Exhibit-10.19







                                            September 1, 2000


Bank of America, N.A.
100 North Tryon St., 16th Floor
NC1-007-16-13
Charlotte, NC  28255
Attention:  Michelle A. Schoenfeld

            Re:  $15,000,000 Committed Line of Credit

Gentlemen:

            In order to provide a line of credit primarily for commercial
paper backup and for other general corporate purposes, Laclede Gas Company
(the "Borrower") is asking Bank of America, N.A. (the "Bank") to make
available to the Borrower from September 1, 2000 until February 28, 2001
(the "Termination Date"), a short-term committed line of credit in the
amount of $15,000,000.  This letter outlines the terms and conditions of
this committed line of credit.

            The Borrower shall pay to the Bank a nonrefundable commitment
fee equal to 8.0 basis points (0.08%) per annum calculated on the unused
amount of this committed line of credit, from time to time.  The commitment
fee shall be (i) calculated on a daily basis, and (ii) due and payable
quarterly in arrears on September 30 and December 31, 2000 and on the
Termination Date.  The commitment fee shall be calculated on the basis of a
365-day year and actual days elapsed.

            If the Borrower wishes to request advances under this line of
credit ("Advances"), it shall first satisfy all conditions precedent under
this commitment letter, including but not limited to the execution and
delivery to the Bank of a promissory note or notes ("Notes") in form and
substance satisfactory to the Bank, which will include other standard
material terms including events of default.  Notes issued under this
commitment letter shall mature not more than three (3) months from the date
of execution, and no Advance evidenced thereby shall have a maturity of more
than three (3) months.

            Each Advance shall bear interest at the applicable rate
requested by the Borrower in its notice of borrowing to be given to the Bank
substantially in the form, and in accordance with the dates and times,
required by Section 2.02 and other relevant provisions of the $120,000,000
Loan Agreement dated as of October 22, 1999, between the Borrower,
Mercantile Bank National Association as Agent for the banks thereunder, and
the banks party thereto (including Bank of America, N.A. as a bank and
syndication agent), as modified, amended or supplemented from time to time
(the "Syndicated Loan Agreement").  The Borrower may request Advances under
this committed line of credit to bear interest at the








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"Floating Rate" or the "LIBOR Rate" as defined and provided in the
Syndicated Loan Agreement, and all such applicable provisions of the
Syndicated Loan Agreement are hereby incorporated by reference for purposes
of this commitment letter, including and subject to the following
provisions:

            (i)      If the Bank ceases to be a party to the Syndicated Loan
Agreement, or the Syndicated Loan Agreement is terminated, cancelled or
accelerated, or the "Revolving Credit Commitment" or other facility provided
thereunder is terminated or suspended, then the interest rate options
described above shall no longer be effective or available hereunder, and the
Advances hereunder shall thereafter commence to accrue interest at a rate of
interest per annum quoted to the Borrower by the Bank and accepted by the
Borrower from such date forward, subject to other acceleration or
termination of this line of credit.

            (ii)      Subject to the maximum maturity of three (3) months
for any Advances, the Borrower may select the interest period and maturity
of Advances hereunder in accordance with Sections 2.02, 2.04 and 2.05 of the
Syndicated Loan Agreement, and all interest on Advances shall be computed in
accordance with Section 2.06 thereof.

            (iii)      In addition, the following Sections of the Syndicated
Loan Agreement are also incorporated herein by reference, mutatis mutandis,
for all purposes of this committed line of credit:  Sections 2.10, 2.11,
2.12, 2.13, 2.14, 2.15 and 2.16.

            (iv)      All references to "the Agent" or "the Agent and each
Bank" in the sections incorporated herein from the Syndicated Loan Agreement
shall be deemed changed to read "the Bank" for purposes hereof.  All
applicable defined terms and definitions contained in the Syndicated Loan
Agreement are also incorporated herein by reference, mutatis mutandis, as
necessary to carry out the Sections otherwise incorporated herein.

            The Borrower may, upon at least one business day's notice to the
Bank, prepay any Advance in whole at any time, or from time to time in part;
provided, that the Borrower shall at the time of prepayment compensate the
Bank for any actual loss, cost or expense that the Bank incurs as a result
of such prepayment.

            Further conditions precedent.  The making of each Advance
hereunder is also subject to:  (i) the Borrower's execution and delivery to
the Bank of the Notes as provided above, and such evidence of the Borrower's
corporate power and authority for the Notes and Advances as the Bank may
request; (ii) all representations and warranties made by the Borrower and
set forth in Section 4 of the Syndicated Loan Agreement shall be true and
correct in all material respects on and as of the date of such Advance as if
made on and as of the date of such Advance; and (iii) the absence of any
material adverse change since September 30, 1999 in the properties, assets,
liabilities, business, operations, prospects, income or condition (financial
or otherwise) of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole.
















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            The Bank may terminate this agreement at anytime if the Bank
determines in good faith, that it is not satisfied with the Borrower's
condition, business, operations or performance, financial or otherwise.

            It is understood that any loans obtained by any subsidiary of
the Borrower, whether or not they are guaranteed by the Borrower, are
excluded from the scope of this agreement and shall not be charged against
the line of credit described above.

            Nothing in this commitment letter is intended to alter the
arrangements set forth in the Syndicated Loan Agreement, between the
Borrower, the agent or the banks party thereto, or the availability of
certain "Loans" thereunder from the Bank on the terms set forth in such
agreement.

            If the foregoing is acceptable to the Bank, will you kindly sign
in the space indicated below to evidence this agreement between us.

                                    Yours very truly,


                                    LACLEDE GAS COMPANY


                                    By:  /s/ Ronald L. Krutzman
                                         Treasurer & Assistant Secretary


Accepted and Agreed to:

BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.


By:  /s/ Michelle A. Schoenfeld
Title:  Vice President






























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