The age-herald., 1898-01-14
GAS COMMITTEE
 WILL MEET TODAY A Conference With President ROden ti
 the Old Company. CONSIDER ALL PROPOSITIONS That May Come in From Any Other
 Sources. DOLLAR GAS ONLY COMPROMISE It Is Thought That the Committee Will Enter tain an Effort to Make Report
 At the Next Council
 Meeting.

The city councils special committee will hold a meeting this afternoon to consider propositions for furnishing the city with gas.
 It is likely that the old company will be hung in the balances at this meeting as it is understood that President B. F. Ro- den will be present and there will be some thing in the nature of a conference be- tween he and the committee.
 What is the conference for?' was the question addressed to Chairman Walter Moore.
 ''There is not but one thing in question:, D was his reply.
 What is that?"
 "The price," came the reply again.
 "What does the committee think the price should .be?"
 That is question we will not discuss now.'
 Has MT. Roden signified any intention of wanting a conference?"
 "That is another question we will not discuss"
 The members of this committee are Chairman Moore, J. J. Altman, and R. H. Kerr. The two first mentioned were mem bers of the gas investigation committee, and all are among the most progressive members of the city council.
 Question May Be Settled.
 This meeting appears ominous. The ques- tion of Birmingham having dollar gas may almost be settled at this meeting. The report must be made to the council, which meets next Wednesday night, but it is more than likely and reasonably certain that the board of aldermen will concur in the com mittee's report.
 How many bids the committee will re- ceive is not known. Whether President Ro- den has signified any intention of submit- ting any proposition cannot be stated ab- solutely but there are some very broad hints that he has. The gas company will fight shy of dollar gas. There will, of course. be an effort made to keep the figure above $1. This The Age-Herald has pre- dicted all along, and there are many who hold the same opinion.
 Now comes the question. Will the com mittee hold out for the reasonable price of S1 per thousand feet for gas? From the expressions of the committeeman it is taken that they will hold out for dollar gas first, last and all the time It may require little delay. The gas company may carry the bluff out for short time, but in the end it will come to terms.
 The gas company is in 7, power of the city. But a short while ago, before the agitation was begun by The Age-Herald, the city appeared to be in the power of the gas company It violated it's contract at will. It does this yet, but the check rein is being drawn tighter every day by the board of aldermen. The gas company's charter is threatened. By it's persistent bluff game it might be compelled - take its mains and cease business. The gas company, it is presumed, would be very averse to doing this. The gas company will do what is right when it is forced
 Will Not Be Used Unjustly.
 The city's power will not be used uajust- ly. The board of aldermen merely con- tends for what is right. It wants nothing more, but this it will have/ Dollar gas is a reasonable price. When Birmingham grows and the consumption becomes great CT, 75 cent gas will be the cry. It is almost certain that the gas company could now furnish gas at this price with good profit. The people, however, have contended for dollar gas and this will satisfy them
 One thing which counts in favor of the committee is that it is thoroughly familiar with the gas question. Chairman Moore investigated the question of price by writ ing to various other cities and he now has a store of documents in his hands, which will doubtless be of much benefit to the present committee, which has but to con-