The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-11-25
NATURAL GAS FLOWS
THROUGH CITY MAINS
Supply Turned on at Noon
Amid Approval and
CenSure.
FEW LEAKS ARE FOUND
$500 Deposit Rule Still Wor-
rieS Minds of Board
of Works.
FEW LEAKS ARE FOUND

Amid conflicting choruScs of approx
al and CruSl.re OF the NOW famous
"3epost rule" at noon today 81 10
cent aruhcial Eas WAS turned OF and
81 cent natural Eas was turned into
the mains oi the Richmond Light.
Heat and Power company.
The change in gas service was &C
complished without any confusion but
This afternoon "trOuble shooters were
kept busy responding 10 calls 10 homes
where difficulty had been experienced
adjusting the burners in ranges ana
water heaters.
The full pressure Of the natural gas
was not turned into the mains. the
same pressure as normal for arlnclAI
gas being used 50 the householdeTs
would not have too much trouble
Many Take Service
Nanager Wharton Of the Light, Heat
& Power company said that about
rwo-thirdS of the users OF artificial gas
had contracted for natural gas Inc
majority Of those who have declined
10 contract for this service are In
state OF rebellion against the rule re-
quiring a cash deposit or guarantee
for bills contracted for gas.
Many landlords have refused abSo-
lutely to sign guarantees for their
tenants, although today one man who
probably rents as many houses as any
| landlord in the city guaranteed the
| gas bills of thirty OF his tenants. He
said in the letter he sent TO the com
pany that he thought the company
| was justified in the action ii had taken
! to protect itself, and that he Thought
! II WAS no more than fair 10 his ten
ants to guarantee their bills.
No further negotiations have been
entered into by the city and the com
pany concerning the Interpretation o'
/ the deposit rule and II appeared
/ still more probable today that the com
pany and the city would not be able
TO reach an understanding on this
question and that it would be appealed
to the state public service commission
for decision.
Refers To Old Lists.
! One we'll known business man toda!
tect itself from unreliable patrons
without requiring all non-propert,
holding people to make cash deposit
or file guarantees. He suggested tha
the company could, by reference to 1t
records of artificial gas patrons ocm
pile a very complete list Of thos
whose credit was doubtful. and reQuir
, only them to post guarantees OF de
posits.
New users of natural gas of whom
the company has no record could b
required to file guarantees or post dc
posits for stated period until III
, company was acquainted with thei
reliability
, 1t is an assured fact that there ar
| many people who will stand pat o
their refusal to use natural gas ;
long as the company places its presen
Interpretation on the deposit rule an
will substitute coal for the artiticia
gas which was turned on today.
1t also appears certain that tn
2 board of works will never give its al
proval of the rule as now enforced
The board will stand pat that the rul
as drawn by City Attorney Bond wa
\ only meant to be applied TO such pee
pie whose credit was known TO be ba'
and that II was never the intention
. permit the company TO apply this rul
to all classes OF nOn-prOperty Ownin
people.
= What action the state conmissio
will take on this question is problem
. atical. but on one or two occasions
has ruled in favor OF the public ut!i
ties taking such action TO prote'
themselves.