The age-herald., 1897-11-13
IT PROMISES CHEAPER GAS
And Fair Dealings With the People and
 Municipal Government
TREMENDOUS PROFITS EVEN THEN
The Projectors Claim Wilr Accrue to the Stock ders-They Will Ask the Board of Aldermen To AnnuI the Pres
 ent Companys Charter.

[ The people are becoming more and more aroussd on the subject of cheaper gas f0l' Birmingham.
 A new gas company is being organized. Behind it are men with abundant capi- tai It is probable that these people will make a proposition to the board of al dermen at their meeting next Wednes- day night, to construct a new gas plant fin Birmingham to supply the city and citizens of Birmingham with gas for one Collar a thousand feat, agreeing further to scale this pIice in proportion to the consumption, until it gets down as low as so cents psr thousand cubic feet; pro- vided however, that the city will annui its contract wfah the present company because of the fragrant violation by the company of its contract with the city. It is probable that melton will be made at next w tuesdays meeting of the council, to take steps toward annul'ng the charter of the presnt gas company because of it's fragrant abuse of the pow ens and autholity given it by the eity
  the city provides that it shall furnish gas to the citizens at $1.4S a thousand. It :s Gn violation of this contract to charge tine citizens regularly s1.65 per thousand. It is true the gas company has made special rates with several citizens and copora- tons which it believes to be influential. It has catered to power. But it has ground down those whom it believed to be witilou. powsw.
 Outrageous Conduct
 Members of te board of aldermen and citizens generally who have examined in to the matter, feel that the conduct of tis company in its charge for gas fn vio- lasion of its contract with the city has bssn outrageous, and it is almost tine unanimous opinion of the citizens of Bir- mingham that it desrves to have it's char ter annulled.
 It E a settled fact that unles the pres ent company reduces its rates to one dollar, another company will at once be organized to put in a plant.
 The g ntleman at the head of the new gas e mpany said to an Age-Heiald re- portsr last evening that his only objec- ton to going ahead at once was the fact that he old company would immediately
 
 sand CT even less to prevent the new company from getting business. He wanted the board of aldermen to annul ths charter of the old company and to make g. contract with the proposed new company for the gas the city consumes, and give it the privilege of laying mains, etc He further added that his plans had mot been thoroughly formulated, but would be in a short while.
 T am amazed" said he ''that the pres ent company should have been permitted so long to run rough shod over the oiti- z ns of Birmingham in it's contract with the city. I have further to say that a tremendous profit can be made from a gas plant in Birmingham supplying the city and it's citizens all alike with gas at less than a dollar thousand cubic feet"
 Additional Interviews
 Before it was known that the forma- ton of new gas company was under consideration Dr. o. T. Dozier in dis cussing the exorbitant rates chaI.ged, touched upon that point as a solution to the difficulty.
 pr. Dozier said: T do not use gas. as lit is too expensive. I had the pines
 
 never completed the connections. If Birmingham can furnish such cheap coal 1t certainly ought to mal0e cheaper gas. l am thoroughly in sympathy with the movement to secure dollar gas, as that is certainly enough to pay for it.
 r'I see in Columbus, Miss, the young m:n of that city have organized a com pany to compete with the older corpora tion. In that case electricity is the bone of contention. These young men are wiring nearly every houss In the town. and propose to furnish electric lights in ten-rooun house for $3 per month.
 Tt appears to me that rival com- pany in Birmingham would be granted a chaf1ter and given the right to lay pipes in order to secure cheaper gas.
 If the present company will not re- duce the price. am in favor of recind-