Morning journal and courier., 1880-03-17

pany furnish the gas at $1.50 per thousand
 feet and $20 for each street lamp. Another
 resolution provided for the filing of articles of
 association with the Secretary of State. The | articles were read at length, occupying nearly | half an hour in the reading. After Judge | Stoddard had concluded the reading he said desire to say few words on the merits of | this case It seems to me to be important that l we should look and see who is interested in | this petition and who objects to it. The city | in it's corporate capacity are in favor of our petition, or they would have objected. The New Haven Gas Company have come here and opposed us, and they have brought @ few citizens in their interest. The old company not be allowed to dig up the streets;
 but who allows them to dig up the streets
 of New Haven? The city grants them the
 privilege, and they giveus the same privilege.
 The old company go through the streets day
 by day. dig up the pavements and put them
 down again. They tell you that they have
 bought the charter of the Steam Heating
 Company and the Common Council of New
 Haven have granted that company the privi-
 Iege to dig up the streets. It is said that they
 propose to lay their pipes during the present
 season. Will it do any more damage for them
 to dig up the streets than for us2 No, gen tIemen. We have about sixty-five thousand
 inhabitants in the city of New Haven, and
 during the last few years large number of dwellings and factories have been erected.
 NOW we uuO III OuI Clby d gas COHpdHy WaO
 claim that the people are satisfied with their service; yet there are at present in New
 Haven over forty thousand people that are unsupplied with gas Why should not our company be allowed to supply them if we can do so, and we say we can The old gas
 company claims that they have treated the
 public fairly. But have they done so {? Judge Stoddard here read from New Ha- ven City Year Book, giving history of the
 organization of the old company. This, he said, showed that large number of tho stock holders came from New York and New Jersey. yet this same old company objected to capitalists coming from other States to form new company. Judge Stoddsrd said the old company had increased it's capital stock from $4OO, 900 to $1 ,O00, 900, and after paying 10 per cent. dividend, they had an accumulation amounting to $42O, ,O00. He claimed that in- stead of increasing their accumuIations they should reduce the price of gas and not drive the consumers from gas to oil. He said he had drawn an act which he desired to submit to this committee that would prevent the off, cers of one company holding office in another company of a similar character. His act also provided that there should be amalgamation of gas companies in the State under penalty of forfeiture of the charter of both companies
 He thought if such resolution was passed there would be no danger of consolidation.
 Governor Ingersoll for the remonstrants said The gentlemen have introduced some most extraordinary propositions here in regard to a change of laws, but these he would not consider at this time. What he would consider was the application of this
 new gas company for charter. What are | the relation of the State to the New Haven Gas Company? :? That company has been charter | ed by the State for certain duty. They have been chartered to build costly works for the purpose of discharging that duty. In dealing | with this subject we are to deal with it as 8 public function. The company are bound to | discharge their duty well, and the State is un- | der obligation to protect them so long as they discharge the duty satisfactorily. The duties of the State towards this company are the same as though the city of New Haven had ! built the works. It is the same as if man, who, having a particular fancy of his own, should say, desire to dig up your streets \ and lay sewer according to my own notion,
 and should set to work to do it. In the dis charge of this public duty has the New Haven | Gas Company acted reasonably toward the public? If not, what is the remedy? Obvi- | regulate the means we have for the discharge | of that duty What is to be done in case oi dereliction2 The remedy is in those works | If this charter is petitioned for honestly
 hope the Legislature will consider the qaes | ton most carefully before they grant it. The
 first thing to be looked at, if g
 remedy is needed, should be to look and see l if there is not 8 remedy. When the gentle
 men talk of competition in gas making, can
 understand that They mean that you shal
 withdraw your control over the gas companies | of the State. They ask that what they call {
 monopoly shall not be created. I propose tt
 show that their arguments are without foun
 dation. There cannot be competition in gas
 Reason is against it, and there is not an in
 stance where two competing companies hav'
 resulted in any benefit to the public. Th
 making of gas is peculiar. In business ordi
 narily the demand is unlimited. Business
 men generally have an illimitable sale. ant | their business may be carried on at profit
 notwithstanding competition. But it is no l so with gas companies. No one would sa.
 that if horse railroad company could do al ! the business on 8 street that another compan,
 should be allowed to lay down another tracl
 on the same street. Now when you have twt | gas companies it is a struggle of life ant Il death. They may go on until they both us i up their capital or until they come to term
 and amalgamate, in which case the public pa. for the duplication of capital. The Cover
 nor here read from John Stuart Mill, showin
 the evil of more than one gas company il
 London before the consolidation or districtin,
 of those companies. Proceeding, h said Therefore it is that now ther London or Paris, and in our own countr l there are only five or six places where tw I companies are allowed What occurred il
 Providence is the result of the causes which
 have stated. The new company came in, an 1 instead of going into the streets where tn l gas was needed it struck for the heart of tn
 old company. They laid eighteen miles 0 pipe, and after about year they sold out t , the old company, and now the people are pay
 ing interest on the combined capital. To-da
 I learned from dispatch from Baltimore tha
 the two companies in that city are on th point of consolidation, and so it is every ! where. It is only mere question of tim | yuh fyv0 } final result. I will ask you now to look close
 ly to the peculiar application of this ne, . company. They bring no complaint agains , the old company. Throughout this hearin
 fail to hear suggestion even, that the Ne, Haven Gas Light Company has been derelict the only complaint is that they charge tw
 dollars and half per thousand for gas. Be , cause this New York company have promise , to furnish gas for one dollar and half tn citizens of New Haven petition for charter , This then is the only reason. There is n complaint against the officials of the old con pany, there is no complaint about the qualit , 1 of the gas. Now let us see if this new com | pany can furnish gas for the price they tai
 about. They know they cannot do it. The l come here under 8 false pretense and inten
 to show it. Gas companies are called a mo | nopoly, and in one sense they are @ monopoly , but not in an odious sense. There is no busi l ness that is more at the mercy of the publi | than that of gas making. The new ideas o
 illumination which are constantly coming up like the electric light, make the business o
 gas-making great risk and ten per cent.
 not too large a dividend under the circum stances. Now what do these men come her
 for? They are honest enough to say that the,
 come here to make money. It is simply
 commercial transaction with them. Whe
 they say through the papers that the capitalist
 Of New Haven may be allowed to control tn
 company, what do they mean? Why simpl
 that they may do 20 if they pay money enough
 Now when they say this they should kee
 their mouths shut on the question of monor
 oly. We ask them to show us by their book
 what it costs to make their gas, but they de
 eI ne to do it. If they have got a gas tha
 they can sell for dollar and half, why d
 they not goto the large companies and dispos
 of it to them Is there 8 company in tn
 country that would not snap at it :? If the
 had come to the New Haven Gas Compan,
 and satisfied them that they had proces
 for making gas at the price they tall
 about, would it not have shown their honesty
 But no :! they advertise their articles of cor
 poration and then telegraph to the New Ha
 ven Company that they can have the right t, i make this gas for seventy-fve thousand dol l Iara Tha first fhat the New Havar1 Gaa Gou1