Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1914-02-12
A. 3. Daily, Jr., Of Pitts
burg, Meets Mayor Bloom
and Aldermen.
CLAIMS LITTLE PROFIT
Declares Corporation in Two Years
Has Earned But $1,000 on an
Investment of 5000. 900.

A. B. Daily, Jr., president Of the
Pine Bluff Natural Gas Company,
came to Pine Bluff yesterday in
company with Fl. l.. Snyder, the gen.
eral superintendent, for the purpose
OF comforting with Mayor Bloom and
the committee appointed by the coun-
Gil to Investigate the alleged excessive
rates charged by the Pine Bluff Nat
ural Gas Company, for gas for domes-
tic consumption in this city.
At a conference yesterday afternoon
with Mayor Bloom, City Attorney w.
B. Alexander and Aldermen We'll and
Franey, of the committee, Mr.. Sor-
rells being out of the city, Mr.. Daily
discussed with the Mayor and the
committee all of the questions affect
ing the furnishing Of gas to the citi-
zens of Pine Bluff.
The discussion covered quite wide
range as to production, transportation
and supply of gas. as well as revenue.
MIR. Daily stated that the company
during the last two years had earned
profit of only $1,000 upon an invest
ment of $2O0,000 that the Arkansas
Natural Gas Company and the Arkan-
| sas Pipe Lines Company which fur
nished the gas to the Pine Bluff Nat
ural Gas Company, with an invests
ment OF $5,250,OO0 in the aggregate
! had earned during the year 1918 only
$4,000, a profit of only IL per cent
upon their investment, nothing being
| charged off for depreciation.
AS to the complaint about the size
of the bills for January, 1914. he
showed from the records that the av-
erage per domestic consumer was
1854 as compared with an average for
the same month in the year 1918 OF
81. That the average in Little Rock
for the month of January, 1914, was
s7.49, and in Hot Springs 1864. His
contention was that the bills were not
excessive in view of the fact that
there was more cold weather between
the 22nd day of Devember and the
21st day of January, the period cover
ed by the January bills, than in any
other month of the past winter; that
period being IL degrees colder than
the period covered by the December
bills. He contended that on account
of the greater consumption of gas
during the holiday season this was
not unusual
He insisted that if an average of
the months of November, December,
January and February were taken it
would appear that the bills were not
greater than for the same period
year ago.
Mr.. Daily assured the committee
that he was doing everything within
his power to furnish the city an ade-
quate supply of gas and would con-
tinue to do SO, and that the Arkansas
Natural Gas Company is completing
gathering station at the gas field at
cost of $4,000, which would add
largely to the volume of gas, and
would help the supply in Pine Bluff
at the time it is most needed.
Mr.. Daily left for Shreveport after
the conference. He was a guest of
Manager C. E. Bair while in the city.
Mayor Simon Bloom stated last
night that the conference held yes
terday by Mr.. Daily with the city
officials was not wholly satisfac-
tory, in that Mr.. Daily declared that
his company would not stand for q
reduction of the natural gas rates
here. He said that the investigating
committee will continue it's work and
will make q thorough investigation
into the alleged unjust charges for
service for the months of January.
Mayor Bloom said, however. that Mr..
Daily assured the city officials that
the service would be improved within