Year: 1866

GAS COMPETTTION.-The veto of Mayor H0ff-
man Of the proposed contract for lighting the
streets shows proper care for the interests Of
the city. Its arguments do not go % far as
we could have wished, stiIl they lay down
the leading principles on which such con-
tracts should be based. There is no article of
consumption in which competition should be
70 much encouraged as gas The city con-
tracts have q controlling influence over the
rates charged to private individuals, and for
that reason, if for no other, everything like
favor should be jealously guarded against in
awarding the contracts. The principle adopted
in the vetoed measure is wholly inadmissible.
II would place US as completely at the mercy
OF the different companies as II only one mo-
nopoly existed. There is tendency on the
part Of oil these rich corporations to play into
each others hands, and the proposed contract
affords them every facility for doing so. We
need only refer to the experience of the city
of London, where similar plan Of district
contracts exists to show that the whole system
works badly, both for the interest of the city
and The individual consumers


From report Of a committee Of the House
Of Commons appointed to investigate the sub
ject 1t appears that although the maximum
charge in London did not amount to
more than q dollar and twenty-five cents per
thousand cubic feet, the London public have
been actually paying for their gas one
third more than they ought to have paid,
bus entailing upon them the enormous loss of
100000, or about s3,000,OOO per annum
Seeing che striking inequality in the charges Of
the different London gas companics-some
demanding as low as seventy-hve cents per
thousand feet-it follows that there is some
thing radically wrong in the manner of award
ing the contracts. The report shows that il
arises from the plan Of distributing thcm-the
system objected to by Mayor Hoffman. If the
principle of competition were enforced between
the new companies and the old ones no such
extortion could be practised. In England,
however, as well as here, the corporate bodies
are thoroughly corrupt and legislative reme-
dies are often postponed through their infu-
ence The people of London seem now to be
only is the system of district contracts likely to
be abolished, but there is o plan on foot for
the city 10 take into its own hands the supply
ing OF its inhabitants with gas.


In the course of the investigations of the
committee appointed to report upon this SUBJ
Ject some curious facts were elected in regard
TO the effect Of bad gas upon goods Howell
4 james, the eminent silk MERGERS of Regent
street, produced silk stuffs the color of
which had been entirely taken away by the gas
consumed in their shops and Mr.. Medwin,
fashionable bootmaker, exhibited boots which,
from the same cause, tors up like brown paper.
We have often heard New York traders make
similar statements, but no weight has hitherto
been attached to them. We believe the time
is close at hand when the injurious effects of
gas generally will lead to its substitution by
some wholesomer and cheaper light. Magne-
sium, when il can be produced at lower rates.
would seem to realize all that Is to be desired.
As we are assured that another year will 80
reduce its cost as to insure its general use, il
would be absurd for the city to enter into con-
tracts with the gas companies for any consider
able period. The public would be impatient
at any arrangement that would compel. them
to submit day longer than necessary to the
extortion and impertnence practised by these
companies and their employees.