The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1917-12-22
Governors Plan For Gas Relief
Should Satisfy The Gas Users
BY HON. Q. s. MCKINNEY.

The attitude Of Governor cornwell
On the method Of regulating the de.
livery Of gas to West Virginia con.
sumers should be satisfactory to the
public.
He has said in recent letters that he
believes the Public Service Commits.
sion has ample authority under present
law to afford the relief demanded by
the people; but that II It 10 found he
Is error as to this, or II from any rea.
son that body should hold It does not
have Jurisdiction and decline to con.
slider the matter, then he will call q
special session Of the legislature to
consider an act that will grant to the
PUBLIC Service Commission such
powers az will vest In IL complete au.
thorlty over all classes OF pipe line
corporations doing business In this
state and compel them to give ade-
auate service to gas consumers In West
VIRGINIA.
This is all the public wants or de.
mands.
The manner Of securing relief from
present damaging and intolerable con.
citions is subordinate to the relief It.
self.
When the writer addressed a com.
munication to the public through The
west Virginian, in which he stated he
believed he voiced the prevailing feel
ing OF this and every other gas using
community In the state, that in ali
probability drastic measures will have
to be employed and should be employ.
ed to secure proper and adequate gas
service to the industrial and domestic
users of gas, and suggested special
session Of the legislature to write in
our statutes law broad enough to
define specifically the duty Of pipe
line companies to the West Virginia
public, there was neither thought nor
Intentional suggestion that such
Statute should seek to interfere with
the Interstate commerce relations Of
the pipe lines with outside consumers.
1t Is maintained that because Of the
privileges and franchises granted to
the pipe hne corporations by the state
and franchises which have
been accepted and exercised-they
have assumed an obligation to serve
the people of West Virginia which is
paramount to any contract or obliga.
ton they have entered into with gas
consumers in other states.
II. after an adequate service to the
people OF West Virginia, any surplus
gas controlled by the pipe line com.
panies remains, and it is probable that
a great amount Of surplus would re.
main, no one is contending that an in.
hibition would be laid upon such sur.
plus to prevent 1t from being trans.
ported from the state.
Let us keep this thought In mind:
That 1t is not the intention of any one
TO attempt to restrain pipe line com.
renies from transporting gas from
West Virginia public, as far as the
state has power and so far as it can get
the machinery Of law organized to
make that power effective, to compel
Pipe lines to comply with the contract
tney made with the state when thew
organized themselves as public service
corporations here, with the privileges
and franchises of such public service
corporations, and assumed to serve
the West Virginia public with an ade.
quate supply OF gas for industrial and
Domestic purposes.
1t has been urged by those favoring
an extra session of the legislature that
by legislative enactment 1t would be
possible to strike at the root of the
matter by placing these corporations
Under license system which would
carry with 1t clear definition of their |
obligations and duty to the public, and |
With regulations that would enable the |
Public Service Commission to enforce
,uch affiliations with no opportunity
.or quibbling or delay.
They argue that this would be a
shortcut to relief<with minimum oil
litigation.
1t can hardly be expected that the
pipe line companies will accept any
iecision from the Public Service Com.
mission which seeks to enforce more Y
LIBERAL and q more necessary supply
II gas to the people OF this state with.
ut attacking the right of the Commits
'ton to make such order in every avails
lble court. That would mean delay /
without proper safeguards as to dam,
lges resulting to industrial and id 4
nestle consumers while the question is
lending. The legislature could exer-
Use power to provide means by which
much OF this injury, could be avoided.
Another reason which might be con.
'tdered as an argument for action by
i special session, is that in general
way courts appear to give greater sane
ion to acts of a legislature seeking to
lefine tha drtjaa ond ohI,o,tia,s 81