Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-04-26
RIG GAS BILLS DUE
TO CITY'S GREED
Refusal to Permit 8O-Cent
Rate Swells Municipal
Revenue
TAXPAYERS THE VICTIM

Through the indirect taxation system in
force by reason of the 1897 gas lease.
Philadephians this year will pay into the
city Treasury nearly s2.5OO.OOo. THIS
heavy drain on citizens of moderate rir-
cumstances is continued because of the city
administrations refusal to allow an eighty
cent gas rate proposed by Samuel T. Bo-
dine of the United Gas Improvement COM
pany.
Record sa les of gas reported for The first
three months of the year prove that more
and more householders are turning To gas
for relief from heavy coal bills, and that
consequently more citizens than ever before
are unwilling contributors TO this indirect
revenue source. Gas stoves are rapidly
replacing old-time coal ranges. while gas
for lighting and other purposes is in more
general use than ever before in several
hundred thousand modest households of the
city statistics show that the humble wage
Garner is great consumer OF gas, thus
proving that the greater portion of the
revenue received from gas sales comes from
those east able to afford the luxury OF
paying the city twenty cents for each loOo
feet of gas they consume.
For gas sales during January, February
and March the citv receives as its share at
the 81 rate a. total of S59l.39l Naturally
the returns from winter months are
heaviest but the more general use of gas
for cooking washing. etc. during the heated
months is counted on to prevent any
material falling off in this high record. Dur
ing 1916 the city received S2,Oi4.3Oo,11 as
its share of the sale of gas, while the rev.
enues of the company which leases the city
plant exceeded Ss0OOo0O or more than
81 600. 900 in excess of the sum received
in the preceding twelve months.
The revenues of the United Gas Com
pany have increased by leaps and bounds to
a point where officers of the company are
more than willing that the city should
abandon its indirect tax collections. thus
allowing all patrons an eighty y-cent rate At
the same time the company has never made
an offer to reduce its share of income in the
slightest degree
Not only have the city fnanclers no idea
of permitting S0-cent gas rate, but
they look with longing eyes to 1918. when
the revenues from gas will automatically
lump FIVE cents on every 1000 cubic feet
of gas sold thus increasing the anticipated
$500. 900 revenue of this year to more than
s3.OOO.OOO. In 1916 more than 100, ,000. 900
cubic feet of gas was sold or paid for
This year this figure will be exceeded and
next year. with the .twenty-ive-cent rebate
the city will receive under the lease. the
size of revenue from gas is little more than
a mathematical calculation, certain to ma
terialize.
That the United Gas Improvement Com
pany will lose nothing in the long run by
surrendering twenty-five instead of twenty
cents to the city for each 1000 feet of gas
sold in 1918 and succeeding years, is proved
by the manner in which the company in
the past has caught up with its revenue
after previous reductions of five cents
When the city's share was increased from
ten to fifteen cents the company caught up
and passed its receipts in the fourth year
The same true when the citys share
was increased to twenty cents.