New-York tribune., 1907-06-06
MIX-UP AT GAS HEARING
Mr. MdSten Wants to Keep In
formation from Public.

lively controversy arose at the Consolidated
Gas Company hearing yesterday afternoon be-
tween Arthur H Masten. the master appointed by
the United States Circuit Court and the lawyers
representing the peoples interest When reference
made to the publication of portions of
Mr. Masten's draft report Mr. Masten thought
II unfortunate that the portions of his draft
report had reached the newspapers. He declared
that hereafter he would direct that the press be de-
prtved of information about the until the issues
should be clearly stated.
Assistant Attorney General De Ford asked wheth-
er it was proposed to exclude newspaper men from
the hearing
II protest" he said 'In the name of the At
torney General against any such action The people
naturally much Interested and certainly have
right to know what is being done in this matter"
Assistant Corporation Counsel Burr also raised
his voice in protest. Others OF the counsel joined
in.
An important development of the hearing was
that the city disputed the valuation OF So O00OOO
placed by the special master upon the Astoria
plant, stated in his draft report The brief sub
mitted by the city furnished estimates and figures
to show that satisfactory plant of like capacity
might be erected for not more than $4CO0.OOO
In the brief the city states that "the master al
lows the round figure OF $l550OOCO for the manu-
featuring plant and holder stations, the capacity
of which is 100000 cubic feet daily. OF this ca
pacity 3So00o0o cubic feet daily is to the water
gas stations at 44th. list and S9th streets. All of
the 100000 cubic feet of gas bought from other
CoHlpdilicS was wafer gas, ana tne average dellV
cry for 200 days equal to 100000 a day"
Continuing. the brief
on this basis capital required for making and
storing 100000 cubic feet would be s, ,0S6.O 900
and with the real estate required the basis
OF water valued at $4,000. a total OF So SS6.
O00, instead OF Sl2OlO0OO allowed by the mas
ter for property OF other companies devoted TO
use OF complaint. Error Of masters findings on
this item, $S.l6i0O0, should be deducted from the
sum total.
In TO tho arguments advanced IN the
city's brief. the Consolidated Gas Company gave
out statement at the close Of the days hearing
in which IT held that the city's claim OF s. 3SsOO1O
thousand cubic feet of holder capacity. which is
less than half of such actual cost" The assunp-
ton that the capacity OF 100000 cubic should
be allowed II says. is entirely erroneous because
IL was freely established that the company's re-
quirenents, Its capacity Of 5OOOOOo cubic feet
in Manhattan, for the actual days output
and 2oOOOOOo cubic feet additional for suitable re-
serve, without which it would be unsafe to oper-
ate" The report adds:
The value placed on the East 18th and West 42d
street plants. including the land, is S. 100000 10
furnish 950O,00O cubic feet Of gas.
For small an additional capacity the 20
100000 cubic feet required, the company's actual
maximum output over its 5l,OoOOeo sales. the cost
would he $l6,O10000. The Astoria plant is a
coal gas plant. and II costs 10 produce coal
than water gas. Even for water gas plants. using
the City's factor of S25 thousand cubic feet for
the plant. and the actual cost of slS5 70 rhoders
the actual cost OF the company's land in New York
company's requirements would amount 10 more
than $l3000,000.