The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-06-18
REGULAR PRESSURE

On the other hand, the continuity of the flow of by-product gas and the as- suredness and regularity of pressure will be a decided advantage to the housewife in the matter of efficiency It is the superior efficiency of by product gas that constitutes it's great est appeal.
 Closing of contract Is regarded as imminent by those attending the con- ference at the city hall yesterday morning. Those in the conference were the committee on by-product gas from the Civic Association, the com mittee from the local branch of the American Association of Engineers, the city engineer, the city's special by product engineer, I. w. Ross, Forney Johnston, attorney representing the city in this matter. and the city, com mssioners.
 After going over the entire ques-
 ton it was the consensus of Opin-
 ion that the emergency now facing
 the city in the matter if gns
 supply owing to the lack of fuel
 oils and the termination of the
 contract on August 1, calls for the
 closing of q cOntrnct forthwith with
 the Birmingham Railway, Light
 and Power Company to supply the
 cJE WItn SHs SupPiy
 for n period of not more than three
 years.
 It is believed that final action will follow this conference and that this ac- tion will ensue in the next few days.
 The attitude of the Tennessee Con- pany is clearly understood by the City Commission and the Civic Association s committee. The Tennessee Company has a demand in it's own works for, by-prod-
 .k&.1J-v .J ir selling to the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power Company for city use, , would simply he cooperating in the matter of meeting a public necessity.
 It is understood that the charge to the utility will be 21 cents. The rest of the cost to the consumer will be that of distribution, one item of which will be the s100000 for pipe line.
 Investigation of every point involved has been made carefully by the Civic Association and the commission. It is known for instance. that at the present price of coal and gas oils the utility is losing around 20 cents thousand on each thousand cubic feet of gas furnished the customer in Greater Birmingham Neither is hy-product gas production as cheap as it has been It costs much more to produce by-praduct gas now than when Fairfield Secured it's con- tract. The coal that goes into the manu- facture of the by-product gas costs twice as mucsi to mine and twice as much to freight from mine to oven as these items cost a few years ago. APPEARS SETTLED Altogether it appears to have been set tied that Birmingham shall have by product gas in the immediate future; | lat this gas. while lower in thermal units than the gas now used, will come with more uniform pressure and prove more efficient; that the cost for the three years of the contract to the con- sumer will be about the same as though I he used artificial gas; and, finally that. at the expiration of the contract and when the utility shall have recouped t. self for the cash outlay necessary for hitchng on to this by-product supply, lower prices will prevail.
 The lower price is all the more as- proposed contract ample time exists fer consideration of hitching on to other supplies of by-product gas in case the proposed supply to be put on now proves no longer available or more suitable ar rangenlents can be made with other pro- ducers
 It is believed by the conferees that the contract is going to prove satis- factory to the public 5y reason of the efficiency of the by-product gas con- l bined with what they consider, under the circumstances, very reasonable price.