The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1908-04-13
The Price of Gas.

Editor The Washington Herald:
! In your paper Of to-day's issue appears
an extract from a Congressman speech,
purporting to contain. as your subhead-
/ ing is worded, interesting facts reiat-
ing to the cost of street gas lighting
here in Washington. Believing that the
whole truth in the matter really would
/ be interesting % some Of your readers. I
would be pleased If you would allow me,
through your column. TO put the true
state Of affairs before those who are in
/ terested.
/ The Congressman says that the burners
use 4.0O0 feet Of gas per year, and that
'at the price Of a dollar a thousand feet
that would make these lamps worth only
, Sl4 a year. whereas under the contract
they are paying $50" Now for the facts.
First, there are approximately 500 man
/ lie gas lamps in the District burning
/ three and one-half cubic feet of gas per
hour. instead Of the five the flame burn
/ ers used: but there is this difference. that
| the new lamps furnish a light equal to
/ fifty candles. where the fiat burners
showed only twenty-five candlepower.
! Hence. the first gain the Commissioners
made by the substitution was the acqui-
sition gratis OF. 10000 candles additional
/ in the illumination of our streets, an in
crease in luminosity dependent upon the
| consumption Of gas, not according to
/ amount, but according 20 manner.
Secondly, the Congressman admits that
/ the amount of gas consumed is alone
sufficient TO make the new lamps worth
/ 81 per year. But as the lamps are not
| automatically. and a Sc. extinguished.
/ lighted, cleaned, and regulated. the cost
on these heads and on repair and replace
ment should be somewhat additional. The
lamps are tended by a force of over
eighty lighters four inspectors, a wagon
supplyman, a clerk, and a superintendent,
| all employed and paid by the contracting
company Each lighter receives per lamp
/ per month 50 cents, or 1870 per annum,
/ which amount, added to the S14 brings
| the just cost up 10 $3.50. Then the sal
aries OF the four inspectors. driver clerk.
and superintendent. all necessary en-
/ ployes; the cost of Office. storage. and
/ stable room amounts to nearly 500 per
month more. or 90 cents per wear per
/ lamp additional, bringing the total run
/ ming cost, independent of material used
up TO SlS, leaving a margin of 81. and
/ something over" as the Congressman
| puts it, for the cost Of tie following ma
| terisls:
During March there were used 5000
nantes al X cents; $500 imported Ger
! man glass Chimneys at %. 275 globes
/ al ST. were broken on the streets. and had
/ to be replaced at dead loss; $50 porce-
| lain dOmes, at 50 cents, were smashed.
and 40 new burners, at sI25 advancing
/ the average cost of maintenance s175
more. at the positively minimum figure
/ or S2075. up to this point. But we must
/ take into account that in bidding the
contracting company must take into ac-
count numerous other items Of expense:
| $4,000 worth of stock on the streets Of
Washington. depreciation on this plant
| interest on the money invested. salaries
OF officers. dividends. &c. An examina-
ton OF these figures should show con-
clusively at least two faets-first. that the
Congressman assertion that the street
gas lamps are worth only Sl4 per year is
rash and absurd second that the real
value of d good lamp being at least So 49,
the price the District formerly paid. the
Commissioners realized that they were
/ procuring the biggest municipal lighting
/ bargain OF the decade when they clinched
for three years the contract offered by
the company for one year, just to have
the new-style lamps installed and Of
fered for three years at the same figure
tn the belief that the Commissioners had
not the power 10 accept.
Now, ! DO not know one of the Com
missioners personally or otherwise. never
even having seen one Of them, and hence
I cannot be charged with any attempt
10 vindicate them in this matter for any
reason whatsoever. 1 am not employed
by the gas company, and never was. Ny
one motive simply Is this: 1 do not be-
llave that the subveTsion Of facts given
under the sanction OF a Congressional
name should be placed before the resi-
dents of this city as a true and COM
pIete statement. I further believe that
if Congress attempts TO make the ques-