CORRESPONDENCE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1435, 12 August 1915, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

(To the Editor), Sir. — Since Monday night’s Council meeting I have gone fully into the price of gas reduction question and am now more convinced than ever that the gas committee did not give the matter proper consideration or they would never have made the recommendation they did. Funhtr, in my opinion, a mistake was made at the previous meeting in referring the tuatler to the gascommilte for consideration. It was a matter dealing absolutely with finance and should have been considered by the finance committee. In view nl this I have now given notice to move "that before any alteration is made in the price of gas the question be referred to the finance committee for further consideration,” and at my request the Mayor has agreed lo convene a special meeting for Monday evening next: to deal with same. To show that, the gas committee did not know, and could not have realised what the proposed reduction means in loss ot revenue covering a. period of twelve months' working, and the extra amount of gas necessary to be used to make np that loss, the following figures speak for themselves; For the past 12 months, the amount of gas sold (or lighting was 1,865,200 ft, which if sold at rod per thousand less would produce a loss of rßs 2d, which would require an extra 170,000 ft. at 9s 2d to make good. The amount sold for cooking, heating and power was 1,329,500 ft, and if sold at rod per thousand less would make a loss of £55 which would require, if taken at the average rate of 633 d, 176,000 ft. extra to make np. To get the same amount of revenue as last year, we would require to sell au extra 346,000 ft. of gas which would take about 30 tons of coal to make. So if we could sell that amount of extra gas we would still be the price of the coal {£37) worse off than last year.—l am, etc., G. S. Wiunucv.