The Daily News. TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 1912. THE GAS COMPANY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 217, 12 March 1912, Page 4

The Daily News. TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 1912. THE GAS COMPANY.

The Chamber of Commerce devoted a good deal of its time on Friday evening to discussing the quality of the gas supplied by the local company and the' question of the municipalisation of the works, suggested in a letter written by Mr. G. F. Robinson, whose "bete noir" seems to be the management of the Gas Company. We are not going to dispute his contention regarding the quality of the gas that is supplied, because, it has been and is at the present time as bad as gas can be. Neither are we prepared to dispute his statement that the company are taking advantage of its monopolistic rights in charging the rates it does. In common fairness to its customers, the company might reduce its charges to those, say, obtaining in Auckland, viz., 4s 6d per 1000 feet, and then still be able to pay its ten per cent, dividend. By making a point of waiting on the company with the view to bringing about a reduction in the price, the Chamber of Commerce would be doing something really useful and serviceable. But so far as the proposal to municipalise the concern goes, that is quite out of court at the present moment. Unlike some of the speakers at the meeting, we do not question the ability of the municipality to successfully conduct gasworks, because it has proved that it can successfully manage other undertakings not less difficult than gasworks. But the Council will have its hands full for the next two or three years in connection with the merging of the suburbs, and the consequent extension of its several activities, as well as with the proposed tramways, which really are of more immediate concern to the borough than anything else. Mr. Morey put his finger on the spot. The Greater New Plymouth scheme having been settled, he said, there would be a light between electricity and gas, and

he ventured the opinioa that electricity would win. There is no getting away from the fact that the Gas Company has powers, unwisely (almost criminally so) given by the ratepayers of many years ago, and the most effective way of bringing it to heel is to make the race as warm as possible for it. This can be done by the town backing its own undertaking in every way and contesting every inch with the gas monopoly. As an illuminant, electricity must stand in possession of the field. As a heater, however, the advantage at present lies with gas. But every year sees an advance made by electricity in the latter domain. The electric if on is now ahead of the gas iron; the electric radiator is ousting the gas stove as a room warmer; the electric kettle is now fighting its way'against the gas ring. For cooking purposes, however, the gas stove or griller is ahead of the electric appliances, but as soon as the master minds that are now engaged on the task perfect an electric stove or cooker than can be operated with economy (as undoubtedly will be the case before long), then gas will be at a discount, the companies controlling it will be eager to treat their customers reasonably in price and in other ways, they won't use coal because it is cheap but coal that will provide the best gas, won't poison its users or won't be provocative of wicked feelings and more wicked words. Electricity has made great strides in the last decade, but only the fringe of the service has yet been touched, and nothing seems more certain than that in the future electricity will play an ever-growing and more important part, and in the race with gas electricity piust win. Then there will be no necessity to take over any gas works and pay big sums by way of compensation.