Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-06
go out of the gas business and go into
| tho cnko his

1
the coke business.
Mr. Humphreys-You were speaking
| about some citizens in Washington taking
the risk and starting In the coke business.
making gas and distributing it. OF
| course. that gas would have to be dis
| trfbuted. and it would have to be purified,
because it would be too rich. 1t is about
midway between natural gas and illu-
minating gas.
| Mr.. Martin-Might / ask the gentleman
| a question?
| The Chairman-Yes: this is free for all.
| Mr.. Moore-1 would like to find out
something about what these people pay
for gas in those cities. We have been
| trying to get that.
| The Chairmen-Al right.
| Mr.. Humphreys-In Milwaukee it is so
cents for the first 1O.GoO feet. for the sec
ond 1o.0o feet it is 20 cents, and over
10000 feet it is 60 cents
| The Chairman-Wil you proceed with
| that line?
Mr.. Humphries-In Pittsburg it is 81
up to $500 feet, and over $500 feet it is
50 cents
The Chairman-Did you finish with Mil
waukee
Mr.. Humphreys-1n Milwaukee, as l
say. they will have to pay for the first
10000 feet 50 cents. for the second 10000
feet 20 cents, and then they get it down
| to 60 cents
Mr. Moore-That is the minimum price ?
Mr. Humphries-Yes. Pittsburg up to
800 cubic feet per month pays 81.
The Chairman-Did you finish with Mil
waukee? -
| Mr. Moore-He has told us it is so
| cents for the first 10000 feet and then. it
is graduated down to 90 cents, according
| to the amount used
Mr.. Humphreys-In Milwaukee, for any
one consumer to get the 6O-cent price he
| has first got to burn 10000 feet-1O, Oe9 at
20 cents and 10000 at 20 cents. In Pitts
burg 1t Is 81 up to $500 feet and over
100 feet 1t is IS cents. Omaha is $1.15
Des Mones is 81. Brooklyn is 80 cents,
and under contest
Mr.. Moore-Pittsburg being so near the
center of supply of coke and coal. why
should that price be so high? They have
natural gas there, too. =
Mr.. Humphreys-The conditions are
somewhat abnormal. because they have
natural gas. anyway. OF course; they
run at disadvantage. anyway, and 1t is
JUST a question which way they lose the
least money.
Mr.. Moore-Now. tell us about the other
cities?
Mr.. Humphreys-Before natural gas
they charged 81. l can give you what it
gas. Before natural gas they charged 81
for ten or fifteen years before that
Mr. Moore-If the committee will par
don me moment, l would like to ask
the doctor why Pittsburg. being in the
very center of the coke and coal supply
OF the country. and also having natural
gas, should charge 81 for gas, whereas in
milwaukee. somewhat farther away, the
price varies SO and is so much less?
Mr.. Humphreys-That price of 81, YOU
see. was fixed good many years ago.
when 81 was very cheap for gas.
Mr.. Goldsborough-Is it not because
they sell very little of that artificial gas
and only to the outlying districts?
Mr.. Humphreys-As I understand Mr..
Moore. he is asking what price they had
before they established this keen COM
petition of natural gas. Back in 1885
they were charging 81, and then came in
the price with the idea that they would
get as much as they could out of what
they sold. OF course. the illuminating
gas is losing business in Pittsburg
Mr.. Aiken-Is any Of that natural gas
at Des Moines Omaha?
Mr.. Humphreys-I do not think there Is
at either of them?
Mr.. Aiken-What is the price in those
two towns now?
Mr.. Humphreys-At Omaha it is S115
Mr.. Moore-$115 fat?
Mr.. Humphreys-Yes. sir. At Des
Moines it is 81.
Mr.. Aiken-Yes.
Mr.. Humphreys-In Philadelphia mat
tiers are more or less complicated
Mr.. Moore-I think it Is 50 cents now
is 1t not?
Mr.. Humphreys-Yes, but it is not fair
to take that. Mr.. Moore, without explain
Mr.. Cary-For Wheeling the difference
between $50 and IS cents is Is cents, is
it not? .
Mr.. Humphreys-Yes. if $50 is the
price charged, which does not appear.
Mr. Cary-Then, do you figure that the"
extra amount Of money to be paid out Of
the budget would amount to that enor-
nous sum to the consumers. the differ
ence between Is cents and $50?
Mr.. Humphreys-At Wheeling they are
not making return on their investment
Mr.. Cary-Who gets the benefit of that
70 cents? Who gets the benefit Of it? 1t
is the consumer, Is 1t not?
Mr.. Humphreys-The consumer, yes
Mr.. Cary-The taxpayers of the city get
the benefit.
Mr.. Humphreys-No.. sir: the taxpayers
do not get the benefit. The taxpayers
paid for giving the benefit to the con-
sumer.
Mr.. Cary-And the taxpayer is the con-
sumner?
Mr.. Humphreys-Not altogether; no.
Mr.. Humphreys-It is quite a different
proposition.
(After further discussion the commit
tee adjourned. further hearing upon the
resolution under consideration being post
poned until Friday, April s, 1910, at 10
o'clock ann
Adjourned at 1890 p.m.-(Advt)