The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-01-16
Compapy can make contracts with any Of

Company can make contracts with any Of
their customers, the city or any other; but
ifthey make contract with private
consumer, II does not affect the obllga.
tions existing between them and the city;
and II they make contract with the city,
1t does not affect the obligations existing
between them and tho private consumer.
II the Company want to change
the standing contract with the private
consumers, they can do 1t by a separate
contract with each or by modification
Of the general contract, the charter. What
we said before was, that contract with
the city that they would In future reduce
the price Of gas to the private consumer,
would not bind the Company to do 1t.
They are three distinct parties, and no
bargain between two OF them can en-.
brace the third. AS we said before, the
Company can bind themselves by Especial
contract with each customer, or to all
at once by modification Of the charter.
But IL they made a contract with one
customer that they would fulfill certain OBJ.
legations to all the others, the act would
he a legal absurdity; and nobody knows 1t
better than the writer who mlsstates our
position and then ridiCules his perversiOn
oft. ap4... r..a .a -
The Company's advocate makes m
elaborate effort TO show that gas cannot
be manufactured here as; cheaply rs In
Pittsburg and other large cities because
the consumption is so much less. 1t u
sufficient answer to all that just to say,
what the public Is well aware OF, that
with such consumption as there is here, gas
can be and Is furnished at q cost which
yields net profit Of five times legal inter.
est. We speak now by the card, when
we say that for many years the Gas Com
pany have regularly paid semi.annual divi.
dends Of 19 per cent, or "a per cent q
year, and have set aside each year 0 or 8
per cent. more for a sinking fund, and this
on nominal capital Of $4,000
more than double the original cap.
ital-the capital being nominally swelled
beyond Its true proportions to conceal the
magnitude of the dividends. This shows
that there is great room for u reduction,
and still leave fair profits, without any In.
crease oil consumption. But why havenot
the Company increased the consumption
here? They say not more than halt tho
city take the gas. WhyH The Company
do not appear to want any greater con.
sumption. In other cities where gas com.
panies are imbued with enlightened and
liberal ideas, when street Is opened the
gas pipes arc at once extended through it
Then the consumers come to the gas. Not
sohere. Ittakes nearly asmuch negotiation
toget an extension Of supply pipe to supply
those who live beyond 1t, as 1t would to
consummate q treaty with a foreign power.
The unfortunate person who wants to
buy gas must by application in writing
open formal negotiation, which may be
wholly unsuccessful. But his prayer be
graciously granted, he must enter into
bond to pay to tho Company 10 per cent
no we arc informel-tle charter allows
but o. per annum on the cost Of the "pipes
and necessary fixtures connected there.
with, and Of laying the same, in addition
TO the cost of the gas consumed, until the
consumption Of gas, in the judgment oI
the directors, shall be sufficient to secure
10 said Company permanent net profit
OF ten per centum per annum upon the
cost aforesaid" Wequote from the char.
ter. That Is, the consumer must pay the
interest on the Companyss investmentin
pipes nd'tlxtures, and must pay besides u
price for gas that enables them 10 make
additional interest Of 80 per cent year,
and that at tho discretion OF the directors.
And he must consider himself greatlyia.
vored to get gas, such as It is, even
on these terms More than this
The service pipe he must buy outright,
and pay exactly double what any plumber
in the city would supply itfor. 1t Is not
strange, in view OF these and other obvi.
Gus considerations, that the consumption
Is limited to halt the city. Ifthc gas was
reasonably cheap and good, and the Com.
pany even tolerably liberal in their policy
Of extension, tho consumption would be
doubled-and more too, for those now
using gas would use a great deal more.
We quote again on this subject of con.
sumption:
| Well, now, the expense Of manufactur.
Ing gas for one family Is but little less
than that Of furnishing gas to one hun.
dred. After the works are built, tho ma.
Chinery put In order, and the pipes laid
and the expense Of employees provided
for, VIC can furnish gas TO u thousand tam.
lilies almost as cheap as TO one hundred
This Is valuable and interesting lniot.
nation. tglves pretty definite idea Of
what the actual cost Of making gas is. If
the gas consumed by q thousand families
can be furnished "almost as cheap" as to
u hundred, 1t follows that the gas can bC
made for nine hundred families fora mere
triae, This being true, how is it,as the
Company assert, that .the gas Furnished to
the city lamps has cost more than We re.
cOlvcd forit," and that Gwhat was LOST
in that way had to be compensated for by
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