The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-02-22
GAS PLANT LEASE
HEARING TO Be SET
MATTER COMES BEFORE STREET
COMMITTEE AT roMORR0w,s
MEETING.
INTEREST ON DEPOSIT
CITY HAS GOOD Sum IN HAND
PLACED THERE by USERS OF
GAS As GUARANTEE OF
PAYMENT.

Two questions of Importance will
be before .he Council Committee on
Streets a. its meeting tomorrow at
ternoon.
The reques. of the Virginia Rail-
way and Power Company for tenn
porary relief from relaying tracks on
Broad Street. between Eleventh and
imborazo Park, which has been In
the hands OF the committee for sew
eral weeks, and the proposition Of
the Southern Gas and Electric Cor
poration to lease the gas works, will.
in ALL likelihood, be discussed.
Y was stated by q member OF che
committee yesterday that a date for
a public hearing Of both the oues-
tons would probably he fixed.
The administrative Board has d.
rected the Virginia Railway and
Power Company to proceed at once
on Broad Street and on lakewood Av-
enue.
Price Of Cas-
Commissioner Hirschberg has COM
mitted himself to cheaper gas to be
furnished By the city. He believes
me city can manufacture and de-
liver gas at seventy-fve cents thou
sand feet.
Aldermen Powers and Melton. ps-
oneerp for eighty-cent gas. Will urge
an ordinance reducing the price rom
ninety cents to that figure. This or
dinAnce IL now In the HANDS OF 1no
Committee on Utilities
when tho Sullivan ordinance requ'r-
ing the city TO pay interest to every
citizen who has money on deposit tor
ras bills comes UP for its passage AZ
the meeting OF Common Council next
Monday night. Councilman sullivan
will present figures to show that the
city has a neat sum now In hand.
placed there by users of gas as guar
antes for the payment OF gas bills
Inspector shelton has prepared
table showing exactly the situation.
rhis table will show that deposits up
70 February !. amount TO s3S.ass, OF
which amount s25.bo3.26 have been re-
funded, leaving balance In the city
treasury OF sIs,o95-TS.
The Sullivan ordinance provides for
The payment OF three per cent interest
per annum. payable after the deposit
has been in hand at least three months
Not at G~serni Mature.
A recent ordinance. approved by the
Mayor. exempts propertyowners from
responsibility for unpaid gas bills
since the passage OF that ordinance.
the Gas Department has required "a
lumber Of deposits from users. but, as
explained by Inspector shelton, the re-
s4u!rsment has not been OF q general
nature,
II have exercised the discretion per
rn.tt~d me by the charter" said In
spector Shelton. "and have not at
tempted to esnearrass any user OF city
gas"
The gas companies In New York
city have on deposit 39.ssT,17ss 81 to
secure the payment OF gas bills
Average deposit per meter IN New
York City, s2.a7; Richmond city. IS
cents.
BY an ordinance approved July T..
1919. the City Council cancelled all un-
raid bills prior to January /. 1908.
The amount OF gas bills rendered from
January /, 1908. TO February l, 1915.
il sa,osassT.e3. OF this amount $s,
aasss remain unpaid little lees than
eleven cents in every hundred dollara
BY proper extension of the de-
post system. II is possible that this
ratio Of delinquency may be main
tanned. Notwithstanding the recent
change in the city ordinances releasing
propertyowners from responsibility for
DELINQUENT bills.