The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1926-01-15
THE GAS DEFICIT

THE GAS DEFICIT
There is going to be much ado, much
said and told about in Hamiltons
daily papers between now and Feb
ruary End, the date of the referen-
dunn election, of the great loss suffer
ed by the city in conducting its own
gas distributing business during the
year just closed The report of the
service department clerk shows there
is an operating loss in the gas de-
partment for last year. Reading the
daily newspaper items and editorials we
find the figures of the loss running all
the way from $4,000 to $4,000. 1t
is hard for the average person to
make out just what the loss amounts
to.
But what of it? What does it
amount to? Taking the high figure,
1000, which it is said is really about
three times what the actual loss
amounts to, for the sake of argu-
ment, suppose the department did
really run that much behind and it
has to be made up by this method or
that, the people eventually paying it,
how many times $4,000 would the
people be paying eventually in in
creased gas rates if some one other
than the city distributed the gas ?
Seventy-seven thousand dollars means
about $1.50 for each man, woman and
child in the city And wouldn't that
mean money we'll invested when one
considers what the rates will one day
soar to if we once get into the
clutches of some big corporation?
Is there anyone, with any brains
at all, who is willing to believe that
we won't have to pay, and pay, and
pay some more for gas if we once
let loose of our own gas distributing
system and turn it over to some out
side concern? Just think this over
for a minute or two and reach your
own conclusion
But it isn't even necessary that we
should have to pay the $1.50 a per-
son each year to make up a deficit |
of $4,000. This loss can no doubt
be prevented by pairing expenses here
and there, and in a reasonable man.
ner at that. 1t is claimed the great |
est loss is due to leaking mains and |
that if the leaks are stopped there |
would be nice profit in the depart
ment. Then why not stop the leak |
and make the profit for ourselves?
1t has been estimated that the loss
1ue to leakage amounts to approx
nately 100000 a year In ten
Jears, the period for which it is pro-
posed to lease the mains to the Colum-
oia Gas Supply Company, the loss
would amount to $1,000,00O Former
Mayor Kelly has stated that with $780,
100 the leaks could be stopped. Mayor
Kelly may have been low in his esti-
nate-say it would cost $1OO,0O0,I
With the department put on basis Of
ust holding its own, in ten years the
ity would be 5000, 900 to the good in
his instance alone. Out of that the
ity could pay the indebtedness of
he department and still be 5000, 900
0 the good.
In addition to that, under the new
ate Of the Columbia Company, which |
) Is cents a thousand feet for the
rst 5000 feet of gas consumed, and |
,hich is 5 cents per thousand feet
lore than the present rate, rs per
ent Of the gas consumers in the city I I
'ould be compelled to pay this addi- /,
onal cents per thousand feet. This ]
EN-, it is estimated, would amount 8
, $4,000, or 100000 in ten years. !! i
his amount, then, together with the I
500, 900 quoted above, would mean II