Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-09-26
Gas Officials Assure Council
Committee Service Will Be
Good; Pledge Full Relief
Told People Are Sore From Long Promises And
Poor Results, They Say Results May
Be Expected

| Inc Sao oSANlCS III AuSIICuS Wds
adequate and satisfactory prior tc
two weeks ago-at least during the
several weeks the new manager, E
w. Rogers has been here and it will
be restored to that standard immedi-
ately, having already almost reached
at that standard, conditioned only
upon the ability of the Americus
Lighting company to obtain coal from
which gas can be manufactured, and
within or weeks, or as soon as
repairs now being made can be COM
pleted and the furnaces heated up
again, there will be no grounds for
any general complaints, whatever, be-
cause first class service will be Civ
| en-.
! Summed up, these were the declar.
ations and pledges made by repre-.
sentatives of the company in confer
ence Saturday with the committee OF
the city council which was instruct
! ed at the special council meeting
Thursday night to formulate a plan
of action to obtain relief for the cit.
izens of Americas. The conference
was held at 10 O'Clock in the office
Of City Attorney Lane, and was at
tended by Mr.. Lane and Aldermen
Warren, chairman, Taylor and Mash
burn, of the council committee, and
Manager Rogers, M. L. Edgar. and
Attorney Ws A. Dodson of the COM
pany. A representative of the Times
Recorder was also present. Mayor
Sheppard was not present, being de-
tanned by court matters.
After the conference City Attorney
Lane reported to him the result OF
the meeting, which will be detailed tt
the full council at a meeting 20 be
called by the mayor for that pur
pose.
Conference Friendly
The conference was entirely friend
ly at all times. The representatives o.
the company were made to feel tina
the city did not feel antagonistic il
any. sense, and all that was wanted
was service. After detailed explana
tions had been made as to the cause
of inadequate service, City Attorney
l Lane informed the company mer
that the public, after all, cared moth
ing about the causes; that it wanted
the causes remedied at once and
service restored and maintained; thai
wears of bad service and excuses haC
so wearied the people that they were
unwilling to bear further with pa
tience.
He was assured in reply by Mana
ger Rogers that not only did the com
i. pany intend and expect to be able td
give good service, but that he fei'
fully capable himself of being able
to do so. He denied that the plant Is
all worn out or ready for the scraI
cheap, as has been suggested, but con
tended that when the repairs now be
ing made are completed it will be II
excellent condition.
Manager Rogers explanations were
similar to those expressed by him ir
an interview published in the Times
4 Recorder Wednesday. He declared
the present trouble was entirely
matter of coal; that the accident tc
the plant would not have been fac,
tor had the proper coal been shipped
as ordered. He asserted that foul
carloads, enough to last four weeks
proved to be a poor grade of steam
} coal, unfit for gas making, when il
|, arrived, and that he was unable BY
: any means to obtain any other lmme'
diately. He said that this coal was
|, now being used, labor being employed
to screen it and pick out the larger
Jumps, and that by this process a fan
supply of gas was being manufactur
ed. He said experiments of a couple
!
this low grade coal and that by slow
err cooking of it larger amount Of
gas was being obtained from 1t. W
Friday. he said, the plant was able
to manufacture $1,000 feet of ga
or nearly the normal demand of the
city.
Up to Council
In opening the conference Mr.
Lane explained that the public hac
put it up to council its representative
body, to take steps to obtain relief
for them, and that this committet
was putting it up to the officials o.
the company to ascertain what step'
were being taken to remedy the sit
uation and "what you propose to dC
in the future" g.
1Ou KNOW, Jul pSOPiC nav eiASi
money invested here, and of course
as business men, they want to give
the best service possible" said Col
Dodson, the company's attorney
"Of course there are bound to come
occasions in all businesses when acci
dents occur over which there is M
control"
Manager Rogers then addressed thu
committee. at is not the disposi
ton of the manager or the owners o.
the Americus Lighting company
said he, 'to do anything but to pleas
the people and to meet tneir de
mands."
"That, of course, is naturally ex
pected to be the public policy of |
public service corporation" said Mr.
Lane.
at is not the policy of this com
pany to do anything derogatory to th'