The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1878-08-20 00:00:00

MEETING OF THE CONSUMERS' GAS
COMPANY.

This proeperous and wisely-managed companyiheld it.
half-yearly roasting on Thursday morning at the
Board-room. lb. c beim= e 4 of tha Board of 'rectors,
Mr. R Demon, took the chair, and the attendance a
shareholders included Ltuldie (Mayor), Mr. T.
Abbott, p. Mr. Robernon, a. r., Mr. Alderman Thomas,
Masan Ch•pple, Board, Knoell, Thospleman, Samways,
Limning. Benoit. Dodson, Hallett. SY X. Mash=
Cook, Randall, R. Oskley, sad Capt•in &boos, with Mr!
T. stone, manager and secretary.
The buatiesa was to receive and approve of the balance
@hest of the company, and declare • diridend ; to diet
three directors minim R. Damon, 1. K Bobena and J.
A. I albot retiring by rotation but offer* themselves for
reelection ; to elect an auditor. 'Sr. S. S. lailledes retirlac
but offering himself for re-election ; and to unpower the
directors to raise ZIA@ by loan or mortgage aUtoelaed by
the rrovisional Order of the Hoard of I rode, and Bubo.
quently confirmed by Act of Parliament. ..0110a of Ufa
ocens.—The tialenceelseet showed that the result
of the half-year a working, together with the balance
brought forward from last amount, enabled the directors
to recommend a dividend for the half year at the rate of
£lO per coot, per sonata on the oneinn ehene, and a
m. cent. per minim on the new shame, free of lances.
This the dlrector• accordingly recommended In
their report. The Chairman stated the buriseen Ohara of
the company continued satisfactory, am would be wen by
the report sad balanmehest just read. There had tom
some doubt whether they could, for the summer hail-pw.
lee* their swasizsisio dividend ; but Wiry the Increased
ezportleare had been ant by a masa advance in the
see mug, which was 1,480 this h& year In emits of the
ita ,r the adman' of the typed ad
Citrissors sad eMMeemeese of lie aesegata XL X,

Oakley seconded, and galled attention to the large amount
of ammoniwiel hewn and tar kept in stock. Mr. T.
Mona secretary, said they had /old but little ; the liquor
to kept to be manufactured Into sulphate of arninonte,
which would be far retire profitable than selling the
liquor. As to thn tar, the offer meals was not such as to
Induce them to dispose of it. The price will so doubt
rise, and as they were well circumstanced for storage, they
were prepared to keep it till • better price cnuld be
obtained. The report and balance-sheet were received
and adopted.
Diavcroas AND Atrorros.—Mr. Thomas propmed that
the retiring director., Messrs. Damon, Wiens, and
lallant. be re-elected. He should like also to see • larger
attendance of shareholders, as the directors would like to
hear outside opinion, and anything for the advantage of
the company and the town. Mr. Hallett seconded, and
the ronolutgen was carried. On the proposition of Mr.
Abbott, seconded by the Mayor, /Jr. S. S. Milledge we
re-elected auditor..

It7itaolv-i7os.---- The Chairman proposed-" That the
director. be, and they are hereby, authorised to borrow on
loan or mortgage, as tney may think proper, the sum of
41.500." The liabilities tif the company would not be
increased by pusine this resolution. Th.. neeereity for so
doing arose from their having expended .C 2.310 upon these
premisee and the manager', house, and that sum they had
borrowed from the baukers at 1.5 per ceut. Lately they
had arranged to borrow the amount on mortgage at .C 4
per cent., per annum; but in order to comply with the
Provisional Order of the Wised of Trade, under which
this company II worked, it was necessary to have the
formal suction of the shereboldere This £5,050 together
with the £7.500 borrowed on the formation of the
company, would =opiate the sum they were authorised
to raise, either upon mortgage, debenture., or preference
shares. The directors could have relied .a. 500 by a
further call upon the new shores; hot they wool,' them
have had to pay at the rate of £7 per cent, interest
indeed of CH. and the effect in. uld hare been to endanger
their present rate of dleidenil. For example, he half-year'.
statement just read aboard-alter paying d vidend aid
interest upon capital-the sum if £45 remained to be
carried forward. If they had paid 7 per cent., itoteed of
4 or 5, this balance would have been cheesed into •
deficit, and Ike pnoent rate of interest could not have
been pod. The £5OOO remaining to he called up on new
shares will se the reattui are extended, lie gradually drawn
on, and in one sense the sooner the better, because it
would represent an increae of lulus*: but until state
of things arise, it will he most unwise to burden the
capital with any additional charge. Mr. Damon proposed
the above resolution.-Mr. Robertson seiondert-Mr.
Hallett did not think it would be just to thou persono
who, like himself, had purrhued new shave with the
Idea of having some benefit from the capital invested.-
The chairman said the directors had acted for the
cowpony's in tared. -Mr. Thomas miaowed the course
would be to the advantage both of the old and new share-
holders. When the tow extended further, new mains would
be required, which would neceuitete a large outlay on the
part of thee mosey, and the only course then open would
be to call for this additional capital from thou persons
who held new share.,-Mr. Hallett was now quite utisfied
though he had first thought it strange capital should be
borrowed at per cot., instead of calling up the capital
upon now sheree.-11r. Oakley said the directors would
have acted wrong financially if they bad borrosed at £7
per cent., when they could get money at 11, especially as
the new Uwe copitel will Ken be required-The Chair-
man reminded Mr. Hallett that when the new shares
were iseried, it wee intimated the company would not for
some time require more than half the money to be paid
up. If they had paid £7 per cent. instead of .C 4 they
would have required f.63.-Mr. Leaning considered the
directors had done admirably ; but he knew there
was a great deal of opinion in the town as to the !natter
mentioned by lir. Hallett. -The resolution was carried.
VOTte OF THANKS. -Mr. Chapple judged from the report
that the directors had performed their duties with seal
and discretion. He moved • vote of thanks to them, and
to Mr. Damon for his able coudect In the chair-Mr.
Russell seconded, the resolution was carried, and Mr.
Damon returned thanka.-Mr. Lundie (the Mayor) moved
that the thanks of the directors and ahareholden be gives
to Kr. Stone for his able management of the affairs of
the company during the past year. The reults brought
before the meeting were, as fee as he could judge, very
satisfactory prods Kr. Stone had managed the affair, of
the company properly. The Mayor continued he had had
grave doubts ea to getting .ClO per cent. this half; but it
had been realised, aa well as £7 per cent, upon
the second lime of shares, and this was a good proof
affairs have been well looked after. There wee also •
much wider field for which they owed him thanks. The
company had Considerably increued in Importance since
the time erten Mr. Stone ivaa called upon ti take the
management' it had, in fact, doubled, although there
had been difficulties experieuced in bringing 'hie about,
and only such • practical men as he was would Lave
brought it to • succeuful Issue. Leaking at their factory
in its present state, and the means and appliances for
making gaa and other products whirl gave them • divi.
dend, the Works themselves, the turroundings of the
Gatehouse, the new house for the manager, and the present
building, instead of where they Lad to meet-at the Town
Hall-all these were proofs of the enlarged character of
the company, and the increase of bminese connected with
it. During the past years there bed been many difficultiee
to contend with, in regard to the labour question; but
these had been overcome, owing to the firmness of Mr.
Stone, and it was to be hoped they would never again
occur. That difficulty had been a source of serious anxiety
to Mr. Stone as well an to the directors. Later on them
was that unfortunate matter which disturbed the peace of
the town ,• but whether it woe., from anything connected
with the Gas Works-Mr. Stone maid it did not-he could
not say; but if it did, such care wee taken aa would
prevent any recurrence. Looking at the company
generally, whether in its financial character, or its manu-
facturing and labour department, it was fortunate in
having a man like Mr. Stone to look alter Its interesta. The
Mayor then tendered Mr. Stone his own person.' thanks,
as well as three of the ',erector, for the care and anxiety
with which be had watched over and condected the
butanes, of the company.-Seconded by Mr. Board, and
carried. -Mr. T. Slone, secretary and manager, Was
extremely obliged for the kind way in which the resolution
had bun passed. No man could afford to be independent
of the good offices of thou with whom he was associated,
and anything they could do or give was not half so accept- •
able to an official holding the poet be did. no the knowledge
that the services he rendered were appreciated. He had
always striven to do the beat he could, and his work had
tooled out a surer ; but be had always teen tacked up by
the assistance of the directors and thcir counsels in •
Manner in which some gee Managers were not supported; .ti
that after all the success which had attended his labour.
was not all through his own doing. A man might be
ever so otallous an officer, work half the night for the
company-and there were plenty of directors who would
let him do so-and yet pass the services unnoticed. He
woe extremely grateful the directors of this compeny,
wherever Its intereste were concerned, Were eX•remelr
kind to him and suppirted him unaniceouly. If
he were differently circumstanced, if the directors
had no confidence In bini, he should not have NICII
able to de as he had, so that the Purees, attind•
ing was the joint melt of the Latium of the
directors and of himself. With regard to the Mayor's
remark as to an unpleautit tomtit having exiated in the
town, he must oonfese he otomid have been very sled If he
could have smelt it. However he happened to be in
Birmingham, at an exhibitii to of gee apparatus shown by
the Corporation the day previous; but when he returned
to Weymouth at 11 o dock at night, the town was as
sweet as he had ever found it. Although the smell hail
been attributed to the GU Compuy'a works, he should be
extremely glad to know it came from there, and every
director would be glad If it could be fathered upon them
because if there was anything wrong at the works, it couki
be rectified with • very little expense; but if it erwie from
any other source it would cost the gito company indirectly a
great deal than it would directly. If the nuimence was more
found to have risen at the gas works-which be did not
believe-for an expenditure of .ClO it could be rectified I
but if It came from any other querter, it might cost tho
town £lO,OOO, and the proportion of this which the con,
pany would have to pay would be considerably more than
If the nuisance existed on their own property and they
had to rectify it He proposed that when the eulphate
operations were wain commenced at the works, due
notice should be given to the public authorities, m that
some one might attend and have distinct proof whether
the smell complained of did or did not &rime from them,
and this ohow the gas company are more interested and
anxious than any one else can he, in trying to discover
whence the nuisance proceeded, se he thought the com-
pany were very unimilt Called on to bear the blame.
The meeting soon altar separated.