Los Angeles herald., 1905-03-09


The fight for good gas at reason
able prices, inspection of meters and
methods of manufacture, which was
started several months ago by 1.-THE
Herald" has been taken up by
leagues and associations having ths
best interests of the city at heart, and
the recruits declare they are in the
fight to stay, and to win.
When the movement was inaugurated
such pressure was brought upon the
members of the old council by the
people of their various wards that
when a motion to instruct the city
attorney to draw up an ordinance
which should regulate the gas monop-
oily in Los Angeles according to the
powers conferred by the city charter
on the council it was Immediately
passed.
This ordinance was drawn by City
Attorney Mathews after a careful
study of the subject and was pre-
sented to the council. The city fathers
looked rather askance at the document
and handled it much as they would
a package of nitro glycerine, and
finally buried it carefully in the COM
mittee of the whole. At the present
time this ordinance is still resting
peacefully in the committee.
Prepare for War
Since the attempt last Monday on
the part of Councilman Houghton to
bring the ordinance out of the COM
mittee and before the council, the two
interests. the gas company and the
people, have been preparing for war.
1t is the frankly expressed opinion
of several public officials that the coun-
ell will not only refuse to pass the
ordinance, but that the ordinance will
never be exhumed from the committee
of the whole burial ground.
1.-THE Good Government league has
been preparing for this fight for weeks.
and l might even say months" said
President r. N. Norton, yesterday,
and continued: 1--WE have been gath
ering facts of all kinds pertaining to
the case from various sources, and
had our plan of campaign not only
mapped out, but we were prepared to
carry it out before we appeared be-
fore the council last Monday. You
see we do not intend to be caught in a
fight without ammunition
Plenty of Funds
"The league is Incorporated under
the laws of the state of California and
has several hundred members. We
have an esta ablished fund for carrying
on such campaigns, and we know
where we can get more if 1t is needed
1T is not our purpose to in any
way hurt the gas company or to work
any unfairness. The company has
however, a practical monopoly on the
lighting and heating of the city of
Los Angeles, and, while 1t is yet young
this gas company shows the unmis-
taxable marks of the octopus, and that
is what we are fighting.
According to the charter of the city
of Los Angeles the citizens have the
right to regulate the manufacture, sale
and price of gas, and if the council
does not act by week from next
Monday the people will take the case
into their own hands.
I'VE want such laws passed and
enforced that when citizen of Los
Angeles goes into the Office of the gas
company and makes application for
gas service, that he shall get the SER
vice Immediately and, more than that,
at a fair price and gas of good and
uniform quality.
There does not seem to be a single
one of these conditions in existence at
the present time. We want to make
it impossible for the company to say,
You will have to wait for a while;
the councilman from your ward does
not suit us. When you let us appoint
a councilman from your ward, then we
will lay mains and furnish you with
gas"