The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-01-12
recently been sold for three millions dol.
lars), Ought.it not topay here at less than


lars), oughtit not topay here at less thar
$eOOH -g
We orc to consider, TOO, that improve
mcnts in the methods Of manufacturing
gus are continually being made, and the
eostofmappfacture echeapcncd, We want
the monopoly Of the business here re
moved so that our people, and not n cor
pOration, shall have tho benefit oI 1t, 4
Ispch discoveries Should be mSdc IN the
next five years as will reduce tlle'COst. q
making gas Indeed, improved methods
arc already known and practiced else
where, that'migilt be adopted here with
advantage. 4.s j. p,0,, ~. ,ta...s- Il.
Ono all important consideration in the
question of price Is the matter ofquality,
The advocate Of the company has moth
ing to say on this point. Yet it is most
important one. A thousand feet Of gas in
Boston give just about rs much llghtas
two thousand feet here. When this is
considered we SEQ how enormously high
the price is here as compared with even
those cities which have TO carry their coal
hundreds Of miles. In Pittsburgh, where
tho nominal price Is SO much below
Wheeling, the real price Is still much
lower, becauBea foot Of gas there gives
two-thlrds motellight than here.
The concluding reason urged why the
Company should be allowed to go on
with their monopoly has atingc of the
ludicroua' They arc afraid the city win
lose money oirlt buys the works, though
they have no fear Of losing any them
selves If they keep them. The writer
seems to have a confused idea Of what
constitutes the city. II Is the people, and
not the merGmunicipplity that Is the city,
Irthrough selling gas too cheap tho city
government should lose money, ltwoull
be some consolation to know that the pep
pie Of the city, who support tho city goy.
eminent, had saved in the price, Of their
gas what the "city" had lost. But, pray,
Eifthe Company can afford to keep the
works ut their valuation of $4,000, why
could the city not afford to take them at
the arbitrators' valuation, almost certain
to be not over SlOO,OOOH 1fthc Company
can. make 30 or 4O. pOr cent profit on a
valuatIonoi SIT, 7,OOO, could not the city pay
expenses Mt two,thirds, the price Things
would have to be managed very badly
indeed, II she could not, This sollcItude
for tho city'sinterests in this matter is re-
ally quite affecting. ,}.b
On this point the public should not be
misled For ourselves we should regret
to see the city undertake to run the ,gas
works as q permanent thing. So iar as
wc understandable inot expected orpro-
posed. Everything otthis kind is better
LEFT to priyate enterprise But owing 10
the peculiar provisions Of tho Gas Com.
panys charter, the ,exactipg monopoly
whercwith 1t invests them canbe termi.
mated only in one way, viz. The purchase
Of the works by tho city in tho! precise
manner laid down .in'the l7tl section.
The proposition Of the Company TO- fur.
nish gas in future at u reduced price was
doubtless made in good faith, but, 50 fat
as It relates to private CONSUMERS would
not bind tho Company. The Company's
privileges are fixed in the charter, and no
concessions Of them made IN lthls way
would be binding, because no mSdiflca-
tion Of the charter can be made in this
way. No agreement with the city can
modify the Company's rights under the
charter, except the .onc particular
agreement laid down in the 17th sec
lonJ N van "a uw'
We have referred u tlio privileges OF
this Company under their charter as q
monopoly. We use the word in no Of
fehsife sense, tbdt simply Nas describing
exactly the fact While this charter is in
force the right to supply gas in this city
belongs exclusively TO this Company. AS
nobody else is allowed to cross q street or
alley with a gas pipe, nobody else can en-
gage in the business at oil. We must buy
our gas ofthls company do without We
must pay their price, or do without We
must take such quality as they ilnd most
profitable for them and dearest Tor US, ,or
\ do*ithodt. We must take Il lot their
measurement or not take itl ALL yIf this
is not u complete monopoly what iss
Now this might have been tolerable
twenty years ago, Pefhaps,,tt was Chen
necesSaryato grant such o monopoly But
confcssedly II Is necessary no longer, and
being unnecessary a.itS Is Stntolerable.
Naturally the company want It continued
FIVE ior ten years longer, as twill bO un-
less unless the city takes The gas works in
the manner prescribed in tho charter.
This purchase is only an intermediate step
tSplRee This community at liberty in the
matterol gas supply. When this has
been accomplished o law should bc
enacted fos the general regulation
Of gas companies providing for q
standard Of quality, ,1at,lhal inspee.
tiOn, for a test Of meters and for such pro
lection generally as the community needs.
Then lot the business be open like every
other business TO iait competition. The
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