The Washington herald., 1915-09-26

Il suppose it is in order to kick" said
the interviewer as he laid his gas bill
| and the money to pay it on the window
shelf in front OF the cashiers window.
II you do not want to be odd and
unique you will kick replied the cashier
with a smile.
Then there are lots Of kickers eh?".
Only about forty-nine out Of fifty. !
first day"
And you are not weary Of it?''
Il started In with logic and philosophy
| to back me. and I have it yet. There
are SO many kickers to every thousand
of the population and you can't reduce
the number unless you make new race.
There are kickers in the shoe store, the
drug store, the grocery store, the Depart
ment store, and even the cooper shop. A
| few days ago ! heard a woman kicking
TO the tombstone maker. l belong to
church and the kicker Is there as well AZ
elsewhere. Oh, yes, the kicker is with
| us but we hear of him right here in this
office, oftener than anywhere else
And what do they kick about?" was
asked
principally about their bills, but there
are many side lines. I forget how many
years ago the first gas company was or
ganized, but am sure it had its kickers.
Let three or four prominent men put
their capital together and start a factory.
q bank, a store or other business enter
prise, and you will not hear their hon
esty questioned: but let the same men
organize a gas company and they will be
looked upon as cheats and swindlers."
Il believe you are right said the in
terviewerS
cases prove that I am right. The stock
holders Of gas company are As fair and
honest as the men who invest In any 9TH
er business. They want fair interest
a fair interest: there is no trickery or
cheating about 1t. The price Of the gas
is set at figure that will give them a
fair profit, just as merchant marks his
eVery SerS shoe % man. as clothier @ arussi.t W " Or
merchant makes twice the profit on every
sale that the gas company does. and they
are not held up to the suspicious and in
Just what specific charges do they
make?" asked the interviewer.
They charge US with putting in meters
that tbs favor the ~S 5x with se sas
with tyrany, and with a dozen other
things. One might talk lung out and
you could not convince the majority OF
the, public that we do business in a fair
cially inspected, and perhaps one In
hundred issfound to favor us. That Is
not our fault but Of the maker: 1t is
meters that favor the customers but the
said customer never calls our attention |
to it himself Few men are willing to
acknowledge that their gas bills ought. |
logically to be higher for October than |
for August, and hence there Is kick |
about what they call the swindlins over
charge" IL
Il have to. sir. I have to wear the
smile that won't come off. I have worn |
it SO long that it comes to my face with
here her WI With his gas bill and his money and
slams them down on that shelf with the
remark that some day the long-suffering
and long-enduring American public Will
OF what use to talk back to such a mani?
He has his convictions, and nothing will
remove them
They blame you because they can't
"Oh. yes. they can have an informa-
ton man here; He can and will answer
all their questions. They don't call him
because they feel that they are IN the
and they reason that half of it goes into
my own pocket, and that makes me the
direct object of their wrath. A man goes
supplies. 1t is filed and comes to the
house with the bill. Not one in ten looks
to see II all the order Is there; not one
in twenty goes over the figures to see If
they are correct; not one in fifty even
if the grocer's scales have CIV
en- him sixteen ounces to the pound. The
bill is paid and that ends it. There are
forty false scales IN tne STORES wnero
we have one false meter in a basement
and yet We are called cheats and swind-
lers,"
what about over-charging on the
biIl?" ,,II
I'm making out a monthly gas bill"
he replied, I'VE have to take the figures
Of the man who reads the meters. He IL
only human, and sometimes ne MAKES
mistake though II Is as often IN favor
IF the customer as the company. II we
,an find that there has been a mistake
We correct it at once. Let me tell you
hat people are very erratic about their
yas burning. Their bills will run along
IN an average Of about so much month
md then take a certain jump. This is
NJ four weeks. or the old man invites
,alf a dozen men to an all-night poker
rane. and they have a long session one
light a week for the month. Hundreds
II extra feet OF gas are consumed, out
when the bill is brought in and slammed