The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-11-08
WILL CITY SELL
LIGHT |. [: TING IN J PLANT ?.
Committee OH Investigation Will
Take This Matter Under
Consideration.
KNOWLES ON BRUCE REPORT

With the prospect OF early developments
OF vast moment, public attention in Rich
inond. turning from the election and the
tho visit Of President Roosevelt, Is now
conferred In tho broad problem OF munic-
ipll ownership, with more particular ref
crence to the condition of the city gas
works, declared to DO unstable Iii every
department and Of, ttesYerge Of a disas-
trous collapse. i$5Gs 4G9
Notwithstanding that thc general effect
| OF the Bruce report, touching tho light
plant matter, was correctly forecast some
| time ago. the publication Of the docu-
I; inent has caused u sensation. The char
acter OF the disclosures made points
clearly to an upheaval, unless tho accu!
racy Of tho expert Is successfully ques-
toned. This the administration processes
! its ability to do. and is now, In fact. pre-
pairing to attempt At this time IT. will
make no reply in detail to tho formidable
array Of charges and adverse criticisms,
merely asking suspension OF Judgment un-
I'll the other side can be given. The
public, meanwhile, unskilled In the fine
technicnlitics of meters and mains, and
conscious only Of nightly woes beneath,
the dim Jets, is feeding upon tho Bruce
report with an avidity that speaks vol
umes.
What the outcome will be It is impos-
sible to predict with any degree Of def
nteness. All eyes arc eurned now upon
the Committee on Investigation, which
will son report upon the experts findings
and include u series of recommendations
Of its own. Will this committee suggest
that the works be abandoned as a munic-
ipal property, and leased or sold to a
private corporation, thus clearing the
skirts Of the city Of any further contact
With 1t? The question Is being asked IN
many quarters. and 1t IL not as a sllrd as
III seems. The expert investigated and
reported OH Il basis Of municipal own
ership. and up to. this time the commit
tee itself has conducted Its work along
no other line.
What Mr.. Knowles Says.
Flat denial Of the chief allegations OF
Mr.. Bruce was made yesterday by Mr..
W. P. Knowles, superintendent Of the
works. Mr. Knowles declared that he
would at the proper time maze reply
in detail to the report which he de-
#clared to- be full or Inaccuracies and
2n.Bstatements. Meanwhile he issued the
following card, which he said must con-
stltute the sum Of his formal comment at
this time: Il
ITO the Public:a 81 NJ
ITO the report Of the expert rs to the
gas works abounds with inaccuracies and
Snisstatements. 6$
II ask my fellow-citizens to withhold
their opinion until / can reply in detail
in few days for the report is so
voluminous, and the errors SO mum erous,
that 1T will take some little time to col-
lect the necessary data forSreply.
Very respectfully i
A, .'W. p. KIN oWLEs,
84@s ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS p
& While he4declined to enter into any
extended discussion Of the report, Mr..
Knowles expressed himself free:5 as to
the conditions prevailing at the works.
In the recommendations of Mr.. Bruce he
saw nothing except $whatNhe had already
repeatedly pointed out In years gone by.
He agreed entirely with the general ef-s
fort of these recommendations, admitting
frankly that the plant had not kept pace
with the demands oftEthe city. This,
however, lie declared, was due to the
failure OF the city government to mako
suita bio provisions for the works. The
superintendent said he was hampered by
physical limitations and lack of sorely-S
needed improvements but he pointed
with pride to the record he had made
these conditions With
the same storage capacity and but few
addi tlonal facilities the production OF
feet in 1872 to 1G5.1O4, 500 In 1886 and
finally In 1904, under Mr.. Knowles, to
1872, $4,000 cubic feet. In 1894. just be-
fore the term Of Mr.. Knowles began, the
net receipts of the works was $40, O37.50
and the total receipts, including the gas
used by the city, s53.33S.SO. In 1904
these figures were sl16,734.59 and s14o,-
2s6. 50. respectively. l#a
What Mr. Knowles particularly took
exception to in the report was the crit
iclsln Of the management of the prop
erty. This criticism, he said, was. based
on Inaccuracies and these Inaccuracies
led the superintendent to question the
ability of Mr.. Bruce MS an expert. Mr..
Knowles declared that the works were
In excellent condition. Tic ssveemently
denied the allegation that the men were
working without definite instructions.
They have the fullest anr most explicit
Instructions from me-" he said in effect,
land personally see to II that these in