The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-05-11
ON The WAR PATH
Large Consumers Of Gas Will
Meet Tonight.
Charge the Topeka Company
With Bad Faith.
HITS FACTORIES HARD
They Must Pay Is Cents or Do
Without.
We're Promised a Rate of Ten
Cents, They Say.
HITS FACTORIES HARD

Charging discrimination. a breach Of
faith, and threatening to attack the
franchise of the Consumers Heat
Light and Power company, large users
of natural gas in the city will meet at
the rooms Of the Commercial club this
evening for the purpose of agitating
reduction of the price of natural gas
for manufacturing purposes of from
Is to 10 cents per thousand. An in
vitation to the manufacturers and 9TH
ers interested has been extended.
"A call has been sent out by Mr..
Holman, chairman of the manufac-
turers' committee of the Commercial
club, for a meeting this evening" said
]. ". Ripley, one of the members of
the club. I'VE are going to demand
that we get the same rate that is
granted To manufacturers in other
towns in the state. We don't want
anything more but just what is right
The other towns are getting ten cents
and we have to pay Is. When Mr..
Mcdowell of the company came be-
fore the Commercial club before he
got his franchise he promised us that
We were to have as low a rate for
manufacturing as any town In Kan
sas. Ne took him to be a man OF his
word and we trusted in his honor. For
that reason we. didn't fight to have it
put in the franchise They told us
right along that would be the rate but
when the coal famine came along and
we had gas put in they jumped the
price on US W to Is cents. But we
couldn't do a thing, though the prices
are prohibitive and from SO to 100
per cent higher than coal. We
couldn't get coal. the strike was on
and we didn't have any contracts. We
were at the mercy of the gas comp ny.
I talked with Mr. Dielman, the man
ager of the gas company. I asked him
if other towns in the state weren't get
ting a ten cent rate. he said he be-
lieved they were. / asked why we
weren't getting it and he told me to
write Mr. Mcdowell I did, I wrote
last night. Mr.. Holman is going to get
In communication with Mr.. Mcdowell
] also and If we don't get a definite an
swer by tonight We are going to at
tack their franchise.
There are four large consumers of
gas here in Topeka, using all the way
i from g. to 400 feet per minute. The
I iaI geSt consumers are the Continental
/ Creamery company. the Mutual Ice
4 company, the Topeka Ice and Cold
Storage company and the Topeka
Laundry company. The creamery
4 company uses more than anyone else
1 from now Oh beea use this is their busy
season. They VIII be working % hours
and consuming gas for every one of
/ those "a hours in the day.
Il guess the gas company looks at
it this way, that they would rather
have a few large consumers of gas at
a big rate than a larger, number at a
lower rate, they probably are making
more money at it.
Il judge that this gas is largely all
velvet with about so per cent air pump
ed into it, but we have no complaint to
make over the quality of the gas. it's
the price,
! j. S. Parks, president of the Cont
mental Creamery company said: Il
have written to number of towns
over the state and I find they are
getting ten cent rate. The Blair
Milling company at Atchison Is getting
] ten cents. the waterworks and electric