GAS VENTURES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9138, 14 July 1908, Page 5

GAS VENTURES.

BIG FIGURES

The Wellington Corporation's attempt to municipalise the Wellington gasworks should make the public interested in gas ventures, private and public, in New Zealand and abroad. In thu United Kingdom there are 1,332 coal-gas umkruuungs owned by private companies, and 296 by municipal corporations. The companies supply 3,35b,402 consumers, and the corporations 2,461,539, making an aggregate of 5,819,941 per annum. Tnu companies make 120,916 millions cubic feet of gas, and the corporation 67,818 millions, a grand total of 188,734 millions (in round numbers), giving 4,300 cubic feet per head\of population (on the basis of fortyfour millions). The amount of capital invested is £130,000,000. New Zealand has 40 gas enterprises, 23 owned oy companies, and 17 by municipal corporations. Last year the companies produced 989 million cuoic feet of and the corporations 368J millions; this year the aggregate is expected to reach 1,500 millions, equal to 1,600 cubic feet per head of population. The gas industry of New Zealand ranks thirteenth in importance, compared with other industries. There is about £1,500,000 of capital invested, 954 hands employed, and the annual wages account is about £44,000. The value of the products is £1,400,000, from about 150,000 tons of coal, chiefly Westport. Hokitika is the only place in New Zealand where gas shares are below par. The explanation is that the enteiprise was over-capitalised in anticipation of an expansion of settlement, but the growth'did not come.