Birmingham's Gas-lighting

In order to facilítate lighting ie courts, the Corporation undertakes to treat such laraps as public, on the principie that a light is almost as valuaba as a policeman. In 1880 the number of court lampa was 4, consuniing 60,000 cublc feet of gas. at an annual cost of L10; in 1894 the number of lamps had iccreased to 1784, buvning more than íífO.OOO cubic feet, and the cost to fl,8G per annum. Of the 160,000 houses in the district of supply, only 60,000 have meters, and of these not more than three-fourths are d houses. In Englaml gas fixtures are individual property, furnished by the tenant, and removable when he goes into another house, the landlord s ipplying only the connection with the s.reet mains. The department now encourages landlords to connect their housos, to supply tenants with fixtures, and to put in prepayment, or penny-in-the-slot, meters, llke those in the artisans' houses belonging to the corporation, all to bc covered by the gross cost of tñe gas furnished at a rate of 3s. 4d. per thou6and. - "An Object Lesson in Municipal Government," by George F. Parker, In the November Century.