THE MANAGER IN THE DISTRICT. 



95 



can get in gas can get out. It will pay to examine the 

 main during the next dry season. 



The liquid pumped from the drip boxes should consist 

 of fairly clean water. There is sure to be a little rust, and 

 evidence of its gassy origin, but it should not be specially 

 offensive, or contain any quantity of tar or of oil. This remark 

 applies particularly to English coal and English climate. I 

 have never known trouble to arise from deposits of naph- 

 thalene in a small district, and, therefore, do not consider 

 it a part of the present subject to deal with the methods 

 usually adopted for its prevention or removal. 



In the early days, when the appliances for consuming gas 

 were limited to, perhaps, half a dozen flat-flame burners, and 

 the maximum consumption to 30 cubic feet per hour, the size 

 of the service supply pipe was not of much consequence. 

 But the introduction of gas fires, gas cookers and geysers 

 has largely increased the maximum hourly consumption. 

 For convenience of calculation, the maximum consumption 

 is usually stated in terms per hour, although it may only 

 extend to a few minutes. And the gas manager should be 

 prepared to advise as to the proper size of service pipe. 

 The bare statement that a certain size of meter is to be 

 fixed should not be accepted as evidence of the size of 

 service required. The matter is further complicated by 

 the ridiculous practice of stating the size of the meter as so 

 many " lights," an obsolete expression that gives no useful 

 information. If instead of supplying a " 5-light " meter, 

 the maker would supply one guaranteed to pass anything 

 up to 40 cubic feet per hour without abnormal increase 

 of pressure, there would be something to go upon. It is 

 usually understood that each light represents 6 cubic feet 

 per hour, that a 5-light will pass 30, a lo-light 60 cubic 

 feet per hour, and so on. Also that a meter may be 



