Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-09-24

thing is possible, and if the Americu
operates the local gas plant, cannot g
the courts through the application b
ness it shall be to attempt to do what
This was determined upon last
night at a special meeting Of the city
council, called by Mayor Sheppard
to consider steps to relieve the pub
lie in the present failure of the gas
service. After some discussion of the
situation, and the use of some plain
language the council voted to refer
the matter to the public buildings
committee was ready to report prog
out plan of procedure at once, in
conjunction with City Attorney Lane
and report back to another special
meeting of the council which Mayor
Sheppard said he would call when the
committee was ready to export prog
ress. 1t was deemed advisable that
! the committee report back to coun-
ell so that the public might be advised
in open meeting just what the city
is doing to obtain relief. This COM
mlttee plans to meet late today.
Coal Can Be Had"
A feature of the meeting was the
stat dment of Gray fTNlman, local
manager for the Atlantic Ice and Coal
Corporation, who was present at the
request of Mayor Sheppard, that gas
coal could be had by going after it
IN the right manner. He also informed
the council that man sent here from
Macon to make repairs on the gas
plant had told him yesterday that he
had refused to make the repairs be-
cause the condition of the plant was
such as to make them useless.
In opening the meeting Mayor
Sheppard stated that he had receiv-
ed number of complaints from citi.
zens who desired to know what the
city was going to do to bring about
relief for gas consumers.
Il suppose each of you have haC
these same COMPLAINTS he said. "Sc
have called this meeting. 1t is up to
US, and | want this body to say what
it will authorize. Briefly I will state
first what my views of the situation
are, as | have formed an outline of
a plan in my mind. If the council sees
fit, | propose that it authorize the
filing of a suit, in the name of the
council, together with complaining
citizens, who are users of gas, as a
result of which a receiver might be
appointed for the gas plant and it
operated by this receiver. This plan
of course, embraces the considera.
ton that demand first be made upon
the company to restore adequate ser
vice, and this action be taken AS a
last resort upon their failure or ina
bility to do so.
Citizens Agree To Suit
"This morning in my office few
citizens gathered to discuss this mat
ter and drew up a statement which
several signed authorizing the use
of their names in suit, specifying
they were not liable for any attor-
eys fees and were to be liable only
for court costs which might arise with
the bringing of the suit. think it
well, if the suit is briught, to make
it joint action between the council
and consumers because offhanG it oc-
ours to me that two or three points
might be raised against US, were the
city to proceed alone, which might be
embarrassing and make our case more
burdensome. One of these is the
point that the city has no ground TO
bring suit, not being gas consumer
and therefore not a complainant; ;
that as long as consumers bring no
action the city has no reason to pro-
ceed. If consumers are made party
to the suit this point is eliminated.
The city, at least, would not have to
go to such lengths to, establish it's
case as it might were it suing alone.
There are other points also, in favor
of making complaining consumers
joint plaintiffs"
Alderman Burke took the floor. II
was in Atlanta not so long ago." he
said, "and was told by friends there
that some time ago they were having
somewhat similar trouble with the
gas service. The city called on the
state railroad commission which reg
ulates public service corporations, for
relief. The commission ordered an in
spection and found the gas company
was not giving the people the quality
of gas required and ordered it to re-
bate its customers. The rebate would
have been enormous and they were
not insisted upon when the company
pledged, in lieu of payment of the
rebates, to give good service from
: that time forward. The people got
service at once and they have been
getting it ever since-a1d their gas
bills have dropped third.
Guarantee Failed"
4 "Some time ago | bought Ruud
heater from the gas company here on
the guarantee that gas would be fur
nished to operate it. During the last
two or three months the service has
been such that it would not stay
lighted and we have not been able to
use it for bath purposes more than
two or three times in that period"
Alderman Taylor broke in. "The
gas company will make plenty of
promises. of what they are going to