586 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVII. No. 955 



still other cases entirely new ordinances 

 have superseded old ones; in many cases 

 no regulatory ordinances have ever been 

 adopted. In some states possessing state 

 commissions, the requirements have been 

 fixed by the commissions. But in most 

 states (and in all until recently) regula- 

 tory ordinances have been prepared and 

 passed by state legislatures or city coim- 

 cils. The process of adopting such an 

 ordinance is often long and painful. Sus- 

 picion, antagonism and often political con- 

 siderations combine to make the negotia- 

 tions difficult, and sometimes it amounts 

 to a long-drawn battle. The representa- 

 tives of the city endeavor to get all they 

 can for the public, the company yields as 

 little as possible. The result is generally 

 unsatisfactory to both. Because the stand- 

 ard of performance demanded of gas com- 

 panies in different cities and states was so 

 different, and because so much difference 

 of opinion existed among experts as to 

 what could fairly be required of a gas 

 company under given conditions, the 

 Bureau of Standards took up about three 

 years ago a careful study of the subject of 

 state and municipal regulations of the 

 quality, purity and pressure of illumina- 

 ting gas supplied by gas companies. 



INVESTIGATION CONCERNING REGXILATION OP 

 GAS COMPANIES 



A compilation of all the state laws and 

 city ordinances in force in the country was 

 first made, and their technical require- 

 ments tabulated. A detailed study was 

 ithen undertaken of the various features of 

 such laws, and an attempt made to for- 

 mulate a model law that should contain 

 reasonable standards of quality, purity 

 and pressure, and a reasonable set of 

 operating requirements. In this study, a 

 large number of the best informed gas 

 experts in the country were consulted, and 



many gas plants visited. In this work the 

 bureau has been assisted by the responsible 

 officers and members of the technical staffs 

 of gas companies and by members of pub- 

 lic-service commissions, gas inspectors and 

 consulting engineers. The bureau has en- 

 deavored to consider all sides of the vari- 

 ous questions involved, and has of course 

 received very conflicting opinions on some 

 questions. It has been a source of great 

 gratification to those conducting this in- 

 vestigation to see the fairness and broad- 

 minded spirit shown generally by repre- 

 sentatives of the gas companies in discus- 

 sing questions that affected them so vitally. 

 They have met a spirit of fair play by a 

 corresponding willingness to reach just 

 conclusions. 



The results of this investigation were 

 published by the Bureau of Standards, 

 and the paper has had a wide circulation 

 and careful study by those most interested 

 in the subjects treated. Since its publica- 

 tion, the bureau has continued to study the 

 subject, and is now preparing a revision 

 of the first edition. The compilation of 

 laws and ordinances will be revised and 

 some important changes will be made in 

 the model ordinance proposed. These 

 changes are, however, being discussed very 

 fully before publication, both with repre- 

 sentatives of the public-service commissions 

 and of the gas companies, the latter in- 

 cluding a special committee of the Amer- 

 ican Gas Institute. 



The position of the bureau in this mat- 

 ter, as in so many others, is advisory. It 

 has no authority to enforce its conclusions 

 and no disposition to suggest federal legis- 

 lation or regulation. It acts as an un- 

 biased coordinating agency, to formulate 

 the results of its own and others' investi- 

 gations and to give expression to the con- 

 sensus of opinion of those best qualified to 



