The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1880-12-24
The Gas Company Heard From.

IzDIIOto ~ ENDs M A1AS bS'A
much talk and much written in regard
to the Emporia gas company and the or
dinance passed by the city council for
its benefit, l wish for short space in
your columns to set some parties right,
and to correct the error in the minds of
some people that the city is pouring its
wealth into the pockets of the said gas
company. There has been general de-
sire expressed among the citizens of
Emporia for several years that the city
ought TO have gas. And as capital in
Emporia is abundant and willing to take
hold of any enterprise that's reasonably
sure to make fair returns, the Emporia
gas company was organized with CAPT
tai of 100000. p. B. Plumb, II. C.
Cross, L. SeVery, Major Hood and S. B.
Warren, are its incorporators, and their
purpose is to furnish the city of EN-
poria and its people gas of as good a
quality as can be possibly manufactured
in the state. The company will
open its stock books to all
and solicit the business men of
the city or others to take as much stock
as they will, and what is not taken will
be taken by these gentlemen SO that
there shall be no delay in completing
the works. If Mr.. Citizen who is troubled
about this matter wants to share in the
profits of the 'Amonitish ware' he can
do so. The com pany, after looking up
the ordinances of other cities who have
adopted gas ordinances, asked the city
council of Emporia to adopt an ordin-
ance of like manner that we might be
protected in some manner in the outlay
OF large amount of money in the con-
struction of these works which are to be
of the very best kind used in the manu-
facture of coal gas, and as against the
gasoline and petroleum companies who
have swindled so many towns in the east
during the last few years. In short the
company propose to manufacture good
gas and furnish it as cheap as it can
other business enterprises. If it is cheap
it will be burned and VIII come into
general use; if dear, it will not be used,
and the investment will not pay. l
trust you will have respect enough for the
business sagacity of the members of this
company to suppose It will be furnished
as cheap as possible; and we expect, for a
time at least, it will have to be manufac-
tured at loss. We thought, in drawing
that ordinance, to say nothing about the
price of gas, as SO many things are liable
to happen during the years 10 come; that
it is impossible to say at what price it
can be furnished. War, railroad monop-
lies and many other things might place
the price of coal SO high that it would
make it very expensive. But, upon con-
sideration, the maximum price was
placed at $3.50 per thousand cubic feet,
and the probable price at So. But you
may rest assured it will be furnished as
cheap as it IS possible to supply it.
We asked the city to take gas for Is
street lamps at $25 each per year, to
burn all night and to be taken care of
and TO be lighted and extinguished by
the company, which is cheaper than
they have been furnished during the last
year with oil, and is cheaper than any
street lamps in any city of the state has
ever been burned. We do not even in
sist upon this part of the ordinance,
knowing full well that the city will
want gas when everybody else has it,
and that the cheaper it is, the more posts
and lamps they will require. In fact
Mr.. Editor, this company has nothing
mysterious about 1t, and if Citizen"
will call and see me, will take pleasure
in telling him "what 1 know about gas"
But please sign your name to communi-
cations, when you write about something
! of which you know nothing. We do
not ask the city for either money or
credit and we are as much interested in
the prosperity and welfare of our home
(Emporia) as Citizen" or anybody else
s. B. WARREN Secretary