Gas Extortions

The aged superintendent of the city gas company is etidently again in hot water. For between the electric lightsand the alderman resoliite to withstand his various inducements in the best interests of the, city, he is Iiaving almost as bad a time as he did a few years ago when the university authorities found they could run the institution witliout him. Accordingly he rushes into print, and of course when he opens his inouth he puts his foot in ït, just as he used to when he was on the witness stand. His latest eflusion was in last week's Kegister, and tberein are sorae points whicli for theirevidently in tentional falsity should be shown up. In his endeavor to throw dust in the ejes of the public he figures out the annual saving to the city by his recent offers, and puts in his table au Item of $81.00 tbrflighting the clock tower. This is an entirely separate contract a_wLha& nvinmy wiiuicceT to do with the lamppost lighting. Let us remind our citizens of a few facts connected with the gas rates. In 1859, private consumers in Ann Arbor paid $4.50 per thousand feet for gas. The same man was at the head of the company then as now, and in tliose days he used to chuckle when he thought that he had secured the contract to light the streets at $24.00 per lamp post. That was for 1250 hours a year with a six-foot burner, making each post consume 7,500 feet per year, for which the company received $24.00, or $3.20 per thousand feet. The city received this lower rate than private consumers naturally because it boueht more. At the present time private consnmers obtain gas for $2.25 per thousand feet. This is just half what it was twenty-five years go. So we should expect the gas cotnpany could well afford now tofurnish the gas lamps at half the former price. Let us see whether they propose to do so. They offer now to give the city aflye-foot burner 1020 hours a year. It would consume therefore 5,100 feet, and at $13.20 per post this would be at the rate of $2.58 per thouáand feet. So now a man who burns in his house 2,000 feet of gas gets it at $2.25 per thousand, while the city burning 316,000 feet has to pay $2.58 per thousand. Henee to general consumere in twenty-five years they have reduced the price $2.25 per thousand and to the city only G2 cents. By this the ex-laboratory director teaches a new rule of proportion, for his would read likethis: $4.50 (former price to private consuiners) : $3 20 (former price to city) : : $2.25 (present price to consumers) : $2.58 (present price to city). Such a problem would give the ex-university professor a puzzling "Q. e. d.," and in the end the "d" instead of standing for demonstrandum would do just as well for damnandum. So now we are to have lessillumination from each burner ; fewer hours of lighting and pay more pro rata than formerly. The gas company would do well to go a little slow in this job, for there are cities well lighted by gasoline. For instance Columbus, Ohio, lights her streetswith it at an annual saving of from ten to twenty thousand dollars. Now when we take in tb consideration the facts not only that gas itself.can be made muchlcbeaper now than in 1850, and that Ann Arbor at present is more than doublé in population to what it was then, but also thatmuch more gas is used in proportion to the population now than formerly, we can not see but that as usual the head of the gas company is driving a sharp bargain with the city fathers. That lie did not stick the council for $22.00 per post, as he tried to do in his l lordly way, is greatly to the credit of 1 derman Heinzman, Walz, Eisele, Rhodes, Biggs, Mayor Harriman and Recorder i DiTrheim. We have them to thank for . making a resolute stand against the bearing, dictatorial Douglas. If one more alderman had gtood by these the proposition of the electric light company could have been accepted and our streets thereby been better lighted. The people in the t spring elections will do wel! to remember ] tbe faithful oIBcers whoguard their . esta. Under this head may be mentioucd grave abuse perpetrated against the state in ] fcrglng the Uniersity full ratesfor gas. ¦fc' fiioriiious amount consumti! , lr campus, a lower and Brice ought to be allowed. Lhe Regente, or perhaps ¦ iep, could niake a large j Heli might better be em¦ '.iit the deflcleucy there ¦