The morning times., 1896-01-22
IRE IN THE GiS BUSINESS
District Commissioners Reported
to Have a Bill of Their Own.
Is IT THEIR COMPROMISE
the New Measure-Doliar Gas and
Long Lease for the Washington
Gasi!ght Compnny-An Old Scheme
with New Face.

| The Commissioners OF the District are said
TO have gas bill OF their own.
| This is the very latest dcvciopmen, in the
various gas controversies. the rumur being
verified last evening 10y a gentleman who
said that Major Powell was the authority
for the statement
| Major Powell is credited with saving so
TO the gentleman who gave The Times the
information III the presence OF another
gentleman who was reputable enough 10
have been elected It member Of Congress.
This is mighty Interesting news, mas
| much as IL can only mean that the Com
missioners viii permit plant other Than
The Washington Gasiight company's 10 be
put down or it Will not IL is uf record
that the Commissioners object To- tea ring
| up the streets for the purpose of putting
in a new plant, so that II they stick 10 the
record a new gas company can only lie
operated with the franchise and privilege
of the Washington Gaslight Company.
MAY MEAN DOLLAR GAS.
This report, on such good authority,
lends bright color TO the theory here
tofore published, that the Washington
Gasiight Company would be favored If
IL adopted the plan carried through so
successfully by Mayor PiDgree of Datroil,
and the monopoly there, by which The
company was made to reduce its rate TO
81 thousand, but at the cost of the
company receiving from the city u n,o-
Dopoiy for ten years at that price.
Prominent members OF the Senate Com
mitiee on the District have stated, with
or without the authority OF the Washington
Gasiight Company, that IL intended TO ie-
duce the price OF its gas, If it were
gwen time, and there WAS bill to cuinrel
the company to reduce its price ~ Il
dollar.
pgtt, fpEr bod .. Ia Tf,,Nnc
on This latter bill and there was a state
mcnt in one OF the afternoon papers that
it would hc better for the present company
to reduce its price voluntarily than by
CompulSion There have been no signs
recently of voluntary reduction OF the
price of gas to a dollar or any other
figure. Notwithstanding The threat of COM
pulsory legislation.
THEIR PROBABLE OBJ ECT.
Itis possible that the Commissioners know
what they know and are framing or have
framed bill TO the terms OF which if the
Washington monopoly agrees, under or
without compulsioD, the question will be
solved to the entire satisfaction of tie
DiStrict government and the gas monopoly.
II is certainly fact that one OF the
prominent people in the Senate, who has
done good deal OF talking about cheap
gas, knows a great deal about the way
in which the Detroit mon opoly got its lease
of ten years for dollar gas.
In the meanwhile The dollar gas and the
seventy five cent gas people are knock
ing at the doors OF Congress for rights and
privileges. The seventy-iiye cent gas in
terests. it is said, have gone further than
they originally intended and Will be able
TO offer gas ut sixty cents under conditions
which would be considered fair.
There viii be Il good deal of interesting
discussion when the gas men get before
the committee of the House, and this VIII
be at an early day. IL is coniecturcd iilat
even before that time the COMMISSIONER
bill viii be in process of push in the cum-
-mittees.