The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-08
He Makes a Strong Plea for the Fac
tories of the Gas Belt at Expense
of Private Consumers.
A PAPER READ BY W. H. CRAIG
CREATES A MILD SENSATION AMONG
THE DELEGATES.
He Makes a Reference to the ssTag-
gart acknowledgements of Re-
form Laws Discussed.

Several important matters were discussed
yesterday before the sixth annual meeting
of the State Board of Commerce held in
the assembly room of the Commercial
Club, the chief one being 1.-The Natural
Gas Supply and Its Preservation" by
Judge M. A. Chapman, of Anderson, who
said the supply was purely speculative. as
was the length of time it might be avail
able for fuel. His plea was for the shut
ting off of the gas to private homes and
business houses In order that the factories
of the gas belt might continue to use 1t as
a fuel.
He said the prosperity and growth of
the gas belt cities has been altogether due
to the finding of natural gas in the field,
and that this was proved by statistics
which show that the eight counties which
form the gas field had a population in 1890
of 202 036. which in 1899 had been increased
to 500. The tax duplicates showed that
in 1887 the taxable property amounted to
SIS, 935. 265, which amount had been in
creased in 1899 to $3.50, s31, 255. In 1887, he
said, the entire country contained only
such small factories as are generally found
in an agricultural country, whereas now
plate and window glass. steel. iron. tile,
files, paper, strawboard, bicycles and tin
plate are largely produced. Thousands of
workingmen have moved into the field and
new schools and homes have been built as
a result. He also held that the growth
had benefited the entire State and had de-
veloped railroad properties in an unhoped
for manner. He said the possibility of the
total failure of gas was matter for grave
apprehension, the more so because theories
advanced to the effect that by drilling
deeper wells another vein of porous rock
containing gas would be found had proved
to be without foundation. Muncie. he said.
drew its gas, like indianapolis. from
depth of 1900 feet, while at Redkey wells
had been driven $500 feet without finding
new deposits of gas.
THE FAILURE OF GAS.
Speaking of the belief in many quarters
that the gas is rapidly failing and will
only be available for a few years. he said
gas companies which want to sell gas at
increased prices are not good authorities,
but these facts are indisputable. Cities
which formerly produced gas enough
within their own limits to supply all their
homes and factories are now compelled to
| d pressure
in the best fields has been reduced from
JOS pounds to the square inch to 145. He
said that If pipe lines and pumping sta
lions were discontinued and prevented
from sucking the life out of the gas belt
the supply might last the factories for
twenty years, providing the supply were
cut off from private homes and business
houses, whereas it would be gone within
three years at the present rate of con-
sumption. He advanced the theory that
gas was a luxury in private homes,
whereas it was a necessity in many fac
tories.
The paper brought on general discus
sion, In which Evans Woollen said Judge
Chapman had advocated the abandonment
of gas as fuel by all cities outside the
gas belt in order that the gas belt might
have enough to last for several years. He
said the theory was not good one and
ought to give place to one conserving of
the present supply by careful use He
said the discontinuance of gas as q fuel
could not affect indianapolis factories. He
said 1t was a fact that fully one-half of
the gas piped to Indianapolis was rost by
waste in consumption, and that although
this was 'frightful to contemplate" 1t was
true in many other cities of the State. He
said the true and honest solution of the
problem lay in the use of meters.
MR.. POTTs's VIEWS.
A. F. Potts advanced the theory that
Judge Chipmans idea would not hold good.
as the most people would not be benefited
by shutting off all the pipe lines leading
into the gas fields, because Indianapolis.
with its 100000 people. contained more resi-
dents than all the entire gas belt, and the
sentiment was very general in indianapolis
that the homes must be provided with gas,
even at the expense of the factories. He
also said the only honest way to use gas
was by meter, and that this would do
much to lengthen the time during which
gas may be used and also secure better
results from the use of gas
A. l.. Mason did not agree with this sug-
gestion, saying that 1t mattered little If IN
dianapOlis or all the other cities used
meters, so long as the large factories which
owned their own wells and the great pipe
lines continued to take all the gas and
waste 1t. He said he thought meters would
increase the cost of gas, and that Il was
not desirable to secure economy in con-
sumption by raising the price Herman
Monk, of Connersville, said the use of me-
tiers had increased the pressure in that
city and had secured more comfort for the
people. besides being perfectly satisfactory
to the people.
After several other speeches in favor of
meters, it was decided to mail copies of
the report of the Commercial Clubs gas
committee to every business institution
connected WITH tie state board OF Com
merce.
CREATED A SENSATION.
Will H. Craig. of the Noblesviile Ledger.
created the sensation of the afternoon by
reading his paper on Municipal Owner
Ship The spirit of his talk was that,
while the people ought TO be given such
commodities as water, light, heat and
street-railway facilities at the lowest pos
sible cost, municipal ownership was unde-
sirable under existing conditions in Amer
lean cities. 1.-THE main question:" said he,
''is, will municipal ownership cheaper the
cost of these things to the people?" He
advanced the opinion that 1t would not be-
cause the fact that these things would
give the city too much money to be used
in corrupt manner and the Discrimination
OF good citizens OF business capacity TO
serve as managers of such things would
make the several municipal plants instru-
ments with which to reward ward heelers
and political pensioners of either party.
IF municipal corporations were managed
as we'll as private institutions of the same
kind the thing would be different" said
he 'but experience does not show this
TO be the case" He said republics were
not the places in which to establish such
ownerships and would not be until IL were
possible to awaken interest In public mat
tiers and enlighten the public conscience.
He said he believed the thing would be
possible II operated like the Postoffice De-
partment under civil-service rules. but"
said he, 81 agree with General Harrison
when he said. In connection with the NUM-