republican members OF the Investigate
ing COMMITTEES. pad nd pencil in hand,
figuring az il their lives depended upon IL,
while Schoolmaster Hughes walked up
and down among them giving out sums
from the 900 900 word record Of the testl-
mony taken at the City Hall.
The floor was Uttered with waste paper,
cigar butts and stumps OF Iced pencils,
and on the faces OF -sl was the haggard
look that comes from loss Of sleep. -Four
ooatleas stenogTaphers working in relays
were hlllng book after book with pothooks
dictated to them as the members Of the
class finished one sum and tackled another.
I'VE are bound to finish this job II IL
takes all night said Chairman Stevens,
who came out for breath Of fresh air. in
fact, we do not expect 10 get the report
finished until O'Clock in the morning We
will take it to Albany on the Empire State
Express, which leaves the Grand Central
at $50 o'clock, and present It TO the Legis-
lature before the day is over
1In the meantime all talk az to the nature
Of the report or the bills to be introduced
regulating the price Of gas and electricity
may be put down az pure guesswork.
A a matter Of fact the committee has not
yet decided what prices will be recon-
mended We haven't come 70 that point
yet because we have devoted ourselves
thus far to making an abstract Of the
testimony taken
How about the bill TO prohibit one
public service corporation from owning
the stock in another Of the same kind
doing business in the same territory7'
/ be was asked.
There may be such legislation the
Senator replied cautiously. Il have
never said there would not. On the other
hand, have never said there would be
such legislation
Earlier in the day Assemblyman Merritt
broke away long enough TO tell the reporters
that there would be a clear statement Of
facts gathered from the testimony taken
and that the recommendation IL con-
tanned would be logical deductions from
these facts.
Everything will be logical. said the
Assemblyman, oheerfully. 'On that you
may depend. We found out certain things.
They suggest certain logical conclusions,
and we make recommendation based on
them. That's all there Ia Of it,
To questions about such practical details
as prices Of gas and electricity the Assem-
blyman said:
Like everything else the committee
does, the prices determined on will be
logical in conformity with the facts gathered
from a thorough Investigation Of the light
ing situation
Mr.. Merritt practically admitted that the
lighting bin OF bills would be Of a general
character and would not therefore come
before Mayor Mcclellan for action.
THE Republican, said he. will be
responsible for the bill and they should
not share the responsibility with the Mayor.
It will be easy TO make It a general measure
by making it apply 10 cities Of more than
1 500 900 inhabitants OF course, this would
mean New York alone, but then it would
be complying with the letter OF the Con-
stitution.'
1t " evident that the Consolidated Gas
Company and its allied corporations are
going to make a fight in the courts II the
Legislature makes any deep cuts In the
prices Of gas and electricity. The Con-
solidated officials declare that they have
proved that II costs them 65 cents q thousand
10 manufacture and distribute gas and that
TO this should be added 10 cents a thousand
for depreciation which will result from
moving their generating plant 10 Astoria
This would leave them but about 81 900 900
a year for dividends on a capitalization
Of $50 900 900.
They also point TO the fact that they
have had 20 dig into their surplus 70 the
extent Of g 900, 900 in the last four or Ave
years to pay their dividends, which have
averaged in the neighborbood Or per
cent.
They can regulate US, but they cannot
confscate our property said one Of the
highest officials Of the company yesterday.
ANY reduction in the price OF gas at this
time, said Charles F. Mathewson, attorney
for the company, would set back for q
decade the plans Of the Consolidated for an
improved service. Il would check the
Astoria improvement and necessitate the
retention Of the present generating plants
In Manhattan
will the company make any propositions
TO the Legislature looking to a compromise
in the matteri'
'None whatever. The company cannot
consider for a moment any proposition
looking 10 a reduction in price below 81
q thousand cubic feet. This agitation camS
ct q most inopportune time-Gt a time when
we are planning great improvements for
the benefit Of the public such a. the removal
TO Astoria and the betterment Of the service
generally. II any reduction II enforced now
the public cannot have any regard for
efficiency Of service and benefits 10 the city.
We can not spend on improvements money
We haven't got
In regard 10 the talk about bill prevent
ing one corporation from holding stock in
another Mr.. MAthewson said:
Il cannot comprehend that the LeeslA-
ture can revoke its previous enactmsnts
under which our company has made pur-
chases Of stock in others. We do not own
all the stock Of the various constituent com
panies and the rights Of the minority stock
holders must be considered II any such
action IL contemplated