The San Francisco call., 1909-03-14
GAS SERVICE
IS LIGHT, But
BILLS HEAVY
Complaints Against Company
Are Commencing to Pour
In to Supervisors
Meters on Marathon Runs That
Make Startled Consum-
ers Gasp

pany have begun TO come In from whole
districts at time. Through the me-
dunn of the various Improvement clubs
protests are being prepared and will be
submitted to the board of supervisors.
Some complain against poor service,
others against overcbarges, some object
that there is no service at all. In this
last category are the Ocean View, Lake
View and Columbia Heights districts.
Through the medium of the Mission
promotion association they have placed
their grievances before the board
There are no mains in the districts
| mentioned, and although thousands o11
persons are now residing there. the
gas company has made no effort to es-
tab1ish the necessary connections.
No decisive step will be taken by the
board of supervisors until next Tues
day, when the special committee will
begin the official investigation. Not
only will the city's experts. A. NJ. Hunt
and C. L. Cory, be called upon to give
assistance. but it is understood that
the officials of the company will be
summoned and asked to explain. Presi-
dent Britton has for some time acted
as spokesman for the gas company and
will in all probability act on behalf
| OF the corporation.
MORE INSPECTION SUGGESTED
The city is protected from the ra-
pacity of the gas company through
| an official Inspector whose business it
! is to see that the lights burn for the
| stipulated time and that no overcharges
are made. 1t has been suggested that
a larger inspection bureau could be
! created for the purpose of forcing the
company to adjust complaints which it
now arbitrarily refuses to settle
More protests were filed yesterday
and they showed that the company
has its own way of meeting any situa-
| ton that may arise.
| An instance of inflated financeering
| was shown by the, bill collected from
| f. "A. Jones. 1920 Pacific avenue. In
| December. 1907, Jones had eight mem
| bers in his household and used a gas
| CRATE and the bill was $3.50. Last De-
cember he had six persons in his house
and used no gas CRATE, burning coal
/ instead. His gas bill was s11.s0.
Whereupon Jones went down to the
office of the adjuster for the gas COM
pany.
You must have used gas CRATE"
said the adjuster before Jones had time
to make his full protest.
"I burned coal for heating purposes
said Jones
METER WORKED OVERTIME
oh" said the adjuster, IL will have
! your meter examined. The meter was
examined and discovered to be running
per cent ahead of time
There said the adjuster with great
glee, that's where the trouble was.
Your meter was too fast"
| Jones opined that such a thought had
! percolatsd through his own head on
/ first reading the amount of the bill, and
gently intimated that he would be
pleased to receive the difference which
The had to pay in his overcharged bill
The adjuster appeared surprised. Did
/ Jones really expect the gas company to
| paw him back? Well, WELL that was
i strange, but. of course-of course-it
! could never be done.
i Look here" said Jones finally, 81
can read a meter myself. and Your fig
ures do not tally with mine. The next
time your inspector comes around
want to see him and read the meter
/ with him. I've paid my bill this time
| and / suppose I have to stand for the
loss, but 1 want to be sure next time"
1.-THE inspector can not bother with
YOU" said the adjuster. 1T is his duty
to go to your house. walk into your
4 basement read the meter and come
away"
NEVER SAW INSPECTOR
well, he can let us know when he
| comes. can't he? I've been living in
/ the house four years and I've never
seen a gas inspector there yet"
I sThats funny" said the adjuster.
perhaps it is said Jones, "but I In
! tend to lock UP the basement where the
gas meters are SO that the man will
have to come to me in order to read it,
-. xt<>fn = 4.
the adjuster
Among the letters received at the
board of supervisors yesterday was the
| following from Mrs. Brand of 1878
Twenty third street:
1 see by the papers that you are
i Investigating gas meters. l wish
Won would please Investigate mine
NV gas bill used to run from SO to
SIS. and then had a house keeping
room. but since then. without the
housekeeping room, it has run as
high as s11.20 a month and I think
there must be something wrong
with the meter
EVOLUTION OF GAS BILL
Mrs. Ethel c. Wright of 2234 Howard
street writes in rather breezy fashion
as follows:
Ear be it from, me to knock
any one. but I certainly shall be
| dalighted to relate the evolution of
our gas bill If it will be of anv
benefit to suffering humanity. Be
i fore the food mean the quake
i our gas meter logged along in the
i even tenor of It's way and we paid
from $3.50 to s1.S5 a month. In
the latter part of 1906 1t increased
i It's mace somewhat, and we pafd
about $3.50. For the last year or
more we have not had bill for
less than $3.50. and we did good
deal of talking
Now, of course. We all know
that every one has to live and that
provisions are high. so when our
hill took a hurdle to $3.50 we
caught our breath but not wish
ing any of the directors OF the G.
and E. company to go hungry. we
paid it without murmur. But
-,,har without any lust cause ov