The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-05-10
BY MARLEN e. PEW.

! INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, May s.
This city thinks 60 cents is enough
to pay for 1000 cubic feet of gas.
The local gas trust, owned by east
ern capitalists, refused to meet the
demand of the people. The trust
gets 80 cents. .-s----
So, what do VI think the peo-
pie of Indianapolis have done
They have opened a plant for the
manufacture of gas and are selling
1t to themselves at 60 cents. :
Recent events in the Indianapolis
fight against an arrogant public
service corporation will open the
eyes of other cities. the people. of
whom are paying exorbitant prices
for such public necessities as gas.
And local gas trusts may well take
notice of the plight in which the
indianapolis Gas Co. finds itself.
When natural gas was discov-
cred in Indiana some 20 years ago
a group of public-spirited citizens
formed Consumers Gas CO. to
sell gas at cost. by an assessment
plan. Any excess in assessment
was to go into a dividend fund.
These citizens formed company
and took stock at 500 a share.
: The Indianapolis Gas Co., the for,
eign-owned trust, was in trouble at
once. 1t had to reduce it's rate to
meet competition. OF course. the
people favored their own company,
and the trust was up against it UNI
til, one unhappy day, the supply of
natural gas gave out. Then the
people were compelled to fall back
upon the trust, and it Immediately
waxed fat and sassy again and sold
gas at 81. 1t also piled up millions
fro mthe sale of stock, watered I'M
til it was sOggy.
During the II years that the peo-
pie ran their own company they
proved the value of public owner
ship of public utility. The stock
holders in the company took out in
dividends Sc for every dollar they
had invested, and they gave the
city the cheapest gas a city has
ever had.
& When the natural supply failed,
tale trust, fearing that the people
hight take it into their heads to
manufacture the artificial article,
bought up. three-fourths of the
stock of the peoples company, pay
$500 to $500 a share. OF course.
all the trust got for its money was
the idle plant and the mains
through the streets. And the stock
holders of the Independent concern
received from practically worth
less stock, 81 to So for every 81
invested How's that for rubbing
it into a trust?
But the end is not yet. The trust
overlooked the fact that the char
ter of the consumers company left
the control of the company's affairs
in the hands of board of directors
who were appointed by board of
trustees who were elected to serve
for life. This old board has been
very much alive recently, and 1t
didn't believe that the people
should pay 80 cents for gas that
might be sold for so cents. The
board told the people about it, and
the people elected a mayor who
promised to give the trust fight.
This mayor exercised an old OPP
ton that the city held upon the
consumers plant. The city thus
took the mains back from the trust.
and a new company. the Citizens
Gas Co., was formed to take the
mains off the city's hands. This was
done. The people subscribed $425,-
600 for this purpose. and now the
Citizens company is in full power
and is under franchise agreement
to make and sell gas for 60 cents.
The matter has been fought to the
court by the trust, but the
people have won invariably.
Last week artificial gas was turn
ed into the old mains, and the trust
busting game is running merrily,
Whew. but you should hear the
trust scream "bloody murder" 1t