The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-09-12
THREATENS 70 ABOLISH
THE MINIMUM CHARGE
Concerns Gets Thousands Of
Dollars for Nothing, Says
Commissioner Watson

The domestic consumer Of natural
sas in oklahoma has found friend
md champion in The state corporation
commission Hereafter, when the
consumer returns home after a
mCntDs alsencc and finds his gas
pili as large as ever, though he has
not burned n foot 1t will not be ne.
scssly lorN him TO start a riot IN the
Jllicc Of his lcea gas company he
IAN carry his grievance to the state
corporation commission and the lat.
cr will take the gas man into the
courts.
For several weeks Col A, p. Wat.
son, member OF the commission, nas
oct q ncariag complaints made by gas
CONSUMERS aga 'nst the Oklahoma City
las company, which buys is gas from
he company that butt the Dig gas
pipc line from the natural gas wells
n Eastern Oklahoma. This produc'
ing company sells to- local companies
4 Oklahoma City, Guthrie. Shawnee,
handler and towns in the eastern
la.t CT the state. T. n. Barnsdall was
INC OF the builders Of this pipc linc.
10 Fix the Rates.
As result of the bearings, Com
missioner Watson will undertake 10
Jrilg about a number Of changes in
he sale Of gas at Oklahoma City ana
Jther towns TO benefit domestic con
tuners. The corporation commission
sill undertake to fix ana regulate gas
fti Lao n la ttts.s ~
lctween gas companies and city cOun-
rs, will require, that gas consumers
nail pay for only such gas as they
clually use. which would absogate the
minimum charge Of s a month at Ok.
ahcma City and Guthrie: and will
orco tue gas companies at Oklahoma
lily. Guthrie, Shawnee and Chandler
0 install meters TO register all gas
hat passes through the main feed
,ipc into the city gas mains. Each
as company must report under oath
N the first day of each month the
mount OF gas registered for the pre-
eding month, altX which the com.
mission viii check be gas sales for
nal month against he amount reg
stored.
old More That They Bought.
In The Hearing before Commissioner
,atsOn at Oklahoma City, thlrty-twO
At of thirty-seycn domestic consum-
rs testified that for the month OF
.ucn, l9lC, their gas bills were from
NO to five times greater than they
'cre in the preceding month. The au-
liior of tho gas company said that the
ales in June t0laled To- about 20 mill
lor cubic feet more gas than the re-.
ords OF the company showed It had
Jul chased. I'm December. 1903, and
anuary, 1910. similar discrepancies
we're found.
The gas companys officials were
inable TO explain the difference. They
enied indig lantly that air was beng
orced into their mains. AT a hearing
everal days ago gas company Of
icia testified that there was shrink
&c Of about Is per cent In the vol.
me OF gas after II had been received
md distributed through the city mains
0 consumers. When asked hoI IL
would be possible for the sales in a
,iycn time to be more than the
mount CT gas purchased. he said that
le had nothing to do with that part
the business.
The inquiry by Commissioner Wat.
on at Oklahoma City revealed an un.
Inspected source OF profit to the gas
ompany. Gas for domestic consump.
ion at Oklahoma CITY and Guthrie II
old at twenty-five cents thousand
ublc feet. Under The minimum
barge OF s. month the consumer
hat uses only one Thousand feet OF
as pays seycnty-flve cents for some,
hing he did not get Commissioner
Watson made an estimate OF the CON
,ired income OF the local gas com
any from this source and found that
amounted to $1,000 A month. run
ling In year to more than $4,000
comfortable fortune Commission
r Watson holds that this Is vlolatICr
# the antitrust laws IN Oklahoma
md will demand thai The practice b,
| abandoupd.