GAS FAILS.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 July 1920, Page 5

GAS FAILS.

BREAK AT NEW PLYMOUTH,

TWO MEALS WITHOUT GAS. The New Plymouth gas • supply—# doubtful quantity of late—failed altogether on Tuesday night for about half an hour, and again yesterday consumers were inconvenienced from about midday till well into the evening, householders having to prepare two meals without the aid of gas. ~ This, the worst lapse, is the culmination of a series of inconvenience! to which the public have been put, and the company is now faced with an insistent demand for an improvement of the Mrrice. An announcement in yesterday Morning's paper that the trouble ot tfee previous evening had been remedied made the break yesterday all the nurd exasperating, ana, coming at the hour of th§ midday meal, many household* experienced great inconvenience, badness concerns which require gas were also inconvenienced. ' ' There was no improvement'during; tJia afternoon, and householders were again in difficulties in providing meal. The scarcity and pripe. of Sel has led many people to depend-InoiSjsa gas, but their faith, in the New I&service was badly ib&tttrwL Though cooking by electricity is gromig in popularity,' this means now expenditure beyond tlie" means .of nuft people, so that unless they are prepared to keep their stove fire in at great coat —when fuel can be had—they havo to denend on an erratic gas service &r inferior to that of other towns. r

More than one private house was reduces to borrowing hot water for use in connection with the evening meal, from more fortunate neighbors who wer e ' basking in the radiance'from «tactricity and coal-burning stoves. But a dependable gas supply would be as gttfit an asset aR these last-mentioned conveniences. The inferior nature of tike New Plymouth article has bees the subject of much comment, and many gueapeg have been hazarded ag. to the reason lor the failure of the company's works. , The company's side of the question was stated by Mr. T. Furlong, chairman of directors, who said, in reply to a. Daily News reporter's question: "Of course, 1 can only give the view, and he told me the reason for the stoppage was that he could not get gas out of the coal. All the coal is not bad, but it is patchy."

"What are'the future prospects?"!, "I can only say we are all right now," replied Mr. Furlong. "1 hope there will be no more trouble, bi)t the coal varies ; in quality. That ia what the manager tells me." Our representative was unable to> Id- i cate the manager in order to obtain a further explanation of the situation. The uncertainty of the supply," and tha invariably low caloriffe value of the gas when it is available, are rapfdly making the position an intolerable one, v