The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-11-12
Its Up to the Council.

@It is stated in the Bruce report, and
e the statement is made the basis for q
series of recommendations, that The poll
cy of the city government has been at
fault, and that the Gas Works have
not kept pace with the growing demands
of the city. It is stated With Impressive
similarity in every report OF the manage
agment of the works for the past half
dozen years or more that the needs of
the people of Richmond cannot be met
4 with the facilities now provided Upon
this cardinal point expert and manage
Z ment are In perfect accord. What Bruce.
the expert recommends in 1906 Knowles
the superintendent of the works has
i been asking almost since he entered the
plant In 1895. The expert In effect says
that the superintendent has not even
done the best he could under the circum-
stances. This the superintendent denies
4 and declares he will prove to be false
4 with facts and figures he is now getting
81 together. But both are agreed that suiii
ccnt provision has not been made, and
f that the City Councils refusal from time
to time to improve what was in reality
paying interest and might have been
made more SO. was unwise and scarcely
good business This the superintendent
has mildly but persistently set forth in
his recommendations; and this is the
very thing that the expert now declares
with bluntness his independent position
will permit him to use. The Council has
ignored, or at least failed to realize, the
significance Of facts. and the Council
IS now facing municipal problem Of its
own creation. This is what the chairman
4 Of the Light Committee himself thinks,
aud his opinion Is shared by the majority
OF the public. The nature of the nj
agement Of Mr.. Knowles under this {
safe system, with its limitations, is a
minor matter, which the superintendent
3 will answer for himself at the proper
time.
Comparison of Reports.
An examination of the reports Of Mr..
Knowles for several years back produces
some interesting results. IT is found that
the recommendations of Mr.. Bruce are
along the same general lines of those of
the superintendent Mr.. Knowles does
not go SO far in some respects; does not
ask such sweeping reforms as Mr. Bruce,
which, considering the labor the Coun-
ell passed through before granting any
thing at all simply strikes one as wise
precautlon on the part Of the supernten-
dent For instance, Mr.. Bruce asks
fatty for fifteen miles of six and eight
inch mains to replace the present three
inch pipes. Had the superintendent made
such demand as this he would In all
Likelihood have been met with a blank
rtare Of aclaz ement. What he did was
to ask for. year by year, n little at
time, and sometimes. 1t seems, he got It,
and sometimes, 1t seems. he did not
In 1903 TWO of seven recommendations
made by Mr., Knowles were adopted; in
1904 seven others he made were com
pletely ignored. Among the seven In
1904 were several he had made In 1903,
and In previous years. The two adopted
IN 1893 referred 10 the storage holder and
TO storage tank for gas OIL The hold
er IL not yet ready. The expert said d
few days ago that unless 1t was com.
pleted al once the city might find itself
without lights in the middle of the winter,
The prediction was not new. This is
What Ar. knowles said as far back as
1875:
u respectfully renew nv recon-
mendation 10 which have called your
special attention in all of my annual
reports and to urge upon YOU the need
OF storage holder which has now be-
come @ matter OF vital Importance
and should receive our most careful
and prompt consideration, The pres
ent storage holder al these works has
been In constant use since 1872 and
Is now necessarily worn very thin. and
is IN bad condition, with innuernble
patches, polii on us crown and sides
and should II unexpectedly collapse, il
would be impossible to supply the CITY
with gas In the months OF heaviest
consumption. ] also desire 10 say that
our storage capacity at This time ,s
absolutely Inadequate fdr our de.
mands; In other words. our present
output In twenty four hours Is double
that OF our storage capacity for The
same length OF time. which fact gives
US little or no opportunity TO shut
down to make necessary repairs 10