The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-06-28

for a moment that inside of three months
 after the new gas was in the mains that a referendum election would be held re-
 pudiating the by-product gas contract and calling upon the commissioners to give them back the old gas.
 Ut is foolish for any man to say that the people are losing $1,5 100000 because we do not accept the by-product gas proposition. He might just as well go to a man who is wearing s30 suit of clothes and tell him that he Is losing S2O be- cause he does not buy $10 suit. The $10 suit would not be acceptable to the
 man who is wearing the $30 one and the proposed gas proposition would not nave been acceptable to the users of the pres ent gas, although the price would have been cheaper. Because a thing is cheap is no reason that it should be accepted. T am not arbitrary about a percentage or the gas company receipts to revert to the city treasury. 1 think the city ought to have it, and I will continue to fight for 1t, but though sound in principle, 1t is of secondary importance to the necessity of first class service at a moderate price. "As regards this percentage feature, it is more precedent am after than any thing else. and it is that which the gas company is trying to dodge. The Bir- mingham Railway. Light and Power com pany already pays the city a percentage of its income on its heating plant, so that the precedent really has been set. The day is coming. however. when all public service corporations will have to pay percentage of their gross incomes to the city treasury of the city in which they operate, and Birmingham should not be backward in forging to the front and get ting what belongs to her on this score Information From Geological Survey But as long as the gas company wants to put off on us a gas which is poorer than any gas being used by any other city and at price higher than is being
 paid iii any other city, wouldn't accept
 no matter what they might agree to put into the city treasury. And know that Is what they tried to do. for I have se- cured the large part of my information from the government geological survey books. which are impartial and fair and
 are compiled by the best experts in the country.
 An illustration of gas prices in other cities is afforded in the following data
 regarding Indianapolis:
 "The Citizens Gas company of In- , dianapolis sold its by-product gas at , 40 cents as compared with our pro-
 posed 75 cents and It's minimum heat units were $40, as compared with our proposed 525. It had 12.000 consumers.
 The Indianapolis Gas company had 3S.-
 900 consumers. selling its gas at 50 cents as compared with our proposed i75 cents they furnished 500 B. T. U. as compared with our proposed 525. These two companies and probably the
 natural gas company consolidated, and the heat units guaranteed under the new consolidation was 600 B. T. U.
 with a price of SO cents until the pub l lie utility commission forced them
 down to 55 cents. which the govern
 ment reports say Is the highest price
 obtained for by-product gas in recent
 years.'"
 l The following are some of the cities l in the United States using by-product lgas: Boston. Baltimore. Hamilton. O., lIndianapo1is Duluth, Ainn.. South Chi
 cako. Milwaukee,.