THIS IS GAS WEEK.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 October 1924, Page 1

THIS IS GAS WEEK.

Tl IK ('AH EOF THE CAS ACCOUNT. JAI.POHTAXT TO EVERY CONSUMER. When the ordinary man gets a gas account which he considers excessive, he will probably take up one of three attitudes; lie may say: “Oh, Well, I suppose we must grin and bear it,” but while lie is bearing it, he seethes with discontent, and talks to his friends about it ; or he may say; “This is too hot, I’ll go down and blow them up,” and then he will clap on his hat, tell the world in general that he i.s going to cause a riot in the fins OHii'c, and stalk out in search of n good listener. When he discovers his man he. says; “Look here, mv account is all to glory this quarter, I can’t have burnt it, if you look hack you’ll see I’ve never had such an aoeount lielnre. A till'd better send a man up to S(>e if the gas is escaping, and while lie is there he could have a look at the cooker ami see if anything is wrong with it. He’d better take tlie meter away ami test it, too-~l can’t understand how you make it so nuieli, w ( > haven’t made any jam this <|itarter, we never have more than two chops for breakfast, and we always light the range for dinner. .1 suppose we are paying for ihe air you pump through the pipes.” When this man has said his say, he can lie treated in minli the same way as the man who takes up the third altitude. The third man says: “I think my gas is costing me too much, can you tell me what I should do "i" 11 is stand is that of the reasoning man, who realises that the fault may as easily lie at home as with the Cas Company. Moth these latter gentlemen say the same thing in effect—they ask for help and information. They must lirsl ol all lie lolil that big hills arc made at that if they live well th(>.v must he prepared to meet the cost, and that the root of the trouble will probably lie found in ihe kileheti. We colonials are good trenehmen, big meat-eaters, and we must not forgot that the cost of our good meals does not end at lire price of the beef. We must add the cost of the vegetables and lh(> gas lo cool; llu‘ whole. IL may also he true that there i.s a little negligence in the culinary department, pernhps half a gallon of water is boiled when only a pint is needed, and so on. Comparisons, according to the sage are odious, and it is not very advisable to look at the corresponding (puirler last, year lor help—our habits and customs change from day to day, and what was extraordinary then may he usual to-dav. It i.s not necessary for a man to go looking all over the house for gas escapes with a mate'll the little test dial at tlie top nl the meter eloekface will record the smallest quantity of gas, so that if it moves when no gas is being us,.il. there i.s a hole somewhere. The next thing that our angry friend ii'.cntioiieil was that there may he something wrong with his cooker. As a rule there is nothing in this idea, hut perhaps if the stove is very nldlashiotieil it may he economy to scrap il. Of e'liirse, il stands to reason that a modern cooker with asbestos-packed oven, will Use less gas once tlie oven i s lint. I ban an men nil 1 1 sheet-iron sides which every draught will cool. It the stove stands bet ween a door and ( window or in a fireplace with no damper, the draught is a serious ennsidera- < ten. especially on the lop ol the stole, when- every breeze disturbs the llsine. The idea that the meter needs testing is a result of ignorance of its Winking. The meter is really a marvellous piece of accurate mechanism, which is simple in design and cllieieut in operation. In tlie climate ol this coiiiury, a meter will work day in and day out for years without need of attention, and. when it. dees go wrong, if left too long, its Usual tendency is to grow slower and slower until il allows the gas to pass without registering Ihe consumption on the dial. It must he realised that the meter Is a machine of metal ami leather, and not a tin box which helps the meter reader to guess the account, by some spi rituaiisi ie power. when we try to remember everything we did each day for !.’(• days. We realise how impossible it would lie to i rilieiso a gas account, at the end ol a quarter bv trying lo remember how often the gas was lit. There is a tar heller way than that, which calls lot vrrv little trouble, and that is the weekly meter .reading. Anyone who is interested in his iieeonnt should read his meter, and work out what has I used weekly. I’amphlets of instruehow 111 do this are always on the counter at the (Ins Ollire. People who Us.- a wood or coal range as well as the gas cooker, often complain about the gas hill when their real eoniphiiiit should he directed at (he total fuel hill—gas. wood and coal. It has In-i-u proved that gas would do tin- whole job more cheaply than wood, coal anil gas combined, because there is an over lapping of functions hot ween the two—tin- gas is used while the range is burning. Another point is that, the range is luirning fuel while it is not being used, hut the gas is turned olf when finished with. The charge of pumping air through the pipes arises through a little misapprehension ol the method of gas combustion. There is a notch out in the- iinder-siile ol every stove burner to let in the necessary air lo mix with the gas, ami if the gas passes this notch at too great a pressure it will suck in too much air, anil cause the roaring noise which some id oiirlrieuds call “air in the pipes.” The remedy is as simple as the cause —just turn down the tap at the meter till the right pressure is arrived at, and the roaring will stop. Too much pressure, is. of course, wasteful. Now that wi- have answered all our friends' complaints there are iust one or two points worth rememlK-ring: — The gas should not lie lit until the utensil i- placed over if. and should he turned out before it is taken olf. Never use the big burner to boil when the small one will do. Avoid the griller burner for boiling like the plague—it is not meant for it. When Iwo or three puts must be kept boiling, they can tie brought to the.boil on separate burners, and then all three placed on a sheet of tin over the small burner, and so kept boiling. Aleut should not be placed in a heating oven —the oven should be hot eiioiiuh to close the pores of the meat at once, and so retain tlie essential juices which are tinbest part of tlie meat. AYilh regard to i;us lighting, the greatest satisfaction is gained by an arrangement with the Company whereby the Company supplies mantles and chimneys and an expert's time for a small fixed monthly charge. The greatest advantage is that of tlie adjustment of the burners by an expert who knows the proper proportions of gas and air needed foi the perfect light. This being the final article for Gas AYeek, the reader is reminded once

again that gas is the essential servant for the best service and the greatest happiness. If the reader wishes to avail himself of modern conveniences about the home gas will he installed without delay. If ,V° U iirc building see to it that a good gas service is provided, and use the commodity for all the purposes you need. It may litapplied in many directions. All classes of appliances may lie obtained on the deferred payment system, so that the local service which has stood the test of time—more than half a century —i.s within the reach of all. Do it now. Call or ring up Mr Shannon, Hovel! Street, for further particulars.