Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1902-03-03
SQUARE DEAL WANTED.
Taxpayers Talks OF Best Way to get
Along Compromise and iHelp Each
Other,

To the Editor of the Naw JOHNSTON:
The article regarding proposed
Gas and Water franchise published
in your paper Saturday evening
March first, was the most business
like talk | have ever heard either in
argument or through the papers.
agree with "X'' in every line. The
more the City Council forces the Gas
IL Water company to pay or promise
in the way of cheap water and gas for
city use, such as street lights, fire
plugs, street washing, etc, the more
the consumer will have to pay.
The people of Morgantown can
not expect any company 10 agree to
spend the thousands of dollars that
it will take to extend gas and water
lines throughout the many new addi-
tions now building aud proposed to
this city and then expect them to
continue TO sell gas cheaper than the
present prices. Water rates that are
named in new franchise are cheap
enough. And gas always has been
cheap enough. The bringing Of fac
tories to Morgantown has consumed
millions of feet of gas, and that has
been the main reason for the reduc-
tion of the gas pressure in the gas
fields. The factories will also be the
cause of entire failure OF our gas
supply five to ten years quicker than
had we never secured any factories.
The factories burn a lot of gas. The
people the factories brought to Nor
gantown burn lots Of gas. Without
either the factories or the people
they have brought to Morgontown,
what would the town be compared
to what it is nor In other words the
Gas company have sacrificed the
bulk of their gas at 5e per thousand
feet for factory use that the town
might be built up and aud city made
out of small town during the past
ten years.
It is true that all the additional
families the factories brought here
use water, which partly offsets the
cheap gas but all those things have
to be worked together in order to
make success. The people OF Nor
gantown and the Gas d Water com
pany, in fact all industries and the
people OF Morgantown should work
together, understand each other and
one should not ask too much OF the
other.
Keep things balanced and Nor
gantown will continue to grow on
the most solid basis. In fact Nor
gantown is TO day the most prosper
GUS town in West Virginia, Why2
Simply because 800 Of the people
have pulled together for tue towns
interests. There is about 1919 of
every towns population who are
kickers.) Morgantown is no excep-
ton.
/ say without fear of contradic-
tion that Morgantown has received
better treatment in way of getting
Improvements such as paving, water
gas, DC. than any other town in the
state. And there is no reason why
this same treatment shall not con
tinue If the town council will get to
gether and agree on some fair plan
and condition with the Gas and
Water Co, whereby both sides, The
consumer and Company, will be
equally protected.
Personal feeling as exhibited by
some parties opposed to everything
the Gas and Water company wants,
should be cast aside by the Council,
and the real wants of the real con
sumers looked after. Surely the
council has enough business men in
it to decide a question OF franchise
in town the size of Morgantown
where everybody knows just what is
wanted and what is right and just
to all parties. Let US keep the Wa
ter and Gas in the hands of those
we know will treat us right, by
treating them right. Remember one
thing, Franchises can not be exclu-
sive. Other companies can come in
anytime, Fairmont is now doing
that very thing because they think
they are not being treated right by
the gas company. But all the money
that is wasted by two or three com
panies in the same town during a
gas or water fight is always paid
afterward by the contnmer. There
fore the town that gets along with
one company agreeably is ahead in
the end. The Union Gas and
Water Company should have fair
treatment The Gas and Water
rates proposed liz the new franchise
are reasonable enough.
TAXPAYER.