The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-01-31
ohio, which " seclr almos IS per
cent i1t ~ ~ 3 tts from Mountain

Ohio 1 which secured almost SIS spers
B. stl 4 ~ 3 its gas from me Mountain
State. NJ u n Il Si
Penn slSania duoed Sin, lsos gas
valued at sly, 1s2, 1874 and consumed
gas to the value On $40 ,oso,lsG, ais
placing coal and wood to the value.
Of Of s2o,o75,245. showing that by tia.
use of natural gus Pennsylvania con.
sumers saved In 1908 alone $4,ol5,.,
2isS supplying 21A 1857 consumers. In
1902 Pennsylvania consumed sls,.i
!9427Ss Of gas, produced s14.a52,1sa
and displaced coal to the value A Of.
s179l2,c2e, supplying 1s5,S7s, con.
sumers. The large Increase IN h the
value Of Pennsylvania production
in 1903 over that Of 1902 amounting
to l,Sso.65l. is conslde remark remark
able In view Of the fact that the state
Is the Oldest producer. W 81
Glenn 7. Braden, president 81 tins tbs
Hope Natural Gas Company, a sub
s'idiary Of the Standard oil Company,
In speaking Of the proposed law!
said: IT such aNbill becomes a law
1t will be very hard on the West Viz.
glnia farmer, as he receives 81 an
acre rental per year on thousands Of
acres Of land on which wells have mt
yet been drilled, and when n gas we'll
Is secured he receives $500 for every
well. v!
Millions For Farmers.
our companies alone pay annually
to West Virginia farmers in rentals
81 100000 and the rentals paid 5by
other companies will swell the an.
nual total to over $4,000 900. If the
gas companies are compelled to use
natural pressure only in sending The the
gas out of the State these gas lands
viii be of no value, as to enlarge the
pipes would mean a triple investment
and this could not be done. q
They cannot stop the gas com.
panles from taking the gas out OF the
State, as natural gus is personal
property Just us much as coal and
timber and oil. No objection has
ever been raised to the exporting Of
coal and lumber. II West Virginia
was to have all Of It's gas to itself
what would lido with It? 1t is alb,
snrd. The pressure OF gas Y In the
mains Is not more than 800 or 400
pounds, but to deny the use Of pumps
would prevent its distribution, as tae
natural pressure Is insufficient. The
Hope Company has Just completed at
q cost Of 100000 a pumping station
at.Plne Grove about Is miles from the.
State line. No gas is being wasted In
West Virginia or anywhere else
where It can possibly be saved. !. j
cannot see what possible benefit
would accrue to West9vlrginia .by5its
proposed law. It will Simply tend teS
annoy the gas companies
Say It is Unconstitutional.
j.. G. Mcdowell, vice president 81,
the Union Natural Gas Corporation
and long considered an authority on
natural gas, said: 5"It; seems to mo
F's'
that the proposed law Is a disguised
movement to keep the gas within the
State. Pittsburg secures u large spor.
ton Of its supply from West Virginia
and eventually will obtain the bulk
of It from that State. But the new
law cannot prevent the gas com.
panies from taking the gas beyond
the boundaries Of West Virginia as
natural gas is personal property and
can be removed the same as coal and
timber. That has been decided by, the
courts. 1t has also been decided in
the United States courts in Indiana
that the State cannot prevent the use
of pumps, although 1t has Alright 10
limit the pressure to reasonable
amount as a police regulation.
"The pressure suggested, 300
pounds, is not445unreasonabl but 1t
would be impossible to send the gas
through the long pipe lines at It's
natural pressure. The Maxwell bill
is patterned after the Indiana law
which was declared unconstitutional
in 1892, and II the measure MS passed
there will be sufficient precedent to
render Void The decision is very
clear. The Maxwell bill lis lmpracti.
cable. Even though 1T should be
passed and become a Law. It would be
possible for the gas companies TO
maintain pumping stations just out
sidesof the State limits, as the1pump.
ing station of the Philadelphia Com.
pany is Just ten miles within the
State Of West Virginia and the Hope