The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-12-12
Mr.. PEARSON'S RECITAL
HE DOESN'T MINCE WORDS IN DIS.
CUSsING THE SITUATION.
A Clear Statement of the Natural.
Gas Situation I'm Indianapolis
Given to Council Committee.

For nearly two hours last night Jonn X.
Pearson, OF the Indianapolis Gas Company,
discussed the gas situation and the pro-
posed ordinance before the members of the
Council committee on contracts and fran
chises and the crowd present at the meet
ing. Mr.. Pearson grew quite eloquent at
times and spoke with great fervor on the
all-absorbing question. He threw more light
on the situation than has yet been brought
to the notice of the committee When
asked, toward the close of his speech, what
effect the new ordinance as proposed would
have on the indianapolis Gas Company If
passed, he stated that his company would
not live under it for one second. as it would
be impracticable and impossible for the
company to do business under such an or
dinance. He explained the guage system
and the part of the ordinance providing
that If people did not get enough gas at
certain hours of the day they wouldn't
have to pay for the whole day by compar-
ing a man who went to hotel and because
he did not get breakfast he should demand
his dinner and supper free of charge. He
stated that there would be just much
equity and justice in such hotel system
as to pass the ordinance now before the
Council committee.
LOCAL GAS HISTORY.
Mr.. Pearson says that the average citi-
zen has a poor opinion Of man In the gas
business. 'I do not own dollars worth
of stock in the Indianapolis Gas Com
pany he said. "I was a member of the
City Council when the general ordinance
No. II was passed. That ordinance Is like
hos NV har for
four months in the summer time. The
Standard Oil Company, then owning the
gas plant in this city, refused to accept the
ordinance. giving as a reason that no COM
pany could live under it, as the prices were
too low. On Oct II, 1887, the Standard Oil
Company sold out to a company of repre-
sentative citizens of Indianapolis for $780,
600. After line was built to the city limits
from Noblesville the company claimed that
it could not afford to pipe the streets and
furnish natural gas at the rates fixed by
the ordinance unless the price was in
creased at least so per cent. Two COM
panies accepted the ordinance and failed to
supply any gas and then the Consumers
Gas Trust Company accepted the ordinance.
When the Indianapolis Natural. Gas Com
pany learned that the Consumers COM
pany was an assured success it was COM
PEELED to accept the ordinance, which was
done under protest. The Indianapolis Nat
ural Gas Company owned the plant until
1880. when the stockholders sold out to the
company now owning the Indianapolis Gas
Company. receiving 80 cents on the dollar
on their stock and they never received one
cent of interest on their investment.
he 1,%D f Ice L~.y~ thera =,
been nearly $4,000 decrease in our business
and nearly $500 a month In the artificial
gas department. Some time ago gas meter
experts visited this city and inspected the
meters. finding that they were nearly all
slow. Anyone who uses a meter in our
company will get rebate on all bills If the
meters are fast, but 80 per cent. of all me-
tiers used are slow and the people use more
gas than they pay for.
THE ORDINANCE RIDICULED.
I'm regard to the ordinance as prepared
by the city attorney will say that there
is so little in it that 1 don't want to take
up the time of this committee in talking
upon 1t to any extent There is not a city
in the world, large or small, that has the
service in gas that is given to the inhabi-
tants of Indianapolis. We are giving all
the gas we can get but with the low rate
paid in Indianapolis we cannot afford TO
go into the field and secure leases, build
new pumping stations and lay new lines.
for our revenue will not permit us to
spend the money in that manner. If the
rate is not increased or some remedy es-
tablished that will be equitable the gas
companies in this city Will die the same as
horse in a stable will die if left without
being fed. The gas companies must be fed
in order to meet expenses and secure the
gas. 1 received a letter from John Young.
superintendent of the Allegheny Heating
Company, the distributors of fuel gas, in
which he says that he IS surprised that the
Indianapolis Gas Company should continue
under such a pernicious and unjust sys
TEN of selling gas by contract. He said
that the contract system encouraged the
wanton waste of a fuel luxury. Mr.. Young
said that he placed meters in some houses
while his company was still selling gas by
contract and he found that the bills of
some of the customers would be twice
that of the contract price, while the bills
of other customers would be less. In
Allegheny the gas company there had to
maintain a pressure Of sixteen to eighteen
ounces under the contract system while
under the meter s.'stem now in vogue a
three-ounce pressure is sufficient in the
coolest weather. The use of meters cut
down the consumption of gas one-half and
saved all the enormous waste. Concluding,
Mr.. Young said: If your Council and
Board of Public Works have any sense of
obligation that ought to rest upon them
to do all in their power to stop the waste
of the valuable fuel that has greatly en-
riched their State or any sense of what is
right or just between your company and
your consumers and between one consumer
and another / should think that they
would urge you the necessity of a
change rather than that you should need
to apply to them for authority to make the
change
THE METER SYSTEM.
There has been talk of economical ap-
planes being used to save the waste Of
gas. but tell you that the only thing that
will prevent the waste of gas and furnish a
system whereby the people will pay for
only what they get is by the meter system
There is no other system l know Of that
will remedy the matter. Under the meter
system on natural gas people would turn
1t off when not needed the same as they
turn off their artificial gas Our inspectors
have found places where mixers have been
taken off and gas burned directly from the
pipe. This causes a waste of l,027 feet of
gas for every 100 feet burned. One firm in
this city writes our company that IL has
sold 600 mixers in this city, which were
purchased for the purpose of boring. We
cannot give any service when this kind of
work Is kept up. The waste of gas is enor-
nous. People have said that when the
natural gas gives out we will be on hand
with fuel gas, but that has been tried in
many cities, and millions of dollars have
been spent without IL ever having been
proved a success.
"A man came out in one of the newspa-
pers the other day with a statement that
soon as meters were adopted the gas