The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-01-21
Questions aad Answers About Gas.

L
submits some queries" in yesterdays
Register, touching q fresh and interesting
topic, TO crafty this inqulring turn oI
mind; as far as possible, we copy with
comments, iii5io r.a.r
Query-Is there 4 tOlon or city in The I'm
tied States whose civil authorities make
their own gas, or run gas worksS
Ansosr-Is there townor city in the
United States who are or have ever been
in tho hands Of just such a monopoly as
we have hereS We doubt II q single
one ever had such imperative reasons for
buying gas works as Wheeling has.
There have been some cases, however,
where cities have had the option to buy
gas companies oul, and good reasons Tor
doing It. That of Cincinnati Is fresh in
the recollection of many readers. To per.
peluate Its privileges there the Gas Com
pany bought up the City Council. In
other cities, Washington, New York, and
we believe St. Louis, which went through
the same struggle between the people and
the corporations, the same arguments car
ried the day. Whether any city or town
Is now making It's own gas, we cannot say,
but several would be If the gas companies
had not been armed with reasons too pO.
tent for the virtue Of their councils.
Query-Could they not, with equal pro.
priety, manufacture nails, Iron and glass 7
and for the same reason-because II Is
profitable when well managed tru
Anara-No. There Ia no analogy be.
tween the two cases. Gas is manuiac.
tured exclusively for the inhabitants Of the
municipality; iron, nails or glass Tor gen.
enl commerce. The manufacture and
supply Of gas, even IT open to compctl-
tion,requlres special privileges at thehands
ol the municipality, and needs to be sur
rounded by special restrictions, not re.
quired in the case of any other branch of
manufacture, such as the use ofthe streets,
special methods Of measurement, &c.
These are doubly imperative II the gus
business is a monopoly, as here. In that
event. the city is bound 10 protect It's in.
habitants II there was but one nail mill
in the city, and Il was impossible to get
nails from anywhere else; II we hadno
choice but to buy of that one mill, such
(pooD quality Of nails rs 1t chose to sup
ply, at such prices rs its managers saw
fit to ask; Il the nails were weighed on
scales never tested by the city
weigher, which we were never allowed to
sec; IT we had no subsequent remedy
against false weighs;ii VIC had to pay
for having the nails weighed, and had TO
give bond at ten per cent for a sum cqual
to the value OF the scales and truck used
in supplying the nails at the warehouse
dOor-if wehad to submit to all this or do
without nails, then there would be some
resemblance in tho two cases, and we
should go for ending tho monopoly in
nails, just as We do that in gas, at the
earliest moment possible, even IL 1t could
be done only by purchasing the nail mill.
QHNy..--Is any citizen Of Wheeling
compelled to Ase gas manufactured by the
gas company? win our gas company
shut off the gas from those who notify
them that they wish to use II no longerH
AnaOr.-YeS compelled, not literally
by the company, but practically by his
necessities which the company's monopoly
creates. He. cant buy gas Of anybody
else, because nobody else Is allowedto sell
Il; he cannot do without; and thus he is
compelled. JrluI ~ aN al
~ Query-Ifthe city purchase the Gas
Works and 60 into the gas business, who
will be benefited therebys .ii e., p ~,
ARmoer-Everybody in the city who
buys gas win realize the benefit directly
Il the price is reduced. Lit kept at the
present figures land it cant be raised) the
profits which 60 now into the treasury Of
the Gas Company. viii be applied to buy
ing the works, In few years these
profits win pay for them. After that gas
can be furnished at cost, or Il 1t Is not the
profits will accrue TO the treasury and re-
lleye Us ofthat much taxation. The Com
pany Is now benefited" by the works
about $50, 900 a year. Deduct from this
the interest on the loan. which will not
exceed 5000, and we find that the city
or the gas consumers will be benefited to
the tune Of $4,000 a year with gas at
present prices. II q different course Is
pursued and the works sold by the city,
the gas business will be open,to competi.
ton, and We shall have much lower
prices, with standard quality and correct
measure. In any event the citizens will
have full control and will see that their
rights and interests do not suffer. Now
they have neither appeal nor redress.
QtsyyACan the city issue bonds with.
out paying them, with INTEREST,"
ARASn-No, butboth bonds and inter.
est will be paid out Of profits that go now
into tho treasury Of the Gas Company.
QGeR--Will not every taxpayer in the
city have 10 pay he share Of said debtS
Aa1Otr. The answerto the last query
answers this. '"'7l
Qiery. Does not this make the tax.
payer pay for gas without getting what
he pays for ID sagltt.Ia y. -.r-uf.
Aaapr. The same answer answers
this i ilI'dd yI.4.,r0 .l.r l.. y-l'.-
Quay-wnl mtpaAsd ia1ation improve
this CityS wr f'7hi 1H Iaan-glaii 10