The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-01-10
Gke GmteliiGsnfer,
waEELING. ". va, JANUARY 10. 1888


Tho following announcement appears as
special dispatch from Pittsburgh in the
Chicago Tribune:
There is quite commotion among con.
BumeTs Of natural gas IN this city. All Of
the companies, backed by the Standard
monopoly, have consolidated and adVanc'
ed the price irop SO 10 10 per cent, max
log gas more expensive than coal. Many
private iamilies have quit using it and gone
back 20 coal, and many others will do the
same rs soon as their contracts expire.
When demonstrated With for putting up
tha price an official remarked: "1t people
went iuxuries they must pay for them"
C.tzsnB ere talking oil holding pubic
mesgiug to devise measures TO bring the
monopoly to terns.
Tbs IgrELLIdEScER made mention last
week OF this combination. The start OF 1t
nppearl to have been the consolidation OF
the tw1 principal Pittsburgh companies,
ths Philadelphia and the Chartisrs. Fol.
loving this has come the combination
above referred to, which includes all the
Other companies, the Wea! Virginia, the
Wheeling or Manufacturers, the Royal
spd all tho other nine or ten companies Of
the Ohio Valley.
This movement is uuderstood to mean
speedy and decided advance in the rates
for natural gas at Pittsburgh, Wheeling,
s eubenTille snd all ether points reached
by any one or moro OF these companies.
As will DO noticed, tho rates have been
materially advanced at Pittsburgh and
tlero IL renewal Of speculative activity
in natural gas shared. For tho first time
for a long while the Yves! Virgins shales
have nprung into activity, and the
Wheeling" hss also been in demand at
several pointa;advapce.
All this hes happened beaause it is un-
darstooi thst rates arc to be put up, and
that the iDaI!ed capitalization of the com.
panies is to DO made dividend paying on
the water in tho stock.
So far as tho West Virginia Company is
concerned i! ia ws!l known that 1t is al.
ready earning q handsome dividend on its
advanced capitalization, and in this COM
munisy, where i! has failed to meet the
expectations Of the public both as regards
thsIamount and tho regularity OF its ser
vice, this premonitory intimation Of the
intention 10 put up rates will ba received
with most decided dlslayor. This fsct may
aswell be underatoodnow as at a later day.
As respects supply Of gas to tho manu-.
featuring interests Of Wheelingtb failure
has boon lsmentable. One by one the va
rious concerns dependent on its.gSs have
baen going back to coal, and it looks as II
ers long they would all have to retrace
their stops in the same direction.
This necessity Is all the more Sggravat.
ing because it is unde.utood that rene
dy wss within easy reach Of the company,
viz: laying additional pipe to Elm Grove.
Ths company seems to have preferred
present dividend on its stock, and COZ
sequent demand for it in speculative cir
clOB, to a legitinstely larger reward in the
future through the expenditure Of com.
parRtlvely small gum Of money. Our
mauufacEuringpublic must therefore await
the realization OF theae speculative plans
before they ere to be relieved,
And now, having failed to mse. the
Just expectations OF the interests referred
to, comes this inisiatary movement for an
advance upon private consumers. We
opins that, az at Pittsburgh, private con.
aumsrs will have something to say OF a
similar nature when higher rates are de.
mandel. Az In tho case Of manufacturers,
there will be a going back to cosl. This
may not now seem very important to the
company, but nevertheless q sense Of
unisir desling, combined with economical
considerations, has been known to be-
come serious in just such cases, and we
are performing good Office for the com.
pany no le.a than ior the public when We
call upon i: TO consider well the impolicy
IN 4 unpopuIsrity Of such q step.
The irregular and 6iul character
OF the supply Of gas to pr.
va!e consumers, especially where they
need it most, 10 only less nggrayating than
the complies failure to supply large man
ulacturins interests. 1t will probably
only need small advance in price to
awakened tho cosl digging business in
Al t,,Na IT 1tfn