The Washington times., 1912-08-25

aSO share, with a sale privately nj I4o
ca,V., " Is a corporation with small
gross earnings. and smaller net retiirna
| on investment. All of which Is nothing
against the Georgetown Gas Company.
For nearly seventeen years controI
| mas been owned and exercised by fhe
| washington Gas COMPANY marv ~
.ne pre- sent directors of the George
.SSwh NV company acting In harmony w::h
lne owning company during the long
period when paternal or material care
| was exercised west OF Rock Creek
using all perogatives, and exercisine
rights which they themselves now deny
| In politics caustic comment results
| from certain maneuvers.
BUSINESS is a game. Sometimes Il
pays to run wild on the bases: to sac
rlnce oneself for the advantage of the
team to put over the winning run.
matter of $3.50 a share is a big
| price for Georgetown Gas stock. It
couldn't have been purchased in the
iast century for much less, and the last
decade for materially below so per
cent Of the asking price. and some
, there be who. not. In the distant past,
| share.
Even at the extravagant price the
Washington Gas Company would be
making an excellent bargain IL it
could absorb the Georgetown Gas
Company. take possession of the terri
tory, eliminate the minority and hitch
the Georgetown mains to g. own,
and supply the gas for the use of con-
sumers.
The Washington Gas Company has
a productive capacity for much more
than the consumption east and west,
north and south of the creek.
1t would be able to handle the busi-
ness for fraction Of the cost Of the
process of manufacture to the George
town Company, and much more than
make per cent on the Georgetown
business.
1t would reduce the expenses of the
! Georgetown circuit 80 per cent.
Congress would probably grant a mer-
ger of the two corporations without
much trouble. but Congress has a way
these days of asking something In re-
turn. What could the GEORGETOWN end
of the proposition offer?
In spirit Of thankfulness. of self
congratulatfon, OF charity or something
or other, the directors of the George
town Gas Company cut the price of gas
from a dollar a thousand cubic feet to
S5 cents. And all the people shouted.
But the Georgetown Gas Company
might have secured the merger conces-
sion for this cut in the price of gas.
Some day the existing conditions will
end-they will have to.
The two companies, as stated before,
are not competing a little DIT. For sew
enteen years the union has been conse-
Grated and now It is unholy.
Do we have to wait for the people
who have been mixed up in itfor sew
enteen years and have voted both ways,
straight and in harmony, and have now
reversed themselves, to pass on their
way before men who have not been
identified can take the matter by the
horns and solve the problem?
In the meantime the Washington Gas
Company, this side of the creek, is in
creasing its sales at a marvellous rate.
There is no guff in 1.-THE receipts are
excellent and an increase of $500, 900 In
the years business is modest esti-
mate.
Some day there will be one gas and
electric light company, one street rail-
road corporation, perhaps one public
utility corporation.
1t is getting to be the rule in other
cities. Why not in Washington?