The San Francisco call., 1909-04-07
WOMAN ON GUARD
AGAINST GAS PIRATE
Merry Warfare May Be Waged
in the Richmond District in
Resisting Huge Bill
Family Determined to Resist
Any Attempt to Remove the
Meter From Residence

Unless the San Francisco gas and
electric company condescends for once
to sacrifice high handed methods and
give fair consideration to protest
against an -exorbitant gas bill. there
promises to be bit of merry warfare
today or tomorrow in the Vicinity of
home at 164 Jordan avenue.
There are several hundred residents
of the Richmond district who have
made bitter but futile protests against
the wholesale raids OF the gas robber
in that section and vain pleas for the
delivery of gas which will actually
burn, but one man has dared defy the
company to carry out its worst threats.
George S. Scovel of the Scovel
iron store company of 1874 How
ard street has met the threat of the
company to deprive him of gas with
determined warning to the company
to keep its employees entirely off his
premises.
WOMAN ON GUARD
scovel means business and so does his
wife, who has declared that in the
absence of her husband she will not
permit any employe of the gas COM
pany to enter her home for the purpose
of removing the gas meter, turning off
the gas or on any other pretext. If
the company tries to force Scovel to
its terms without giving fair consid-
Grafton to his claims 1t is proba bic
that it will be Mrs. Scovel who will
play an active part in the first skIr
mish.
Prior to last November Scovers bills
for gas at his home, 164 Jordan ave-
nue., ragged about $3.50 or 81 a
month. Then he put a gas furnace into
the house and the bills began to soar.
For the month ending in January the
total reached nearly $50 which Scovel
paid under protest. The following
month the gas bill was 5000 and the
furnace was ripped out at a heavy ex-
pense and replaced with coal fur
mace. Scovel says that the amount
charged was out of all proportion to
the quantity of gas used and that the
quality of the gas was so poor that 1t
failed entirely to heat his home.
PAYS UNDER PROTEST
When the bill for $2020 was pre-
sented Scovel was out of the city and
the charge was paid by his son under
protest, after threat had been mad
to turn off the gas. It was discovered,
]
made by the company, amounting to
about so cents. and the check with
which the bill had been paid was re-
turned for correction. Scove1 imme-
diately entered another objection and
destroyed the original check, refusing
to pay until the matter was adjusted
Then a bill of $40 for the last month
was given him, but when he offered TO
pay this amount the payment was re-
fused until the bill for s3o20 was set
tied. The result was that the company
gave Scovel until tomorrow to settle,
threatening to turn off the gas IL he re-
fused.
WARNS THE GAS PIRATES
Scovel answered with the following
letter to the company:
Gentlemen: Your collector left discon-
tinuance notice With me today because of
my refusal TO pay q gas bill OF S26 go.
made up of 500 for the month ending
February 2e and 5000 for the month just
previous to this.
I have repeatedly explained this matter
TO you that the bill Of 5000 is not correct,
] did not any such amount of gas.
! paid the bill for the month prior 70 that.
but refused to pay. the month in question
until the matter was adjusted I rendered
your collector $40 for the month ending
February 26. which he refused.
! stand ready and willing to pay a reason
able amount for the month In dispute and
wish to serve notice on you that under
no consideration do ] want any of your
employees 10 enter my premises for the
purpose Of taking the meter or of dis
continuing the service. ! am ready and
willing 10 pay what is right
I in hopes that your company will
look into this matter carefully and adjust
it without taking any such radical action
as your notice would Indicate Yours truly,
164 Jordan avenue