§ SIR CHARLES W. DILKEasked the President of the Board of Trade, If Mr. Reilly, the legal Commissioner appointed by the Board of Trade to report upon the increased price for gas demanded by the Chartered Gas Company, had been in several preceding Sessions Parliamentary draughtsman and Counsel to the Chartered and other Metropolitan Gas Companies; and, whether it was the intention of the Commissioners that the Western Gas Light Company (Limited) should increase the price of cannel gas from 5s. to 6s. 3d. per thousand feet, whilst the Company only claimed from the consumer 5s. 5d. so recently as the 4th of April last; that Company having only recently been amalgamated with the Chartered Gas Company, and having handed over a large reserve fund to meet the increase in the cost of material and wages?
§ MR. CHICHESTER FORTESCUEin reply, said, he regretted that the hon. Baronet had put his first Question, because, of course, it meant to impugn the impartiality of the legal Commissioner appointed by the Board of Trade to conduct that recent inquiry. Mr. Reilly was a well-known gentleman, whose character stood so high that it was entirely unnecessary to defend him in that House. He had not inquired at all whether Mr. Reilly had been employed by the London Gas Companies or not, but had every reason to believe, as he was in large practice on those subjects, that he had been, and also by the Corporation of the City of London and by the Metropolitan Board of Works, who were the opponents of the Companies in 270 the recent inquiry. He had likewise been employed by the Government, and, in the opinion of all parties, the inquiry was admirably conducted. In respect to the second part of the hon. Baronet's Question, the revised price of gas applied to the amalgamated companies. The hon. Baronet seemed to labour under a mistake when his Question implied that the Western Gas Company only was to increase the price of their gas. The facts were that the Western Gas Company now formed part of the Chartered Gas Company, and the revised price was fixed by the Commissioners for the United company. Indeed, the Western Gas Company could have raised its price if it remained still in existence. But having united itself to the Chartered Gas Company, the amalgamated gas companies could only charge 5s. 5d. until the inquiry of the Commissioners took place. With respect to the reserve fund being handed over by the Western Gas Company to the Chartered Gas Company, it was proved before the Commissioners that the reserve fund had been applied in the year 1872 to the purpose of making up the dividend of the year. The question which the Commissioners had to settle was the price of gas for the year 1873. Bound by the Act of 1868, under which the inquiry took place, they fixed such a price as was calculated to yield to the company, after due care and management on their part, a dividend as near as might be, but not exceeding 10 per cent per annum.