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11
LIGHTING.
The appointment of Mr. Heisch as Gas Examiner for
the District, as mentioned in the Board's last annual Report,
has been attended with important results.
On his first examination of the gas of the two companies
supplying the District, that of the Phoenix Company
was found to contain 110 grains of sulphur per 100 cubic
feet in excess of the maximum (20 grains) allowed by Act of
Parliament; aud the gas of the Crystal Palace District
Company 29*04 grains in excess of the maximum allowed.
Proceedings were taken by the Board for the recovery
of the penalties incurred by the Companies, but were not
pressed, both Companies pledging themselves to do their
utmost to reduce the sulphur in their gas within the statutory
limits. Further details of these proceedings will be found
in the annexed Report of the Medical Officer.
It is admitted that the Gas Companies labour under
almost insuperable difficulties in maintaining the quantity of
the sulphur in the gas within the statutory limit; and it
cannot be denied that the importance of the point to the gas
consumer is a question on which high autherities differ.
Tho first result of the Board's proceedings was therefore
an application by the Phoenix Gas Company to the Board
to enter into an agreement with them for reducing the
standard of purity of gas under the power contained for
such purpose in the 20th section of the Gas Act of 1860.
The subject was referred by the Board for consideration and
report by Mr. Heisch, and under his advice the Board declined
to entertain the Company's proposal.
A copy of the statement of facts submitted to Mr. Heisch,
with the opinion of Dr. Odling and Mr. AVills, on which the
Company relied, and a copy of Mr. Heisch's report, is appended
to this Report.
The decision of the Board necessitated renewed efforts
on the part of the Companies to reduce the sulphur in their
gas within the statutory limits, and such efforts have not
been witheut success. In all subsequent examinations, the