The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1906-12-28

formly paid - per cent more for
sas than j. charged In Washing
ton. Congress accepted the state
ncnt that the cost of manufacture
and distribution was greater and
the profit less there than I'm the
city proper. The Georgetown Gas
light Company has now voluntarily
reduced its rate TO 81 per ] 900 feet.
/ The Georgetown Gaslght Company
has reduced the price Of its gas 10 con-
sumers from $L25 to 81 per thousand
/ This was done after a conference with
Joseph ". Babcock. Of Wisconsin. chair
man Of the Committee on the District OF
/ Columbia The change went into effect
/ on December %. and the January gas
/ bills will be payable at the new rate.
/ W. Riley Decide. president Of the
/ Georgetown Gaslight Company. when
1 asked about this change, said.
Ever since my election, in December,
/ l9J4, as president Of the company. it has
been my intention TO bring about re-
/ duCtiOn in the price OF gas for the people
/ Of Georgetown at the earliest possible
moment. With that end IN view, / have,
with the hearty cooperation OF the di-
Irectors, expended a large sum in re-
modelling the plant and in the extension
of street mains. The work has not been
entirely completed, but I felt that by the
end Of the year 1877 it would be- finished.
which fact would enable me 10 carry out
my plan Of reducing the price Of gas 10
81 a thousand.
Upon receiving Mr.. Babcock's request
for earlier relief, ] at once called the
directors together. and it was decided 10
make the reduction TO take effect on
January /, 1907, upon all bills payable
February L II his been the constant
aim Of the present mana cement 20 please
patrons and improve the service. as is
evidenced by the improvement in street
lighting which was accomplished on Sep
TENDER % of the present year. when, in
response to request from the company,
the Inspector Of lighting ordered the
new incandescent Inantel lamps substi-
tuted for ali street lighting maintained
by the Georgetown company.
Expensive There, says Er. DeebIe.
The comfort Of ogr patrons has been
further cared for ty establishing at con-
venient places branch offices for the. pay
, ment Of bills. Within our territory in
the new suburban section our patrons
are widely separated, making il much
more expensive To- serve them than in the
closely populated portions Of the city
. proper We believe. however. that this
, reduction will result in increased sale for
lighting purposes. but more particularly
in the use of gas for fuel in the suburban
districts"
The present output Of the Georgetown
j Gaslight Company. according To Mr.
b Decide. is about 10000 feet per day He
b says that no water gas at all is used.
! and that the coal used costs more by -
cents a ton than that used by the Wash
ingJon GasIisht Company. He says,
too. that the Georgetown company has
/ less than one-half of ! per cent Of the
customers that the Washington company
r has. He is not quite sure how the COM
Pany is going 10 come out on furnishing
gas so Cheaply. but hopes that the COM
! pany viii not lose money.
The bills Of the Georgetown Gaslight
Company so out to customers on SatUr-
81 day The bills that go out tomorrow
p viii bear on their face a statement, i'm
printed with a rubber stamp. that all gas
consumed after December D. at which
time the last meter reading was had, viii
be charged for at the rate of 81. pro-
vided as Of old, that the bills are paid
within ten days after being rendered. II
not. the price charged viii be SIS
View Of Gas Experts.
It has always been claimed by the gas
: experts and the managers of the two
gas companies that it costs more To make
gas in Georgetown than in Washington.
by reason Of conditions peculiar to
Georgetown, rather than because Of am.
difference III prices of materials, such rs
coal. oil. or water. or in wages Of en-
ployes or salaries Of managers. So well
established has been this conviction of a
fair and honest difference in the cost Of
d production between the two places. that
Congress has formally recognized it in
legislation, fixing prices Of gas TO con-
sumers. In the act which fixes present
prices, Congress provided that after July
l, 1901, the price of gas to consumers in
: the city Of Washington should be rot TO
! exceed 81 per 1000 cubic feet, and from
the same date the price TO the people Of
Georgetown should be H25. Prior to
July l. 1901. the prices We're respectively
NI0 and S1.S5. The same disparity eX-
: listed In the prices fixed by similar acts
Of Congress prior to the adoption of the
: existing law.
I Price Higher in Georgetown.
2 One of the conditions which the man
I ayers OF the Georgetown company have
urged for charging higher prices for
street lamps in Georgetown is the fact
that they supply smaller population as
t compared with the Washington Gaslight
: Company But in a letter to the Dis
{ trict Commissioners in 1859 Mr.. John
Leetch. then president of the Georgetown
\ Gaslight Company, assigned another
y reason He said: The service in George
town is an expensive one. We have only
about 4lO street lamps. and receive no
benefit from the large consumption OF
- gas by the United States government and
K the government OF the District of Co
+ lumbia. The service is more expensive
f, than in a larger city where there is a
, larger consumption. Undoubtedly MI
= Leetch stated precisely the true and just
L reasons for maintaining a higher price
in Georgetown than could be demanded
/ in Washington. At any rate. the District
d | Commissioners and the committees OF
: Congress listened TO the argument, and