The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-01
TO STOP THE GAS WASTE
PREPARATIONS FOR THE PUBLIC
MEETING THIS EVENING.
Committees from the Commercial Or
ganizatiOns-Less Complaint of
short supply Yesterday.


meeting of the Creators of the Commercial
Club yesterday afternoon, when the subject
Of appointing a committee to represent the
club at the mass meeting tonight to con-
slider ways and means to stop the waste of
gas in the gas belt was discussed. Saturday
Mayor Taggart issued call for a meeting
in the Criminal Court room, but, as another
meeting is to be held there, the Circuit Court
room will be used instead. This morning
Mr.. Johnson will send invitations to bust
ness men to attend the meeting. The d.
rectors of the Comm ercial Club authorized
President Fortune to appoint a committee
of twenty-five leading members of the club
to cooperate with the city officials in the
movement of arousing public sentiment
Mr.. Johnson expressed some doubt as to
whether the meeting ought to be held at
this time, nasmuch as the notice had been
short and public sentiment does not seem
to be sufficiently aroused to the Importance
of the subject, from what he could gather
from conversations with newspaper men,
He said however, that he was not we'll ac-
quainted with the steps that the mayor had
taken, as he left so hurriedly. 1t was sug-
gested that if the meeting did not prove a
success tonight it could be postponed. John
H. Holiday believed that there are enough
people alive to the emergency who will
take the trouble to come out and help
| crystalline some action in the matter. One
of the directors asked if the gas companies
were not primarily interested instead of the
people. II think not" said Mr.. Holiday.
Gas is a blessing to everybody, both to pri
Vate consumers and to manufacturers. l
do not know what the law on the question
is, but as moral proposition they have a
right to demand that willful and needless
| waste shall be stopped"
| 1t was predicted after the meeting that If
| the cold snap continues much longer and
| the supply of gas gets much lower people
| in Indianapolis will awaken to the great
waste that is being made by men who care
| for nothing except to enrich themselves.
| Mr.. Holiday said that his information of
the subject was mainly derived from the
| press, but he had been reliably informed
that there is a way by which the gas and
oil may be separated and the gas saved.
OF course, he said, it would put oil men to
| some expense.
| Mr.. Fortune said that from what he could
learn the men who had leased their lands
to the oil men were only interested in get
| ting a profit, and cared nothing about the
waste Of gas.
Albert Metzger suggested that it might
| be well to make the movement entirely the
| peoples movement. 1t might create the
| idea, If gas men were appointed on the COM
mittee, that they were the interested par
ties. Another member said that the gas
| men and people had interests that were
about identical, and that there ought to be
at the, meeting men who have personal
knowledge of the facts in order to enlight-
en- the public as to the real condition
Nathan Morris suggested that inasmuch
as the mayor has issued the call for the
mass meeting and inasmuch as he would
be expected to preside and present the SUBJ
ject, it might be well to postpone the meet
ing until such time as he could be present.
President Fortune read a letter which he re-
after he learned that he would have to be
out of the city. They had conferred last
Sunday on the subject of committee from
the Commercial Club to attend the meet
ing In the mayors letter he asked, as a
personal favor, that the committee be APP
pointed to act in his absence. 'That would
to be held" said Mr.. Morris. President
Fortune explained that the mass meetings
were to be held to-day in the gas belt and
that it was somewhat important to have
Following is the committee appointed to
represent the Commercial Club at the meet
4. F. Potts, ]. c. Adams, E. c. Atkins.
A. C. Ayres A. A. Barnes, Charles f.
Brooks, Charles F.. Coffin, j. j.. Cooper, f.
f. Eren we p r W VI Farnas r1 + Grth H.
H. Hanna, A. Kiefer, Judge r. N. Lamb,
John S. Lazarus, James h. Lilly, Bement
LYMAN f. A Maus, George Merritt, A II.
Nordyke, j. M. Shaw, ]. M. Spann, M. S.
The Board of Trade will also cooperate
in the efforts that are being made to stop
the waste of gas President Kinney has
appointed the following committee to repre-
sent the Board of Trade at the mass meet
ing tonight: Samuel h. Rauh, /. S. Gordon,
d. NJ Parry, w. e. English and George w.
Sloan.