The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1918-06-21
300 WOMEN BACK
COUNCIL TO GET.
COODCASSERVICEI
Mrs. Martin Presides At A
Mass Meeting Held At
Courthouse
HOUSEWIVES TELL OF
TROUBLES WITH GAS
Pass Resolution Den0uncing Ser
vice And Supporting City
Against Utilities Co.

After discussing the gas situation
from all angles at mass meeting
at the court house park yesterda.
evening, several hundred housewives
of this city resolved to support the
CITY Council in its efforts to compel
the Missouri Public Utilities Com
pany to comply with its franchise
and give The city the service that is
sanitary and can be demanded under
the terms of the franchise.
The meeting was presided over by
Mrs. w. w. Martin, VINO explained the
purpose of the gathering and outlined
the reasons for calling the protest
meeting. Following the address of
Mrs. Martin a number of housewives
arose to relate their experience dur
ing the past six months, and all were
unanimous that something would
have to be done to get better gas SER
vice.
Mrs. Martin outlined the situation
from several points. She told of the
uncertainty of the gas service at the
present. At no time in the morning
she said, when the housewife in this
city began to prepare breakfast, could
she tell whether she could finish her
work. Often, sne said she had ex-
perienced that she had to leave the
breakfast undone.
The obnoxious odor issuing from
the gas she said was unsanitary and
injurious to the health. At times she
said the gas was so bad that it could
not be used even though full stream
was forced through the pipes.
"If the present situation" Mrs.
Martin said, "was due to the shortage
of labor, then the women can step in
and easily relieve the condition. Ev-
erywhere the women We're taking the
places of men who had been called to
the army, and no doubt the women
of this city could replace some of the
men formerly employed by the gas
company. l am satisfied" she en-
phasized, "that the women workers
could give the city just as good serv-
ice as we have received during the
past six months.
"On the other hand, should the
present situation be caused by the in
adequacy of rates, then let the rates
be raised, provided this will insure
better service. The cost of every
thing has increased to such an extent
that prices had to be raised in order
to supply what is needed for daily
use, and if the present rates for gas
are not sufficiently high to permit the
Missouri Public Utilities Company
to give US good service, then let US
tell the Public Service Commission
tnat an increase of rates is justified.
"We have a right to look after our
own interest in this matter of our |
health. If the Missouri Public Utili- |
ties Company wants to be fair with |
the people, then it should open its
books to the city officers, to the Pub
lie Service Commission and other Of
icers of authority to prove that the
present rates are not sufficietn to per-
NIT the company to give good service
without operating with loss.
"If everything fails, and if all our
good will shows no results, she said,
then we have last resort, boycott.
We can abandon the gas stove and
go back to the coal oil, gasoline
stoves or coal ranges and ignore the
gas company. But we do not want
such extreme measures, we want to
be friendly with the utilities COM
pany, provided its officers meet US
with the same spirit. If the men had
to suffer the same inconvenience as
are forced upon lis housewives by the
poor gas, believe the situation
would have been improved long ago."
A number of women then arose to |
tell of their experience in the use of
gas during the last six months. Mrs. |