The age-herald., 1897-11-11
PhiIadeInhia,s Gas Plants.

Mlr B. F. Rclilen, president of the Bir-
 mingham Gas company. is seeking to
 give the impreaiilon i'm this city that the
 reason for Philadelphia filing its gas
 plants to a. private corporation was be-
 cause the city hsd Test money by own
 ing them. MT. Reldem seems to be we'll
 anything, tlsat the watered stocks of the
 know they are being robbed and f1sve
 been robbed by the gas company many
 years. He also knows, if he knows any
 thing, that the Birmingham Gas com-
 pany is nlow making, and has b en npalS
 ing for many yeaus more than thfee
 hundred per cent profit on the cost of
 the production of gas. He also knows
 if he knows anythlng, that the people
 are in no frame of mind ito be Iobb:d
 much longer. He knows, if he knows any, thing, that the watered stocks of the Bir-
 mingham Gals company are cold-blodded
 steals and that they do not now nor
 have they ever, repr ssented a single dJlar earned oe expended.
 MT. Roden knows, if he knows any, ulhil5, IiAat SStLo Cdii OS iiieh-kC ham for 50 cents a thousand cubic feet With gr:Ater profit than amy man en- gagged in legitimate business in this
 city is now earning mo matter what may be the amount of capital invested.
 Mfr Rolden knows, If he knows amy
 thing, that when he tells the peopla of
 Birmingham that Philadelphia was los-
 ing money on it's gas pTants 1le is ut
 teuing statements not borne out by the
 facts.
 What are the facts? From the state
 nj nts made by the city officials of Philadelphia, the total net profit from the gas works fer the past nine years have been $12, ,453, ,7f9.19 In other words. Inc net profit to the city of Philadelphia from its gas plants per year was $1.3S3,-
 74657. For ths past two months th1r'a
 1nas been great agitation in Philadelphia on the subject of selling the gas plants | to the Urtltcd Gas Improvement con- pany. This company laid plans to secure 1 the plants and in cnder to do it, bought | up majority eff the members of the | tOIuIiuHt COutHCh, lOt Waptoit hhO CiN'S.
 Gas Imrtiovement company paid from $2, 900 to $10OOO ger man 6ar their votes. These are facrts Gas companies of the | Un.teld States have the reputation of owning nuarly all the city councils in all t,he municipalities of this country. Philadelphia is mo exception.
 The United Gas Improvement company
 of Philadelphia leased the gas plants of
 that city for a period of thirty years
 the company agreeing to spend $5,OOO,00o
 in improvements and 900 addi-
 tional in the last ten years. The city
 was given the privilege of taking back the works at the end of the first ten years, and if it dgd not do so then the lease was to continue in force until the thirty years were up. A proviso was 1n-
 serted that if the lease was cancaled at the end of the ten years the city must pay back the s5,OOO,OOO with per oept. interest.
 Other propositions had been made for the lease of the plants. but none were | able to compete with the United Gas | Improvement company. One syndicate | composed of Philadelphia capitalists, 1 backed by the guarantees of six Phila- l delphia trust companies agreed to take the works on practically the same terms, | to furnish gas to the people for 75 cents l a thousand feet, and put up $1 900 bonus as a guarantee of good faith. This
 syndicate did not offer to blibe the cum
 mon council. Hence the proposition was not considered. The United Gas I'm provement company purchased the city council at an early date. Therefore syn | dicates controlled by honest men had no opportunity to bid for the lease. | In the worst year of the Philadelphia
 management of its works, the city real ized net profit of $625 60SS0. The SC fig | ures do not conform to MT. Rodens statement that the city of Philadelphia it had lost money on it. It had not lost money, but on the contrary as above | stated it made per annum net pilofit | of over a million dollars. If gas can be | made in Philadelphia for 75 cents a
 thousand, and a syndicate of responsible | men have said it could be done, gas 1 can be furllished to fhe citizens of Bir-
 mingham for 25 cents The people have
 determined to have cheaper gas. They | are going ito have it. Mir Roden should
 realize that fact at the present time. 
 | I a,snorc ond | ouus,ao Linn