It is just possible that a good time is coming
for the unhappy victims of the London Gas Companies. At present the Companies can only divide ten per cent., and their interest there- fore is to call up needless capital, waste as much money as they can, and charge the consumer the highest price obtainable. It has, however, been proposed by the Select Committee on the subject to advise that 3s. 6d. be the mean price of 16-candle gas, to allow Companies to charge more or less, but to make their right to dividend vary inversely with their charge. If they ask 4s. 6d., they can only divide 5 per cent., but if they ask 2s. 6d., they may 4livide 15. If we could only substitute 18-candle gas for 16, that proposal would probably settle a quarrel which will end some fine morning in the Companies losing their monopoly.
Previous page
