The age-herald., 1898-02-23
PREPARING FOR BUSINESS The New Gas Company Will
 Soon Start Work OVER FIFTY MILES OF MAINS Will Be Laid-0Id Company Still Selling Their Product at S1.65 Per One Thou
 sand Cubic Feet.

The detailed arrangements for the con- struction of the bi-product plant at the Sloss furnaces on First avenue are nearly completed. Plans have been drawn and 1t is expected that within a short time the contract for the construction of the bi-pro- duct plant and It's various accessories will be let. It will be the largest bi-product plant in the country. The total investment will be over million dollars.
 The new gas company, which will be a part and parcel of the bi-product plant, but under a different organization, will be completed with the main plant. Officers of the new company seen yesterday by Age Herald reporters, said that the laying of the gas mains through the streets of Blr- mingham would commence as soon as pos sible. The new gas company has decided to lay forty-eight miles of gas mains through the streets of the city. The pres ent Birmingham gas company has only about twenty-eight miles of pipe. Thus it will be seen that if the present gas con- pany is to be competitor it will be forced to lay fifteen or twenty miles more of pipe.
 It is a question still open as to just what the old company proposes to do. It was learned yesterday that this company still has doubts as to whether or not It Is really to have a. competitor in the field. At least
  in. It is understood to be the plan of the old company that if the new company does enter the field they will cut prices to the lowest notch and attempt to underbid the new people,
 But it is a question as to whether or not the city authorities will permit the old conn., pany to continue to do business That is legal matter which is yet to be decided As 1t is now, the old company continues to do business at the old stand, and continues to render bills at $1.65 per thousand cubic feet, with the usual discount of ten per cent. If the bills are paid before the tenth of the month.
 The old company, however, is operating without a license as the board of alder men have decided that it has violated it's contract with the city, and has therefore annulled its contract
 The public would naturally welcome a rate war between gas companies, provided that the last rate fixed by either should be the permanent rate for Birmingham.
 To an outside observer it seems that much bluff1ng is indulged in. Just what there is in the third gas company has not yet been made known, but 1t is In the air that another bi-product plant is to be con- structed in the neighborhOod of the Alice furnace, and that this company will want to furnish gas to the city However, just at present the action of the board of alder men in adopting an ordinance and making a contract with Messrs. Haas and London at it's meeting last Wednesday evening" seems to have settled the gas contest and brought about the result which the Age Herald has for many months been striving for. The people are to have cheaper gas. That has been settled, and it Is now certain that the board of aldermen will not permit any gas company, old or new, to sell it's product at a rate price higher than that mentioned in this ordinance.
 The people are yet praising the Age-Her- aid for bringing about this result.