12 M, Ricardo on Gas Light Est ahlishments, [JuLV, 



cost for producing 12,000 feet of gas, supposing that quantity to 

 be procured from a chaldron of coals, is 3/. 17s. 6c^. of which the 

 cost of materials is 1/. lOs. ; and the remaining 2/. 7s. [)d. is for 

 labour, wear and tear, management, &c. To produce 3000 feet 

 of oil gas, the cost of materials will be, oil being 25/. per ton 

 ^the Oldford Company have never yet paid more than 22/. 

 including casks) ; 3/. for oil, and 5/. for coals ; while the cost 

 for labour, wear and tear, &c. would not exceed, taking the 

 average of full and slack work, 4s. per 1000, or 12s. for the 

 3000 feet. The profit upon that quantity by the tables in the 

 Report will be 2/. 3s. 11a. ; and in the Oil Gas Company, allow- 

 ing one-third of the quantity consumed to be for pubhc lights, 

 which pays about one-half, would produce the sum of 2/. 3s. 

 Now whether there be a large or small demand for gas, the cur- 

 rent expences do not vary much. The establishment must be 

 kept up, and where there are many occasional lights, they must 

 be always in readiness to supply them, if they should be wanted. 

 The interest on the capital too always remains the same. In the 

 Oil Gas Establishment, both the one and the other are compa- 

 ratively very small, and the greater expence, the cost of mate- 

 rials, ceases when no gas is required ; while in the other, the 

 smaller expenditure, namely, the cost of materials, ceases ; but 

 the greater ones, the current expences, and the interest on capi- 

 tal, continue, whether a small or large quantity of gas is required. 

 Thus in every way the advantages of oil gas are most clearly 

 manifested. 



I am aware that the foregoing observations will not afford 

 any more satisfaction to the advocates for coal gas than my for- 

 mer statements have done. Whether that dissatisfaction has 

 been expressed in any of the monthly journals, I have but few 

 opportunities of knowing, as I seldom see them, though I under- 

 stand it has been inserted in some of the provincial newspapers, 

 accompanied by insinuations which it is not worth my while to 

 notice. I state what appears to me to be facts. If I am incor- 

 rect, let me be proved so by direct argument, and the public, or 

 that part of it who are interested in the subject, will judge 

 between us. Yours truly, 



M. RlCAUDO. 



