The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1896-01-03

great expense required to get any
kind of gas, they forget or disregard
the solemn written contracts made by
the city and the lola Gas and Coal
Company, whereby Pryor & Paullin
were induced to make these expendi-
lures, and in fixing the price at which
gas should be sold. they wholly for
get to give the least consideration to
the cost of production.
A few months ago Mr.. Paullin be-
Jieving, and not without reason, that
the various annoyances to which his
firm had been subjected, were founded
upon ill-will towards the firm, con-
cluded to free himself from them by
selling his One-half interest to Mr..
Geo. A. Fry and Mr.. Lutte NOrthrup,
both citizens of lola. AS it would re-
quire several thousand dollars to
make this purchase, Messrs. Fry and
Northrup naturally desired, before
making it, to be assured that a change
of owners and reduction in the price
of gas would be satisfactory to all
concerned and finally settle all con-
troversy.
In order to so assure themselves
they consulted large number of the
citizens of lola, stating their plans
and exhibiting a schedule of prices
which they intended to put in force.
They were advised to make the pur-
chase and were assured that all would
be satisfactory. They, therefore,
made the purchase, and established
prices which are even lower than they
had promised. Some of their advisers
are now not only stockholders in the
Cooperative company, but are active
promoters of it. The present company
was organized soon after the purchase
from Mr.. Paullin, and the persons
named above, except Mr.. Paullin, to-
gether with Mr.. Bowlus and myself,
own the stock. Mr.. Pryor no longer
owns controlling interest in the COM
pany.
Neither the present company nor
the firm of Pryor & Paullin, have ev-
er been able to withdraw any portion
of the capital invested in the plant.
Every dollar the plant has earned and
more too, has gone back into the
ground. The company is now in
debt and has been since its organ
izatiOn. If the gas should fail at this
time every dollar invested would be
lost The plant may be worth large
amount to day, tomorrow it may be
worth nothing. The owners have
these chances to take. No one secures
them against loss.
This company has made an honest
effort to satisfy all the people, both as
to service and price. Instead of
charging $50 per year for one stove, as
it has the right to do, it charges SO;
instead of charging 81 80 per month
for the second stove, it now charges
$3.50 per month for seven months,
with remainder of year free. 1t
charges $3.50 per year for the third
stove.
1t will thus be seen that the people
are paying about one half what they
were perfectly willing to pay before
they had any gas. This reduction
was made voluntarily.
AS compromise measure the Com
pany offered to make further re-
duction. 1t ought not to do it and cam
not afford to it, but it was willing to
do SO for the sake of peace. Now,
under the circumstances, is it fair to-
wards the stockholders of this Conn
pany for citizens of lola to organize
and support a company, which, if
successful, is calculated to render the
property of the present Company en-
tirely worthless. 1t will not be de-
MED that it is the aim of the Cooper
ative Company to induce every con-
sumner of gas to become stakeholder
in it under the promise that gas will
be supplied to him practically at cost.
If this can be done the destruction of
the present company necessarily fol-
lows. And thus the very people who
encouraged it and its predecessors by
solemn contracts and promises, to
make great expenditures of labor aud
money for the development of the
natural gas, are asked to set aside
these contracts and promises, and by
taking advantage of the knowledge
acquired by the expenditures made,
to assist in breaking down an enter
prise before it has fairly started; and
to cOnfscdte all of its property. Is it
fair? Does such conduct tend to al
tract capital to your city? But it is
said the contracts above referred to
cannot be enforced in the courts. l
shall not stop to discuss the legal
questions involved. There are enough
of them involved to make life a bur-