Morning journal and courier., 1880-03-17

Then they came to the Legislature and asked that the restriction be removed, and it was
 done, and the result was that the old company
 finally had to pay several hundred thousand
 dollars to buy up the new company. want
 no more such experiences as this. No, gen.
 tlemen. if you are going to destroy the old
 gas company, cut right through the jugular
 vein and not pierce them under the fifth rib.
 Now, gentlemen, it is not just to ask the
 community to adopt an article that they know
 nothing about If this company can show
 the old gas companies that they have got what they claim then their fortune is made. l But, gentlemen, the old gas companies are | not dupes and they will not be led into the |
 purchase of worthless patents to satisfy the | demands of adventurers.
 MT. Case followed with the closing argu-
 ment for the petitioners. He said: assure you, gentlemen of the committee, that fully
 realize the task I have before me in replying l to the gentleman on the other side. Let us | go back to the beginning. In 1847 some cap
 italists came to New Haven to organize gas
 company. They were from New Jersey and
 were foreigners. It was hard to induce New
 Haven capitalists to invest in the project. The company has gone on increasing it's capi- tai until it now reaches one million of dollars. Their former price for gas was four dollars,
 and they have finally, after much effort, come
 down to two dollars and a half They have continued to increase in wealth have invest
 ed largely in Government bonds have erect
 
 their stockholders 8 dividend of ten
 per cent. they have 8 large surplus
 left over to invest in steam heating companies
 and in other companies. The New Haven
 company furnishes 5000 metres, yet it is a
 fact that there are forty thousand people that
 are unsuppIied with the light of the world,
 gas. There are three distinct classes of peo-
 pie in this question. First, the wealthy class,
 who will have gas at any price. Second, the
 poorer class, who cannot afford to burn 1t
 ov,6 hir1f fho V1aId6 Ia alo xuho ora
 well to do mechanics and others, who would
 use it exclusively if they could get it at req
 sonable price. I say there is real want in
 New Haven for another gas company. To prove this we bring 8 representative class of
 men who fully understand the needs of the ) public. They tell you that they cannot burn gas on account of the cost. They tell
 you their tenants do not burn gas although they have facilities for doing so, because they
 cannot afford it. They tell you again that seventy-hve per cent. of these tenants would ; burn gas could they get it at the price named by the proposed company. Now, my friend, Governor IngersoL, says there are general considerations why this should not be done. He tells you that the supplying of gas to city is a public function, and I take issue
 with him. It is not public function. The same arguments advanced by the Governor we
 have heard over and over again before past ; Legislatures in regard to competing compa- , nies. But we are here to say that the ideas , advanced by John Stuart Mill, as quoted by
 the gentleman on the other side, are not accord
 ing to republican form of government. Now
 the gentleman says it is the first duty of the Legislature, if there is any trouble in the old company. to see if it cannot be remedied in
 itself. tell you, gentlemen, that the lighting 3 of streets with gas is no more public func- tion than the transportation of four or cotton. MT. Case here referred to fight over char ter for Parallel railroad. He said: Before this ) the Consolidated road was one of the great
 est monopolies that cursed 8 free State. Since then they had been ready } to listen to the demands of the public, , and the people have been greatly benefited thereby. Give general law for the for , nation of gas companies, and the result will } be that the people will be benefited thereby. 8 In the State of New York there is 8 general
 law on this subject, and no petition to the : Legislature is necessary. But in Connecticut l the people have not many rights as the dwellers on Fishers Island; for they could : have gas company if they desired it without t petitioning to the Legislature. Now the 3 property of gas company is no more lncon- f vertible than that of any other company. l. We say then that for this real want in New I Haven we are ready to supply the remedy. l. We say, and have shown, that we have 8 bet @ ter gas than that made from coal, and we can 3 furnish 1t at a very much less price. They say 6 that the project IS an idle one and that we = cannot furnish gas at the price we have nam : ] ed. We have offered you, gentlemen, 8 re- Il strictlon that we say you may put upon us s that we shall sell gas for one dollar and hali 8 and no more. We say, too, that we are will o ing that we should De restrained from layine l. gas mains until the Common Council give us I the privilege. What more can be asked? Now l. I say that Thomas K Lees, who sent that dis @ patch to MT. Trowbridge, the president e of coal gas company and had no connection l. at that time, near or remote with our com IS pany. So far our title is concerned, if oul d patent is not valid one it will not trouble |, the old New Haven Gas Company at all. IT ,t conclusion the speaker said that reduction y in price and competition was an infexible law Il of trade and results in good to the consumer y A gas war that will open the minds of the k people to the cost of production will bring o down the price of gas where it should be, ant d it will never rise again.
 e When MT. Case concluded Governor Inger- IS soil said he desired to say, in word, that h. y objected to the introduction of new Legislation r. at this late day, proposed by the gentlemen g on the O her side. If there was to be an, n general law passed on this subject he desired g to be heard upon it, and promised that ther le were many others who would like to expres e their views on this subject.
 n The committee then went into executiv y session to consider their report, and it is pre- Q sumed that they will report on Wednesda n morning