The age-herald., 1897-11-12
Il Held Back a Portion Of the Large
 Dividend.
AFRAID FOR THE PUBLIC TO KNOW
The Enormous Profits of Gas-Making in Birm- ingham-Another Meeting of Stock holders-Wl the People Know
 the True Proceedings.

Birmingham is unit for dollar gas. Might is not right, and the gas company will succunib. The day of dollar gas is neaf at hand
 Something new is brought to Night every day through The ,Age-Hsrald which shows that the gas company has Been going on robibing the people for years without molestation.
 This robbery will not continue long. The city courcil, the repres natives of fhe people, will make a thorough bnyesti- garlon, and some startling results say lbe expected.
 The gas company will then be forced Ito abide by it's contract and mt charge patrons $1.65 for gas. The gas company furnishes the city gas for $1 and gas consumed for cooking and heating pur- poses s1 Then why not make the price all around one dollar?
 If The gas company could net afford to make gas for one dollar lt would fur nish it to no one for that price. Men who believe in nothing unless it is a big "noney getter" are not likely to furnish something to few people and be the losers thereby.
 Why will not the gas company come out and adnll, that the people are we'll aware that gas cam be made profitaIbly at one dollar?
 Hrhe people are only claiming what Is right. They will have it. They are con- graduating The Age-Hera1d on it's fight and number consider the fight virtually won. It will continue u-fl it is won.
 Big Robbery and Unjust Methods
 Outside of the gigantic robbery in charging the people S1.65 for gas the methods of the Birmingham monopoly are being severely criticised. Such re- marks as these may be heard every day:
 'sThe less gas I burn the higher my bill is"
 "Tf burn one jet the bill is large enough for three"
 T may go away and shut up my house for wesk and my gas bill goes on just the same"
 This method of doing business Is not GllSely ito create a. kind feeling among the people for the monopoly.
 T bsisieve in many cas:s that the gas company fails to read the meters," said prominent gentleman and consumer of gas yesterday.
 ''Iihe calculations are made by guess in some instances according to the num- Der of jets used. In a majority of the cities using gas the figur=s from the me- ter are p,aced on the bill. This is not done in Birmfngham The people have no alternative but to believe what the gas company says.
 Tn soms cases where big kick is made the bills are reduced. If the gas company believed it's meters we're per- fectly correct, thera would be no reIdtuc- tion made in bills. When business men know they are right they are not easily shaken.
 sTfiere is no provision in regard to- testing metenS in Birmingham. The ediot of tn gas company is absolute. It tests it's own meters. The people have no means of knowing wtrsther they are bei z robbed. This Is add ng insult to injury wh n the outrageous price of 1.65 is changed for each. thousand feet of gas burned, and who can say that this has not b+en paid for many thousand feet of imaginary gas?
 '"Phe people have been waiting for a pubfHc champion and whs1 The Age Herald sounded the first note the people rallied to its S ds."
 Afraid of the Public
 It is wea understood and much talked of in some circles that the stockhold ITS of the gas company held meeting some months ago
 One of the features of the meeting was to declare a divid nd. Knowing ones say that the company was prepared to declare very large per cent on the right side of the books.
 According to the story which is well authenticated. some of the shrewd members said 1t would be bad policy to declare a large per cent because 1t might become public and the citizens would