INTRODUCTORY. 3 



control of its affairs. In response to an invitation to set 

 out my views and experiences, I propose to fully discuss the 

 subject, but would like it to be understood that expressions 

 of opinion are not advanced in a dogmatic sense, or as 

 being the last word. For I am well aware that other 

 engineers can point to as good, or to better, results secured 

 by other methods than those which I shall describe. 



The great advance in education, in technical and in busi- 

 ness methods, that is such a remarkable feature of the period 

 above mentioned, has not left the circumstances of the small 

 gasworks untouched. It has considerably altered the com- 

 plexion of affairs, and that in more than one direction. 

 Some of these changes are an advantage, others the con- 

 trary ; but, on the whole, the position has improved. Most 

 of the recent advances in the construction of gas lighting 

 burners, gas cookers, gas fires, and technical appliances, are 

 applicable to the smallest districts, just as generator 

 furnaces, dry-face purifier lids, and other novelties that 

 might be mentioned, are applicable to the smallest sizes of 

 generating or purifying apparatus. But, incidentally, it 

 may be said that the more refined apparatus requires 

 a corresponding order of intelligence on the part of 

 the man in charge. The whole business of construction 

 and management has advanced to a higher plane. I am 

 led to make this remark by the frequency of complaints that 

 modern apparatus has not yielded anything like the 

 expected improvement in results. It is a common mistake 

 to imagine that if enterprise is exercised by a liberal 

 expenditure on the best obtainable apparatus, the rest will 

 take care of itself. For very often the technical education 

 of a working manager is of a narrow and very rule-of-thumb 

 character, not extending beyond the practical details of 

 working one particular kind of coal in one particular 



