The Washington times., 1910-12-08
Times Crusade At Turning
Point for Big
Victory.
PLAN TO INCREASE
DIVIDENDS MADE
Fattening Condition Of Monopoly
Shown By Developments OF
Past Few Months.

The Gas Monopoly has come down an
other peg in response % public senll-
ment-
Beginning January /, the Washington
Gas Light Company viii put into effect
? reduction in the price Of gas from the
current rate Of &C cents q thousand cubic
feet. TO S5 cents
RumOrs Of an impending cut have been
IN circulation ever since the Gas Com
panv cut its melon for the benefit Of
stockholders, on October Il, and in
creased its dividend distribution from a
3 a share basis 10 $3.50
The directors Of the cooperation, al
their regular meeting held this noon
took the necessary action TO make the
reduction effective. voting unanimously
IN favor Of this concession 10 consumers
Victory for The Times.
The announcement that the price Of
gas IS 20 be cut a nickel marks another
important step IN the fight Of The
" fnEton Times for cheaper gas for
Il district Of Columbia II is also
81 lcant uf two or three things Of
the utmost Importance 20 the coHsuIn-
ers Of gas
IN the first place. the fact that the
price Is TO be reduced frol2 % cents e
s cents fndfC that the company has
found e0-cent as q highly profitable
proposition The legal rate IS s.. and
il was only after a long campaign
had been conducted by The Times and
bv the people Of Washington that the
price was shaved 10 cents This was
done July ], 1903. the same time, it viii
be remembered, that an extra DIVIDEND
sf 10 per cent was declared
The company fought reduction ln
price for years, and was apparently de-
termined not TO grant II, but IeiJ Jhe
necessity Of dOi4g so 10 aliay Puolic
Indignation thai was bound 10 De
aro7Ised by the extra dividend
Nlov-- II seems. the Gas Company has
found out what other gas companies
over the country are rapidly finding out
that cheap .gas is q mighty good JnIIis
for the company. The most recent IL
I,,sfration is IN New York, where Se
Consolidated has raised its annual divl-
dends from 4 10 per cent on S0-ceni
gas. after fighting price-Teduction clear
TO the Supreme Court of the lnlted
states and being defeated Apparently
the Washington monopoly mas mad
much the same experience as the Con-
zoIidated. II has probably seen its neJ
earnings Increase as II has been forced
20 reduce prices
Increase Of Dividends
Another. significant feature Of the re-
auction to s. cents IS the fact that II
eomes coincidentaIly with the adoption
Of q plan for increasing dividends The
RaocIholders OF the company recently
sHorted a financial program that con
TEMPLATES the distribution OF almOs'
twice as much money from net earnings
among holders OF gas securities as II
has been the practice 70 distribute II
the past That works this way
The company has been paying 10 pei
cent dividends Cand sometimes % per
cent? on its capital stock Of 2,6o9-p1o
II has beer paying 6 per cent Interest
On its cert fcates OF indebtedness OF
IKE amount, and It has been paying
per cent on S500.600 Of bonds, total OF
$4,000 IN most years and Of s6So.090 ir
years when an extra dividend Of 10 PEI
cent was declared on ca0ita7 st~~'
Now the company proposes to dis
Continued on Seventh Page)