The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-01-06

feet in one month. Lord knows what
they did with it, but it was certainly
a tremendous waste. y-..tsst ~.
'Then 1 am advised that the state
did not even stop there in aiding the
poor common peopie' to get gas at a
reasonable price. am told that John
Dawson, as attorney general, loaned
the name of the state to a suit against
the gas company in Montgomery coun-
ty to compel the gas company to fur
nish brick plant with gas at three
cents thousand feet. And yet hun
dreds of people are trying to break
into the newspapers with interviews
about how to guard the poor working
man against raise in gas rates.
Contracts Are Cancelled.
But there isn't such a thing as
cheaper gas. 1t is impossible to fur
nish it at less than SO cents thousand
feet-and I invite the utilities commits
sion or any other body to check the
books and see for themselves. This
month we owe $1,023, 600 and haven't
that many pennies to pay the bill with.
That isn't ALL We are still pi1ing up ex-
pense and will keep right on doing so in
order to get enough gas to supply the
demands. But there is no longer Kan
sas gas for factories or even for the
big individual furnace owners. It
must be limited to a strictly domestic
use. But even at SO cents a thousand
feet it is much cheaper than any coal
that can be bought.
'1 don't blame people, though, for
wanting gas at the old price. I want
it at the old price myself But T know
that I can't get it. And I must make
the most of it.
Gas Company Troubles.
There are a thousand things to
contend with. We lose 10 per cent of
our gas from the time it leaves the big
pumps until it reaches Kansas City or
Topeka Yet there seems no way to
prevent it.
Again, we have no money 1t may
be necessary to issue receivers bonds
before we get through with this thing
I don't know. There was only daily
production of 6S,000,o00 feet when we
took charge of things. Kansas City
alone would use the entire supply il
we would let them. We have spent
$3.50, 900 and increased the daily pro-
duction 100000 cubic feet Right
oday-Sunday-we have nine rigs
running in the gas fields and are add
ing new wells as fast as possible. Last
week we brought in four new wells.
But three of them were dry or
busters and only one of the four is
an actual producer. Yet it costs 80
cents to 81 a foot to drill these wells
Now we want to tap the Cushing
field, II miles from our nearest pump
ing station. But it will cost $3.50, 900.
let us spend the money"
That is the way Sharitt looks at the
gas situation. He is indignant because
of the abuse heape1 on Judge Pollock.
can stand it, he said a dozen times in
the course of his conversation
Get Black Hand Letters.
''This agitation has brought on all
manner of things" continued Shar1ur,
as he reviewed some of the sorrows of
a receivership job for the big corpora
ton. "Only last week I got a threat
ening letter with skull and cross-bones
on it. To be sure, no one but
lunatic or a midnight assassin would
send such a letter. But we get them
just the same. And yet we are going
to go right ahead with this thing. But
if the city and state officials would
only do their part instead of trying to
stir up an agitation, it would be a lot
easier. We had better get gas at SO
cents for the people who want it, than |
to have the men who hold the COM
pany's paper refuse to sink another |
dollar in the thing and to shut off the |
supply for everyone
Sharitt left Sunday night for Kan |
sas City. From there he will go to |
southern Kansas and Oklahoma, |
where he will visit the field from |
which the present supply of gas is re-
ceived. 1