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162
sideration agreed to suspend the penalties and at the present time the
Gas Company has a Bill before Parliament—" Removal of Sulphur
Restrictions," in which the abolition of forfeitures is proposed.
In connection with this Bill an arrangement has been arrived at
between the Council and the Gas Company by which the following
points will be secured :—Continued testing for sulphur other than
sulphuretted hydrogen, estimation of the calorific power of the gas and
determination of the illuminating power by means of flat-flame burners ;
also a somewhat greater elasticity as regards times of testing; and I
trust the erection of a second testing place in the district in addition
to the present one at Putney. The Wandsworth Borough Council
will therefore be in a position to continue the thorough testing of the
gas while the convenience of the manufacturers will be in no way
unduly interfered with.
Illuminating
Power.
Results of Daily Testing of the Gas from October, 1903, to March
31st, 1906 (Wandsworth and Putney Gas Company).
The standard illuminating power of the gas is fixed at 14 candles
and on no occasion have I found it below this figure
although at times it has not been very much above it.
On the whole, however, the average illuminating power has been
about 15 candles, the actual average for the period of two and a half
years being 15.4 candles. I think these results are a matter for congratulation
and I attribute this distinctly favourable condition to the
effect of the daily testings and reports to the Company who are thus
better able to regulate and control the illuminating power, since it
has been abundantly shown that tests made at the Gas Works only
are liable to be illusory as regards the actual illuminating power of the
gas in a given centre at some distance from the Works.
It is for this reason that I have urged the erection of a second
testing place in another part of the district in addition to the one at
Putney and I trust the Council will again consider the matter.
Table A shows the average monthly variations of the illuminating
power from October, 1903, to March, 1906, and the curve in Table B
shows the average weekly variations, all the averages" being based on
daily testings. Here again I consider the results favourable as at 110
time or at least seldom is there any sudden variation indicated ; as