The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1883-02-11
UNITED STATES GAS AND FUEL
COMPANY

The Committee VI tho District " Columbia, to
whom referred the bill at. Il. 7ts7) to incorpo-
rte the United States Gas and Fuel Company, and
tor ouior purposes submitted tie following minority
report
We hold that 1t Is bad policy TO permit more than
one gas company In tho same part Of any city. Tx
perlcncc has demonstrated that opposition gas COM
panles are not bcne0cia hut that they are Injurious
to the interests ot the clzcns and Instead OF pro.
noting cheap gas thcy prevent aud rctard Il 10y
greatly Increasing the capital necessary to carry on
the business.
Tho Washington Gas-light COMPANY have to-day
capital and plant suroient to supply twice the guam.
THY of gas required 10y the city Ut Washington, and
to permit competing company 20 enter In the busl-
ness would bo simply to increase the capital without
Increasing the business. Why should this bc done
when there Is good reason or public necessity tof
IT, aud when It amounts to moral certainty thai
both companies viii combine? When there are only
two parties to combine they will not long carry ON
rrontcsS business, or In the language ot Mr. George
stephenson when combination Is possible, COM
petition Us impussible;'' aud 1t Is WE'LL known TACT
that sretV opposition gas company started In thi,
country after short term Of competition, hav,
either sold out, bought out, combined. or pooled
earnings with thcold company. While the brief COM
petition lasted OF course cheapEas preyalled but when
the Inevitable combination takes place the people are
male to pay the expenses Of the war, and greatly
Increased capital It seems that law has yet been
enacted that prevent such combination rs In the
case OF Detroit, Mich. There the most stringent
charter was Granted. win secprItv that the nav
company shonId NOT combine vim the old one. I'm,
tb,y ma H. II sae,s thar, IL ma lac, that on, nro,o,
the lndIyIdnu storkholdcr buying the stock NJ IN,
other company
Competing companies have been begun In the fol.
lowing cities, and combined absorbed, tc
wit; New orleans, Charleston, $. c.: Memphis,
Tenn, ST. Louis. Mo-, Chicago. Bntfalo. \ ".
petroit Mich Ab,nv \ y. Nav york CIV
Providence, r. l. BrooIlyn Jersey CIV. NJ 4
Newburr, n. v, Trenton. \. L.. Harrisburg. ia.
Iaucastar PA u,utmnra MA ana saw
ctal others In All Of these oItes "a.
is sold AT "A higher rata Than In WashInpton CIV
Up5n these and otber good grounds the authorities nj
Boston and Cincinnati have RECENTLY refused TO nor
mit rompeiInp commands and the citizens Of inns,
cIties ara enioying chenper Gas than I'm Tho citio
,ybere competition was nilowaJ
In truth an opposition gas COMPANIES are bcpu,
for nurnoses of stock .nhhing ar snecniation or :,
dIsnosa Of u,t.nt RIGHTS, and whom NH ovarnras arr
reuse rs in the rose In this CITY Conyresa is
TO grant charter to tbereby force the old connany
do what they would not do willingly
4 New York newspaper speakiup of this propose,
rev gas company for the clty of Washington saws,
rTho new pns compapy has had one or two neyspa
pers to give sinister winks when it was preached an,
D
start out with gilt edged franchise and bic com
plement of hgh-priced officials whose object wont,
lac In sell ont IN the exIs,ing Gas romnanv and ma
the projectors would realize something handsome on
of the cadaver The concern has a tine flavor of IN
ring about IT, and starts life uuder a Grim susnIcIo
| of being lob of the iobbers
We assert that when one ras compony is able AN,
willing to supply all demands at fair price IL is nj
visom IN hermit an unnecessary inrraaee nf rnnita
I l.,
rendering both capitals unprodtale Inv ruInous com
petition while the composition lasts, and 10 he mad
/ nm ,fterwarl Inv eyactions on the neonlp
We claim that If is not good Legislation tn mako mn
| pro6table n legitimate husIness which ia dealin
fairly with tbe manila and our investigations OH
! that the washington Gas.llpht counanv have q
dealt nv surpIvInp pos or n hisber innmino,,n
nu,lltv than ia renn,rad Iv law and ses A. bnano
| than any cItv on the Atlantic coast. for Instance
% nor cent cha,nsr than Nau, yorl, CIV ,yhor h
| have had onnostion oas comn,ni.s Gas ia n,,, sol
! i'm washington at Il III ner / ono feet
w. admit thar 4, anv exis,,n,, ,,ono,o,,, In, ,,,o
t,,Iled either Inv cnmneti,ion or lsg,s,ation thar
wouId ia grave d,npar that intnstica m,cht Ina dom
the ruhl,c Inv ch,rsiug synrhtant nr,css ,or an o,,
/ Ill, a. ,,,,,,o ,,oo.ss,,,, r,,, harnur e., u,ta 49, .
fe,r nsed syl,t for nv ex,s,In laws fla w,sn,nato
cos.I,ah, ,,o,nan,, 10 a, ,,sni,a, ,,,o, ,o g,
/ ot ,o,,,ross aa ,ar ~, tho -. a,, 49,
tho ~ ,tor u,,rrs nj this o,t,, If t,a, l., ,,,. ,
! '"O "'uoi-"'i"7 VI t'iS 'i'N' ~ lhH'o ~ WHY !
the country where competition Is not needed 1t
here where Compress FIXES the nrIce and uuolItv
! a., 4, ,i,, ,r,,,, 4, ,,o, ,, ,,,,, f,..,. - 49,,
to say how low II shabe Congress has exercised th
| authority several times, namely, June 30, 1861
July H. I6eo: January no. lsG5. hnru 10
! ,scn. I ~. 49,, ,r,'. - -,
i'o'' june 80 i''f' ineSe iru"el'ohs were IeheIa
/ -, ,, 49,, - - -, -, ~,
,nd insta, ,f usaIass yv,rfor, am, loss ,yby oos M
/ -, ~, 80, - Wy 49, "
'"hs'csa eNeic'Se 'n'a ou'i"'itS agaI" "nu comp
the existing company to sell their gas as low as II
offered by the proposed oppositiou and prevent III
,,or,,,r mn ana ,at,ca,,or, az ,,.,,,, s,,,,,s
80 "l 49, :, 49, ' ~
Gas companies ny 'helr hature' ca hhot seek Dus
ness one foot beyond their pipes, and 1t appears too
as,,,I,,,od an .,nraa,nert win, E, o,r,or,,,a,, =, ~
~ '.' " 20 ~ " " va w s'"'
IL certain privileges anu lmihuhlties, ana nav
thereby induced the corporation TO inv its NEAR
for a specIHc purpose and that TOO I'm such a shar
tho. a., oorroro,,,r oo,,,,, ,,s,,,,,, H., -,
~ "" corporation '"'"'' 'e'""'' "' t"P"'
/ again Tor some other purpose, even though
these mInunities be infringed and thes
priyiIepes contracted that Congrass T. hopnd Ii
-, ii, III, - ,,,,t. -, -. 49,. -,
uS l''"''r VI l"Ht''e """ equity 10 ho' oh'S 1t
Train from inpairng by Its own act, but TO preveT
any action Of another from impalrlug in any depr,
-. ~ ~
capital especially In this case, where Congress Ia
the right to fix fair price,
Il, EnoIand cnmneti,,, vac n,,ias ora ,,rtd,o
/ 80 'i'' 80 '''"''''