THE GASWORKS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIX, Issue 8135, 9 May 1906, Page 5

THE GASWORKS.

The Gas Manager reported to the meeting last evening of the Masterton Borough Council that the amount of gas manufactured at the works during the month of April was 1,164,400 cubic feet, as compared with 1,195,400 oubio feet for the corresponding month of last year, being a decrease of 31,000 cubic feet. The receipts for the mouth amounted to £469 16s sd, Cr Temple said that according to the reDort one ton of ooal nad only produced 8,500 oubio feet of gas, and he would like to see a statement laid before the Council each month' as to the oost of manufacturing, or at least producing, each 1,000 cubio feet of gas. Mr Blaokman stated that it was absolutely impossible to give an, accurate return of the cost of gas produced from each ton of ooal every month. He would be able to give the return/ about every six months. The reason why he could not give the required information was that the ooal at the gasworks could not be Weighed. The estimated weight could only be arrived at. If the Council required the exact amount of coal consumed at the gasworks every montb they would have to provide weighing ap paratus, which would mean a considerable outlay. When they were short of gas at the works every bit of gas oould not be taken out of a ton of ooal, ae the'men had to follow up the oharges of coal quiokly, and owing to Jthe rush could not allow of every bit of gas being taken out of the ooal gin answer to a question from Cr Temple as to how be could acoount for the deorease of 31,000 oubio feet in last month's output of gas as oompared with April, 1905, Mr Blaokman stated that he was unable to acoount for it. There were a hundred and one reasons that be might assign as the cause.of th« deorease. The deorease in the amount of manufactured gas did not necessarily mean a, decrease in the amount sold. One reason for the deorease was that the old benoh at the gasworks bad been used last montb, and a considerable quantity of ooal had been wasted, but he did not ex peat there would be a recurrence of this waste as a new bench had been put in.

CABLE NEWS, By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright.