The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1911-06-22
HOW GAS TRUST,
BY FAST" METERS
CHEATS CUSTOMERS
Takes $1,000 ooYearly
From Chicago With
out Compensation
METERS SHRINK
SHRINK
And Consequently Leather
Bag Which Measures Gas
CutsDoWn the Amount

~ WIZ llIS IAlilOSlIIl
Chicago-Further light on the ac
cumulating millions of the gas rus
was furnished yesterday when Ga:
Inspector w. ID. Wilcox reported tina,
60 per cen tot the gas meters in Chi
cago, running fast, had stolen out o.
lion and a quarter dollars during the
four years of the Busse administra,
ton.
The report further shows tina,
during that time 1,200 of the 1000
meters inspected showed that the
gas company was beating it's custom
ers out of from . to 10 per- cent OF
their bills and there is no record OF
a single dollar being rebated, even
when the %consu.leE proved that he
had been cheated for months and Oft
ell years.
Briefly Inspector Wilcox reported:
That 60 per CEN OF the gas meters
in Chicago are running on an aver
age of 3 per cent faster than the
gas they measure;
That 80 per cent run within 9 per
/ cant nf ocrn1ory nc n1fou,oJ NV DrJi
nance;
That only ) per cent run slow, and
none of these more than 2 per cent
slow.
And hat Chicago consumers are
cheated out OF more than 3 per cent
of the S15,ooo,o 600 they spend an
nually with the Peoples Gas Light
e Coke Company.
Figures Show Real "~Lcakagc" Is
$4,000
On the face of the. figures it would
seem that the leak would be $780,
600 annually, but Inspector Wilcox
gave the gas trust the benefit of a
liberal doubt and fixed the sum at
100000.
The joke of the whole situation
is that the gas company makes it a
better proposition with any consum-
er who thinks his meter is running
fast, and the consumer loses either
way" said Assistant Corporation
Counsel Maclay Hoyne, who will
make an inspection of the matter.
IF a citizen thinks his meter is
running fast he reports his suspic-
ions and deposits a dollar to cover
the cost of inspection. The city no.
titles the gas company and it puts a
new meter in place of the one in
question, the latter being taken to
the City Hall for test.
eff the meter is running within 3
loses his dollar. If it is running fast
er than 2 per cent he gets the dol
lar back, but cannot collect rebates
on what is due him. He only gets
another meter, which probably be-
gins to beat him as soon as it is in
stalled."
Gas Inspector Wilcox said. that the
fast meters were caused by the ten
dency of all meters to begin running
fast as soon as installed.
Every meter installed in the
last two years has ben tested by this
department. But the inside of q
meter is composed of leather bag
which measures the gas and with Wa
ter gas this leather always shrinks.'
Trus; Owners Get the Money.
AS the meters shrink so do the
pocketbooks of the and ir
the same ratio do the fortunes OF
Roger Sullivan, Anthony Brady, C
*. G.. Billings ct al. become inflated
and run over into S3,000,0 600 office
buildings and savings banks. The
consumer will find little consolation
i'll the statement that half the met
ers in Chicago have been in service
ten years and thousands of them fiji
teen years and every one of then
shrinking every years.
Attorney Hoyne will begin at one
drafting an ordinance which will
place a heavy penalty on the ga
company for maintaining a fast
meter, arrange for the rebating of al
. over charges and the Immediate in
!. spection of all meters to the end tina
{ those which have withered ant
j shrunk SO that the man who mad,
them would not recognize them ma,
be replaced with new ones whicl
have just begun to shrink.
They say that this is the onl.
remedy, as all meters shrink. TIL
= best the consumer can do is to ge
. a new one, which has not yet devel
!. oped-the habit Of shrinking rapidly