The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-01-30 00:00:00

THE OAS QUESTION.

On Wednesday last large placards were posted all
through the town, c mtaining the paragraph which
appeared in this Journal lut week, from the
of Gas LigAtimq, setting forth that Mr. Flintoff
vitiated Perth in Dial, sad that the new company, in
consequence of following that gentleman's advice bad
been reined, whersu the old company, who disre-
garded his advice, continued to prosper. In order
to give Mr. Flintoff an opportunity of meeting the
aspersion thus cast on his reputation, another
placard weedily followed, announcing that Mr.
Flintoff would address the inhabitants on the
subjrct at the Guildhall that evening. There was a
numerous attendance, and Mr. Rowland Thomas,
the Hon. Su. of the new Gas Company, presided in
the absence of the Mayor.
The CHAJUMAN briefly staled the circumstances
giving rite to that meeting. As persions had been
cad on Mr. FlintofFs character, and that gentleman
was anxious to refute them, and he (the Chairman)
had no doubt, from what be knew of Mr. Flintoffe
character, he would be easily able to do so. He
held in his band • letter from a gentleman at
Brighton he would like to read to them. It ex•
pressed exactly what his (Mr. Thomas's) experience
was of Mr. Flintoff It was dated " Brighton,
January 23, 1866.-80 : Noticing that you have had
• gas agitation, I am very glad to find Mr. Flintoff
with you, and was not surprised to find the coarse
punned by some unprincipled persons unknown to
damage Mr. Flintoff's fair reputation. They dare
not, and cannot, dispute his facts, and therefore
adopt the unmanly method of stabbing in the dark.
We bad in Brighton a severe struggle, and our
victory was gained by Mr. George Flintoll. It
mere me great pleasure to acknowledge his
indefatigable determination; and being, while in
Brighton, in daily intercourse with bun, I found
him mmit straightforward and open; faithful and
fearlessly carrying out his projects and our wishes,
and the country is largely indebted to him for his
indomitable persevera,,oe. Excuse my writing to
you, but I wish Mr. Flintolf all the good be out
wish himaelf.—l am, yours, &a, H. VrooLurrr."

Mr. Ftneron used that opposition was the soul of
business, and the more opposition they bad the
more triumphant would be their cause. Parties,
evidently connected with the old Gas Company had
thought proper to circulate a bill, with a view of
inducing them to believe that some years ago he was
instrumental in forming a Gas Company at Perth.
and that those who had embarked their capital
therein had suffered to • great extent. Now, the
whole of this story from beginning to end was a base
eubterfuge. It had been manufactured solely for the
purpose of damaging him in the estimation of the
Inhabitants of Weymouth, of damaging the new gas
movement that had been oomuseoced, and of trying
to persuade them that the object in hand was not
• good one, and that his stacenente were unworthy
of confidence. (Hoar, hear.) It was always tie
ease, when parties had a had cause to support, in-
stead of doing so with facts and figures they used a
hied of side-wind to damage their opponents. At
their late Music Hall, be told them that gee could
be supplied in Weymouth at 3s. per 1,000 cubic
feet, and it was quite open for the proprietors of
the old Gas Company, had they thought proper, to
have attended that meeting, produced their books,
and deproved hie statement (Applause.) Why were
they not there? Thoy knew their care was
desperate. 'fbey shirked the responsibility of
appearing in putdie, and actually went to the
expense of printing a ba1....a bill which was not
worth the paper on which it was printed. They
might have printed feels and figure., instead of this
miserable 1011, the expense would have been the ,
same ;.but having no facts or figures against his state
moots, they, like drowning men, caught at the first
straw they could lay bold of. He, however, would
show how this straw would lead to their destruction.
(Applause.) They had copied tbe perm/mph from
the Journal of (bee Lightleg—the organ of the old
gime companies, said when any come in the way of
oppositioo to these old companies, it did everything
in its power to damage and vilify that opposition. •
It did all it could to serve the interest, of its
muter.; but not being able to give beta to serve
those intereste, it eudeavoored by a side-wind to in-
jure the reputation of then who were opposed to
them. That Journal bad published • paragraph in
reference to the town of Perth, with • view of
making the public believe that he had formed a
company there, and that it had proved a failure. It
was a monstrous piece of twaddle from beginning to
and, and if thc Weymouth Company wanted such a
bolster as that hill to prop it up, the meeting might
not =eared that its cue was very bad. H. had not
the bill, but it was similar to the paragraph in the
Dorsel gzpremo which he would read to them. It
commenced "It is said by a correspondent," &a
Let them mark those worrla. They could not say it
was rosily i; yet were at, they could not speak in
more positive terms. Now, what he wanted to
explain was that neither with the establishment of
the old company in l'erth nor the new had
he even anything to do. In IEI6I. the people of
Perth, feeling themselves imposed upon in having
to pay 7r. &I. per 1,000 feet of gee, and hearing
that he was in Fdinhurgh, sent for him to
go there to try to get their gas lowered.
At that time there were two gas core
ponies in Perth —the old company established in
1622, and the new in 1844. So that at the time he
visited the place the new company had been in
existence 17 years. When be got there, meetings
were held, and he proved before those meetings that
gas ought to be produced at 3a. per 1,000. The wil-
lsinners, in order to defend themselves, registered •
third company in order to enable them to canvass the
town to supply customers at • cheaper rate They
obtained I of the commissioners for four year. at
sa, but he told them it would be • waste of money
to form a third company in such • small town as
that. If they could maned in inducing the two
old companies to fall cut and fight each other like
the two Kilkenny cats—until there was nothing left
but their tails—then they would be beuefitted by it
and it would not be necessary to form • third
company. The moult of their agitation was that
the new company of 1844 offered to reduce its
ores of gas from 7s. &I to 55., when the old
company, finding that if it did not also lower the
price its occupation would be gone, came down from
7s. &I. to 41. 2d. par 1,000. The idea of • third
company wee consequently abandoned. But toe
Perth gag bad throe times the illuminating power to
the gm supplied in Weymouth, so that if •
person in Perth were satisfied with • similar light
to that at Weymouth, • 1,000 feet in the timer
place would last three times as long as 1,000 feet in
the latter. The new company, which reduced the
price of gas to 5a per 1,000 cubic feet, bens mis-
managed, and not having adequate markinery to
perform the work, soon got into difficulties. 'lt could
not supply its customers, and he boldly stated se,
and it was unable to make • profit out of the gas it
supplied. But the old company, having all the ap-
pliances requisite for • large supply, since its r.
biotin to 4e. 2d., had gone on prosperously, mod
paid • larger dividend than it did before. This,
then, proved his ; mod had die Weymouth Oes
Company wished to do anything to help forward Si.
new company, they could not have done so more
effectually than by circulating that bill. Low prime
made greater profits than high rates and small 000-
gumption. Tim Weymouth Company wanted the
people to believe that he (Mr. Fluted) wee a ohs=
and a knave; and in their anxiety, in their distress.
SS • forlorn hope they had issued the =leash's bill
—• good thing fir the printer, who, by the by, was
the only man who would make any profit by it.
They were ashamed even to put the printer's name
to it. When be saw the hill he said, "Coll •
meeting and I will tell the people what I bane
to my, and if • single man can touch my
reputation, let him do en." (Applause.) But
they could not. Them attacks, Mr. Flintoff said,
wan not new to him, and he read • letter, written
by the Rey. J. P. H. Chin, minister of Si.
Stephen's, Perth, in reply to one addressed to him
by IMMO gentlenieu at Bristol, three year. ago, when
he was engaged to agitate the question in that city.
He also rend • letter from Mr. T. A. Hadley, 28,
Poultry, Loudon, one of the greatest engineers of
the day, who vouched for the correceome of Mr.
Flinter• estimates for supplying gas in Weymouth.
lb. Healey spoke highly of Ut. Flatters character
as • goo engineer, and used that tho statements be
• made many yarn ago as to the price gas ought to
be supplied had been fully born out. With regard
to the stetemene in the Journal of One Letheang,
he said they wen not to be relied on, that Journal
'wing thoroughly devoted to the interests of
' monopoly. Laulyear, be (Mr. Hadley) obtained •
' verdict spinet the proprietors of £250 with meta.
' tn. cocteinad to its pages; and scarcely •
number was Weed without cositaiaing attack. upon
' those saambste who had courage to support any
movomost Seeding Sc proiltoto yood and thew pe.