The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-08-26
GAS HEARING TO
/. Be FINISHED At
STATE CAPITAL
Could Not Get All the Testi-
mOny in Saturday
Afternoon.
SEPTEMBER 10 THE DATE
Citizens Told Of Suffering
Here During Last
Winter.

Not having sufficient time 10 Pee.
sent ali Of It's case the plaintiff in the
ae,.On OF Fairm0ut business mon
against the biz exporting natural gas
companies asked for a further hearing
20 present testimony late Saturday aft
euOOn after Public Service Commits
5.cners +. G.. Rider and T. f. Morgan
set here two days The public ser.
vice commissioners set September 10
90 Charleston as the time and place
for the adjourned hearing Attorney
James a. Meredith, the CHIEF counsel
for Fairmonters, stated 10 the Comws.
sion that he desired 20 recall frank
3. Pryor manager Of the gas depart.
ment OF the Monougahela VALLEY TraC.
ton company. the local distributing
company, and probably one other Wit.
ness.
During the hearing here A't0~1cy
Charles Powell. one of the counsel g.
the Hope Natural Gas complny, re.
uuested Mr. Pryor 10 file a detailed
statement giving the quantity OF gas
Traction company each month o. do
nestle and commercial consumers %.
eethor with other detail giving the IN.
her working of the Company's gas De.
partment dealing in part with ga de.
velOpments. II Is evident that certain
Items OF this request will be resisted
by the Mononglhela Valley Fraction
company as they are regarded as Civ
ing competitors information they are
not entitled 10 have
After this additional testimony is
submitted TO the public service com.
mission the defendant companies vii,
lie supulatiOns as 10 certain facts.
The MOrgantOwn case will be com
pleted by the plaintiff on the same
day at Charleston. Thus far 10 suits
have been Instituted by the Clarks
burg business men against the same
defendant companies, which include
the Hope, Pittsburgh and West Vir
giDia and Carnegie Natural Gas conf
panics.
After the cases are before the Pub
lie Service Commission on Septcmh-t
10 the date will be set - hear The to-
,.mony to be submitted by the defend
ant companies sustaining why they dc
rot take care Of West Nirginia's nat.
ural gas needs before exporting d.
This eventually may mean the taking
OF certain testimony in Pittsburgh q
the defenart companies have their
headquarters there and from TIM
source only figures as to production
can be secured
The first witness called during 81
urday afternoon was Charles W
Evans. secretary Of the FairmCut
Chamber Of Commerce, who testified
as to The shortage of natural gas in
FairmOnt last winter, especially in the
schools and churches he referred to.
w J. Wiegel, general manager Of
the Fairmont Printing and Publishing
company. testified as to the natural
gas shortage last winter in the Fair.
mont region. lie related how :Ge
public suffered as a direct result.
Hon. T.. NJ. ShOwalter. who Cross-eX.
amined Mr. Wiegel asked if there was
not other means Of fuel to which Mr..
Wiegel replied there was--coal Dur.
ing the past twenty years houses were
erected in expectation OF an adequate
gas supply, He was asked by Attor-
ney Showalter II the homes could be
altered so that the use Of gas could
be eliminated and coal substituted
Fir. W.csel said that not only would
it be an expensive proposition, hut
that ii would be a physical impOssi-