The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-11-02
IT'S ALL STUFF,
SAYS Mr.. RODEN
OF the Talk For Dollar Gas in the City Of
Birmingham.
THINGS ARE DIFFERENT HERE
From Other tieS-COnSumptiOl Is Less
in Birmingham.
MAYOR SAYS THE PUBLIC NEEDS 1T
And That Cheap Gas Plays Prominent Part in
the Progress of Cty-Mr. Rodeu
Has Not Explained the
Coal Questions.
MAYOR SAYS THE PUBLIC NEEDS IT
MAYOR r. Y. EVANS.

81 an IN favor of dollar gas. If any
city in the aoorld can produce cheap gas,
1T is Birmingham. Cheap gas is a great
factor n, The prosperity of q city. The
public needs dollar gas"
B. r. RODEN.
at may be said that the people need
dollar gas. The people need q great
many things they don't get. They need
hundreds of things aoorse than dollar
gas"
'Wantsd-Dcllar Gas"
This is the clamor of the public.
Mr.. Rcden, of tee gas company. in
Inmates that the public does not need it.
Mayor Evans is inclined to the opinion
that the public does need it, and there
ana others who assume stand directly
opposite 10 that taken by Mr. Roden
The public says that Birmingham coal
Is cheaper than any in the world. Mr.
Roden says this cuts a small factor in
he making of gas. He has not explain
ed the why's" and "whsr-fol es," to the
public. He says the talk for cheaper
gas is all stuff.
The Conditions Are Different
b. T. Roden, of the gas company, in
talking why Birmingham couldn't have
dollar gas, said that ilhe conditions were
entirely different from those of other
cities producing gas at 81 per thousand
feet
"1he principal reason" said he, why
we cannot furnish dollar gas in Birm-
ingham is because The consumption is
not as great as in those cities that do
it. In Atlanta the annual consumption
is mere han 200, 900, 900. In Birmingham
it Is AZ, 100000 This puts Atlanta's con-
sumption four times as great as that of
Birmingham.
I'm Atlanta alhey get 81 per ton for
coke ard we get $3.50. This also makes
some difference. The city OF Birming-
ham is also badly scattered. We run
mains for blocks and do not have a con-
sumner. A clear case of this may be seen
on North ami South High.a nds. We
mus run cur mains to these portions of
the city, yet we go for blocks without
putting in a meter.
d"Birmingham has on rough estimate
1000 population. Half eff his is COM
posed OF negroes and not a one of them
burns gas. In making gas 1t is just as 1t
is in other things. There are certain ex-
+1oH JNo Jesnv xres6 M
ter what the consumption is. Hence the
larger the consumption, the cheaper the
gas.
1--WE don't propose to violate our con-
tract with the city. 1t was at our own
solicitation that we had the rates reduc-
ed here. Wewere charging $3.50 per thous-
and ard had it reduced to $1.65 This
was when the gas company owned the
electric light plant also. and we had the
rates for both put down. The city has
another chance to adjust the rates in
1901
Atlanta did not get 81 gas because
they could not really afford to make it
at that price. There were two compa-
cents par thousand to cut their own
threats. There is law in Georgia
which prevents two companies CONSOLE
dating without permission from the leg
islature. To get this permission they
had to agree to furnish dollar gas. This
is how Atlanta secured the reduction.
"All this talk about dollar gas in Biz
mingham is stuff and nonsense. Let the
Age Herald talk; that doesn't amount
to anything. We don't pay any atten-
ton to it. 1t may be said that the peo-
pie need dollar gas The people need
great many things they don't get, and
they need hundreds of things worse than
dollar gas"
Mr.. Roden is very emphatic in the dec
laration that Birmingham cannot have
dollar gas. When the idea was adj
yanced that other companies might ask