Bisbee daily review., 1909-02-20
GAS CONSUMERS
 INDlG.NANT I
Public Service Corporation Will Charge Meter Rent and Patrons Are Up in Arms As Result

 ter rental of fifty cents a month wn. Le required on all meters. Very truly yours,
 1 DOUGLAS GAS CORPORATION
 By F. F. Murphy. Manager. ' whereupon a mighty howl has becL raised that will result probably in a concerted movement on the part 0. gas consumers to ascertain if tho gas corporation has any authority under it's franchise to demand a meteS reh- tai. If the company has such g risat it is not thought it rests upon any clause which is in the franchise. nn nowhere in the ordinance granting the franchise has been found any thing that would seem 10 give the company the privilege of charging 8 reter rental. This was an off-hanu opinion of the matter entertained by City Attorney Lockwood. who. how ever. had not thoroughly inyestiSat cd the question at the time.
 Consumers Up In Arms. That consumers Of gas are up ID arms against the notice of the com pany is putting the matter mildly The office Of the company was today besieged by patrons who oxpresseu themselves in various ways Man, ordered the meters taken out; others made it known that they would de dine to pay the proposed meter rent while still others coupled this state nent with a def against the removal of their meters. Manager Murphy is not only receiving numerous eallers at his office but his telephone has been ringing necessarily nll during the day. with the meter rental notice the inyariabie subject Of the mess age
 Mir. Murphy did not discuss tho req son which actuated the notice As manager ot the corporation he is sued the notices which came close upon the heels Of the recent visit of E. Titcomb of Nogales. the controll ing factor of the company.
 The Gas Corporation.
 Tho company began business dur ! ing the middle of 1906. after having been voted 8 franchise for twenty-five years in October of the previous year. The men given the franchise were T. W. Hamaker. the Los Angeles banker; k. Titcomb of Nogales, W. R. Henry and l. L. Brown of Douglas The two former grantees of the fran chise still actively control it. NIT Henry having disposed of his hold l ings, and Mir. Brown. also. 1t is saia. | Under the terms of the franchise the corporation is allowed to charge a maximum rate of St.50 a thousand, and this rate has been In effect ever since the company began business. The franchise also allows the city ! : 1-2 per cent of the gross earnings Of the company. By the operations of this clause of the franchise the city has derived the sum of S11I714. which | indicates gross earnings by the com pany since the installation of it's plant of S44.6S6 up to the first Of the | present year. The following amounts have been paid into the city treasury by the gas company
 l October S. 1906. s3S.C4; January Il. 1907. SSS.S5: March 15. 1907. $9S.75: June 15. 1907. S6; August 90, 1907, $90.65; January 6, 1908, $1G5G6 May %. 1908, $2134s; September 12. 1908 Sl3710; now due the city SZlS.97. These various amounts total s11Ig.15
 Peorle WiH Fight.
 This morning from the expressed latitude Of many oI. the business men it was evident the meter rental charge win be fought in the courts there being already a movement ou f0ot 10 have 9 U.cCtinC of consumers for the purpUsC Of raising funds with which Co prevent the gas company carrying out the terms of the notice the of the men most prominent in his opposition tD the meter rental is ". H. Henry, one of the original pro motors of the company He cunsid CTS the proposed rental an imposi ton upon the people of Douglas and Ia plain evasion CT the terms Of the franchise, which urObihits higher tlIrsc for gas tdJn Si.50.
 Ss Henry Sees 1t.
 'fIt's just a scheme Go get g. foI gas ipstcad os tie franchise price and ]. for one. will not stand for it iIf anyone distur8S u,y property in at Tempting to remove the gls meter TT have him arrested for tTespass."
 That's the way MT. Henry puts il and that is hov all the consumers who have talked over the question feel about it
 why should the gas company lcharge us rental fer a device Jhc gas CJmpany-Lot we-use for the pur pose Of measuring the company's owr product which it sells to us?" asked another iratc citizen. "The idea is just as illogical as it would ba for q stoTekeepcr to charge a patrCn fol thc use of scales in weighing good. bought hy the ratron Iron. the store Keeper
 some Are Excepted.
 Mr. Murphy corrected one errol cOus idea that b prevalent. The gen erai opinion Is that those consumers who have paid ten dollars for a meter the price formerly charged. will nov have to pay rental for the meter. Mir Murphy said this morning that con snmcrs who paid for meters will not be charged the rental and that no tices were sent to none Of them. Tho price of ten dollars for meters wal established in the early part oi 1907 and acUrding 10 the company. was fol the purpose of safeguarding ths meter and guaranteeing payment ol the gas bill At that time, if is ex plained. there were many fioaters if town and it was necessary to protect lthe companv's accounts in that man ner. A consumer in speaking Of thl metor charge said that he has aT agreement with the company where by at any time he cares 10 have hii
 meter removed the ten dollars he hal paid win be returned. minus one dol lar. In some other places this work the other way. the man who has de posted the required guarantee amour