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II.
and the total charde under the old system would have been
£6,384 12s. 2vd. The actual anount paid during the year
1877-8 was £5,743 0s. 4d., but the average number of lamps
was 1,24S, being 121½ less than during the past year, and the
consumption of 60,* as above stated, was 4-ft. per hour. For
a short time 50 lamps in Great Eastern Street were charged at
a somewhat higher rate.
In estimating the cost of the past year's lighting, wre have
taken, 1st—The actual cost of gas (Table VI., b. d. f. h.) ;
2nd—The cost of repairs by contract, lamplighters' wages, and
sundry small repairs (Table III.); 3rd—Contractor's annual
charge for maintenance of meters, governors, Inspector's salary
and petty expenses (Table TV.); 4th—One-tenth of the cost of
providing meters, governors and other requisites, set out in
Table I.; but Table IF. is not included, as the Vestry must
have borne the cost of providing new lamps, columns, &c., if
ordered, whichever might have been the system in operation.
These figures will give a saving of £705 5s. 6^d., or about
lis. 2d. per lamp. There is a further receipt of £89 7s. Od.
for lamps to be paid for by railways and theatres ; but these
can hardly be brought into account in favor of the Meter
System, as it might have been obtained under the former.
In estimating the actual economy of the Meter System, we
are bound to have a fair regard to the number of hours of
lighting and to the rate of consumption. It was always
questioned whether the burners supplied by the Company did
consume during the entire night the full estimated quantity,
and whether the full number of hours of lighting was strictly
observed. But assuming that the requirements in both cases
were correct, then the consumption per lamp has been 526
hours per year less ; and 5-ft. per hour for those 52C hours,
and 4/10tlis per foot per lamp for 3,774 hours, gives a reduced
consumption per lamp of 4,140-ft. per lamp per year (actual
shown on table, 4,241-ft.), or about, in money, 14s. lOd. per
lamp. We may therefore assume, that by reduced hours and
*See foot note on previous page.