THE NELSON GAS-WORKS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4202, 8 September 1874, Page 3

THE NELSON GAS-WORKS.

Consumers of gas in Nelson are informed that the Provincial Executive, in whose hands the local gas-works are at present, have decided to reduce the price to 18s. fid. per thousand feet, or to 12s. (id. per thousand feet if paid ■within seven days from the first of each month. At a recent meeting of the City Council, the Mayor, Mr. Hooper, laid on the table a statement regarding the cost of the works. It showed, he said, a loss of £152 Cs. on seven months’ work. He had no doubt that the gas - works were mismanaged. The Nelson gasometer would scarcely hold enough gas to light the city for a week, and yet the works cost more than any other. The price charged for gas at Greymouth was 165.; at Wellington, 145.; atAuckland, 12s. Gd.; and at Canterbury, 145.; so that if the price in Nelson were lowered to 14s. it would be as low as in any place except Auckland. He had made a few calculations to show the mismanagement he had spoken of. According to the statement furnished by the Provincial Government the amount received for gas from January 1 to June 30, 1874, was 1,511 10s. Bd.. which was equal to about 639,000 cubic feet of gas at 16s. per thousand. The amount paid for coal during that period was £293 Is; 6d., which was equal to about 163 tons of coal at 335. per ton —the contract price. 163 tons of Greymouth coal, according to information in his possession, ought to produce 1,467,000 cubic feet of gas, at the rate of 9000 feet to one ton of coal. They could account for 639,000 feet of gas, but there was no loss than 828,000 feet still to be accounted for. The amount of money which was still owed by consumers had not been shown in the statement of the Government, and perhaps when they had that they would bo able to see what had become of the remaining gas. He had ’received from three gas companies a statement showing the amount of gas made by each from a ton of coal. No. 1 company made from 7600 to 9000 feet; No. 2 company, 10,000 to 11,000 ; and No. 3 company, 8000 feet. According to the Nelson manager’s report, the working expenses for twelve months were estimated at £563, but the Government statement made the amount ’£374 for the seven months, thus leaving only £IBB for the remainder of the year. He had complained particularly to the Government of the item of £SO for labor in one month. He concluded by saying that two or three men were quite sufficient to do the work of such a place as Nelson. In Christchurch the returns were fully £SOOO a year, and yet only one man, at £3 per week, was employed to collect the money and do the work. The Manager, Mr. Mirfln, in a statement to the Provincial Secretary, says:—The falling off is not the result «f mismanagement, but the high price charged, and limited number of consumers, over which the Manager has no control. I would also beg to inform the Mayor that {he working expenses of the Nelson Gasworks, salaries and wages, are less than any pther works in the Colony. The yearly working expenses of Hokitika works are £lOlB ; Greymouth, £768 ; Thames (Auckland), £702; Christchurch, £1236 ; Hobart Town, £2732 ; Launceston, £1044 ; Nelson, £562. The above are the actual amounts paid for wages, management, and collecting. Hokitika, Greymouth, and the Thames works are about the same as Nelson ; the others are about double the size.