New-York tribune., 1905-01-11
SAMUEL SLOAN A WITNESS
ATTENDS GAS HEARING.
Forgot DetaiLs-Court Directs WM-
idB1S to 4ns1cer or Shosc Cause.

Acting counsel for Controller Grout Henry
Yonge yesterday obtained from Justice Marean.
of the Supreme Court. Brooklyn, an order direct
Ing Joseph Williams. assistant secretary of the
New-York Edison Company. to answer the
questions put to him by the Controller in his
investigation of the claims for lighting against
the city or to appear before Justice Marean on
January l3 and show why he should not
be committed for contempt Of court
The order was issued on the application of the
controller for the arrest OF Williams for his
rerusal 10 answer the questions put TO him by
the Controller An affidavit by the Controller
stated that on January I Mr.. Williams refused
10 answer questions pertinent to the Controllers
inquiry
IN his lighting investigation the Controller
Yesterday subpenaed seversl officers of the Con-
solloated Gas Company, including Samuel Sloan.
the vice-president. Mr.. Sloan accompanied
ny his counsel. David Mcclure. who said before
the nearing opened that Mr. Sloan would answer
all questions, but that MI Sloan was merely
an officer and was not familiar with many Of
the details. Mr.. Sloan is eighty-eight years old.
He was warmly greeted by Mr. Grout.
Ex-senator Thomas Donnelly submitted the
claims and bills of the Cor soldated company for
gas furnished the city between January /, 1908.
and March 13 1904
Mr. Sloan was called as the first witness.
You were one of the directors of the constitu-
ent companies which entered into consolida-
tion in 1882" asked Mr.. Donnelly
Mr.. Mcclure objected to the question as irrele-
want Mr.. Donnelly replied that he wished to go
into the question of capitalization, franchise
and estimated cost of the gas furnished.
Then Mr.. Donnelly asked Mr.. Sloan what
company he was interested IN at the consolids-
ton in November 1884
4 was director in the Manhattan and New
York companies"
Was the aggregate capitalization OF the con-
OOO?"
L do not remember"
DO you recall when the Manhattan company
paid a dividend of 81 per cent?
Il do not
Has the consolidated company paid a div-
dend Of from 10 s per cent?
Il do not remember
Mr. Donnelly then said that he would excuse
Mr. Sloan. as he would prove what he desired
as 10 capitalization by other witnesses Mr..
Sloan said as he rose to leave the witness chair;
I wish to state that l have no desire to shirk
my duty in any way. and that is why I have
come here to-day"
Benjamin A. Whiteley, assistant treasurer of
the Consolidated Gas Company. was called. On
advice OF counsel he refused to be sworn
answer questions. His counsel said that the OBJ
lection to the proceeding based on the fact
that than thirty days had elapsed since
the claims had been submitted that there was
an injunction in force restraining the Controller
from paying the claims. and that the examina-
tion proposed was in excess of the powers of the
Controller. He declared that any investigation
should he exclusively fer the Controllers private
information
The next witness was Charles G. Smith, gen
eral superintendent of the Consolidated COM
pany. He said he knew nothing about the books
kept in the main office To all questions by MI
DonneIly he replied: Il don't know" Finally
he excused.
Mr.. Donnelly said that he had tried to sub
pRna the officers of the Consolidated Gas Com
pany who would know the facts which Mr.
Smith said he did not know. He wanted it noted
that efforts had been made 10 serve R. A. Car
ter the secretary; J. A. Bennett, the treasurer
and others without avail Several subpoena
servers testified as to their unsuccessful efforts
r J. Iarkin an examiner in the Finance De
partment said he had examined the claims OF
the Consolidated Cias Company, and that the
total amount was SAT- .254 II. He said that in the
period covered by these claims the Consolidated
Gas Company billed open fame lamps at SIT 30
a year, and that allowing 81 a lamp a year for
lighting and extingushing. there would be left
S13 80 for gas. Each lamp burned 1000 hours
hour; thus for 1900 feet Of gas S13,5OO was
asked or 81 12l2 thousand feet
OF this number the Consolidated Gas Company
furnished 45.5 per cent. This is an average OF
S1S lamp. Allowing 81 for maintenance, the
average price for gas would be 81 IL 2-3 for
thousand feet.
Mr.. Donnelly said that counse! for the Con-
troller had spent much time IN investiga ting the
capitalization OF the company from 1894 when
Il was $50 500OOO to. the present time when it
was S10000OOO. The facts in this regard, he
said were from official State reports. The dis
position of the increased stock would also be
shown, he declared He submitted a number OF
certificates showing the various increases in cap
italzation that had been made from time to
time
Before the hearing closed Mr.. Donnelly said,
he would have the reports of the Thomas Senate
investigating committee Of 1855 and the Gil
bert Senate investigating committee of 1SS3-'S6.
Only one copy of each of these reports was in
existence. he said He stated that they would
be for the next hearing by the State LII
brarian In both these Investigations officials Of
the companies included in the Consolidated com
pany had testified to the cost of gas. admis-
sions being made that it low As cents
for thousand feet.
If we secure n warrant for the arrest Of Mr..
williams" said the Controller afterward, Il
guess the others viii come here quickly enough"
Controller Grout announced last night that
another session of the inquiry would take place
tomorrow at p. m. number Of engineers
familiar with the production of electric and gas
lighting I'm Chicago. Detroit and ST. Louis will
give testimony
Gas RESOLUTION TO-DAY