The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-04-24
WILL GEORGETOWN
GET CHEAPER GAS?
A Question Which Interests
Citizens of the Old Burg.

Will the people of Georgetown get
cheaper gas? That is the question which
is now agitating the citizens west Of
Rock Creek.
There seems to be division of senti-
ment in the Washington Gaslight Com
pany. which controls the Georgetown
company. upon the question. One side
says that a reduction will be made in
the near future and the other side says
II Is not at all likely. Ia the meantime
the Georgetown citizens are paying 81
per 1000 cubic feet for gas, as against
s. cents in this city, just as they paid
D when the price here was only 81.
This condition of affairs has naturally
excited criticism and protest, but moth
ing has been done in the way of relief.
Programme Under Consideration.
According to the programme which is
now under consideration, il is proposed
that the Washington company shall fur
nish gas to its Georgetown neighbOr at
a price said to be about 80 cents which
will allow il TO be distributed in George
town for IS cents. the price in Washing
ton. II is said that this can be done
without violating the terms Of the char
ters of either company besides which II
a technical objection to any proposition
which would give the Georgetown public
the advantage of cheaper gas.
When this arrangement is made. ac-
cording to the scheme which is now being
discussed. the Georgetown company will
close its old plant and proceed at once to
finance a bond issue which will enable
il TO puEchase a large tract Of ground
in the suburbs of Georgetown and erect
&. ,r-fII
not only remove the manufacture of gas
from the CITY, where IT is always more
or less Objectionable, but It will also af-
ford ample room for enlargement in the
future.
Mr.. GOIdsbOrOugh'x Statement.
The authority for the statement that
no reduction in price is likely to occur
within the near future is Joseph Letter,
whose interview appeared in The Wash
ington Herald yesterday. In regard TO
this interview, r. II. GOldsborough said
last night:
InasmuCh as a newspaper controversy
in regard to our local gas matters might
prove injurious to the interests of all
concerned. including the public. do not
feel called upon to reply to the state
ment made by Mr.. Letter yesterday, fur
ther than this: A careful perusal of the
remarks attributed to me in on after
noon paper will show that they did not
purpOru to represent any other than my
own deductions in the premises. My
opinions on all points raised were based
upon familiarity with the law Of the
case. my long acquaintance with the
views of the owners of both the Wash
ington and Georgetown. properties. and
my own convictions as to the duties of
70 nth and nf all n the ~
munity we are privileged to serve.
1T may not be out of place to add
that whatever may or may not be
thought elsewhere at present, it will
clearly appear which of us correctly
represents the views of the great body
of the stockholders when their wishes
ere finally expressed"
Commissioners Have No Authority.
With reference to Mr.. Letters state
ment that the matter was dependent
upon the consent of the District Com
rnissioners to a merger of the two COM
panies, Commissioner Rudolph said he
old not see where the sanction of the
Commissioners would figure in the mat
ter.
THAT is a matter for the stockholders
to settle. and not for the District authori-
ties" said Commissioner Rudolph last
night TT would be an ideal thing to
merge the companies, is my personal
opinion. AS I am informed, 1t costs the
Georgetown company almost twice as
much to manufacture the gas as 1t does
the Washington company. This being the
case, it seems to me that a merger would
be beneficial to both companies"
Corporation Counsel E. H. Thomas said
yesterday he knew of no law on the
statute books that called for the sane
ton of the Commissioners for the pro-
posed merger.