The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-22
A SENSIBLE MOVE.

Congratulations are due to the mem
bers of the city council for the sober
and intelligent fashion in which they
handled the disagreeable situation in
respect to the gas supply for this city.
By the time the council meeting hap
pened around for action in the prem
ises, even those who were insisting a
week or ten days ago that the annull-
ment of the local gas company's fran
chise was the step which the city au-
thorities should take at once had
ceased their rant in this vein. They
had had time to realize that the revoca-
ton of this franchise carried with it the
possibility of cutting off Topeka's nat
ural gas supply permanently. With the
naive abandon of a child indulging in
prank they stated that they had only
been fooling; that they had never really
meant that the local gas company be
driven out of town but they simply had
advised the city council ito use its
stick with which to compel the COM
pany to live up to the spirit of the fran
chise.'
AS stated, the council, or the great
majority of its members. did the sensi-
DIS lllIlS, DIS lJlcy ildNS 0COL III liz
habit of doing on all questions, when
the time came for action. They refer
red the matter to the city attorney to
get a legal opinion as to what steps, if
any, can be taken, to compel the gas
company to furnish an adequate sup
ply of gas. More gas the people of To-
peka want when the weather is coolest.
but they do not want any alternative
steps taken to get it. There should be
no forfeiture of the company's fran
chise involved in any suit to get mora
gas if such suit should prove unsuc-
cessfuI. The contingency that a revoca-
ton of the franchise would mean the
withdrawal of natural gas from Topeka
is not quite so remote as some people
imagine This fact could be found out
by them if they had a disposition to
make the necessary inquiries. Nor
would the withdrawal Of natural gas
from the city mean an enormous loss
to the gas company on the investment
it has here. The people would demand
gas Of some kind for lighting. and pos
sibly cooking purposes, and the council
would be compelled to meet this de-
mand by granting franchise to some
gas company to supply the town with
artificial gas. Of course. the people
generally could not afford to use arti-
fetal gas for heating, cooking and
lighting purposes to the extent that
they now use natural gas. But there
would have to be gas of some kind and
the company which got the franchise to
supply it would have no trouble in buy
ing the plant of the present company
including it's piping facilities. Thus
would the present company get out Of
the apparent dilemma confronting it
without much of a loss on it's invest
ment here.
There is little danger, though, that
any steps will be taken which will
vitiate the gas company's franchise.
That would be a foolish move to UNDER
take in any extreme. And if plans can
be developed or suits instituted to get
an increased supply Of gas for the city
so much the better. There should be
an earnest effort too, on the part of
the gas company to conserve such a
supply of gas as it gets here by not let
ting any Of it escape through leaks.
which have shown themselves Of late
to be highly dangerous to life and prop
erty. If the gas company shows no
disposition to find these leaks, the
sternest of measures should be taken
to compel it to do so. AS the manager
of the gas company says, however. per-
! haps all of the recent explosions in the
| city have not resulted from natural gas
| leaks. There are similar explosions al
| most every day in larger cities in the
country which are strangers to natural
| gas. They are caused in the main by
sewer gas which cannot seep through
earth when it is frozen. 1t seems rea-
| sonably certain, though, that some of
the recent explosions here have been
caused by natural gas and the leaks
which are responsible for them should
be stopped before more serious damage
is done. But this matter is distinct and
| separate from the proposition of getting
| a supply of gas to Topeka which will
| be adequate for the coolest of weather.