The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-10-19

Then City Council ordered the gas
company to restore the franchise
rate-that is to reduce the rate
from $3.50 to S135 per thousand
Gu bic feet. The gas company rep
resented to City Council that this
reduction in rate was too< drastic
and was not justified by the small
decline in cost of material and la
Dor, and that if forced to operate
at the franchise rate-S1.35 per
thousand cubic feet-the company
would in a short time be bankrupt.
City Council by vote OF two to
one refused to grant the request
of the gas company to be permit
ted to charge s1.G5. City Coun-
eli and the officers Of the gas COM
pany had a number of conferences
on the matter Of rates, and one of
the results of these conferences
was that the gas company under
took to ascertain the attitude Of
the gas consumers respecting the
proposal to fix the rate at S1.65,
and circulated a petition by means
of an advertisement and by person
al canvass. When it became cur
rently reported that majority OF
the gas consumers had signed this
petition, Mayor Jennings stated in
an. open letter in the columns of
this paper that although 900 gas
consumers might sign the petition
consenting to fixing the rate at
$1.e5 he would not agree to that
rate-an that he would consent to
would be for those who signed the
petition to pay the higher rate, if
they saw fit, but he would not be
a party to making the other four
hundred pay more than the
franchise rate. This sumnarily
ended the effort OF the gas COM
pany to ascertain the sentiment Of
its patrons. The next development
was the notice Of the gas company
to its customers, by advertisement
and circulas letter that, as it was
Impossible to operate, save at
loss, at s1.s5 per thousand feet for
gas, the plant would be shut down
on September Goth.
A. great many people, among
whom was the writer, felt that the
gas company was justified in ask
ing that the rate be not reduced
from $1.90 to sl.35. Almost at the
outset of the controversy we sug-
gested that a disinterested expert
accountant be employed to make
an audit Of the books Of the COM
pany and ascertain what would be
fair and just rate for gas, under
existing conditions, and that when
this should be ascertained City
Council then fix the rate accord
ingly. This suggestion was not
adopted, and then the League Of
Women Voters, in hope of finding
an amicable and fair adjustment
Of the whole question, called at
mass meeting. AS the result OF the
meeting it was agreed that in
the event seventy-five per cent of
the patrons of the gas company
signed a petition recommending
the increase Of the rates above
the FRANCHISE rate. City Council
would grant the increase. A few
days after the mass meeting Mr.. r.
3. Belser made. a careful and
painstaking investigation Of the
books and records of the gas COM
pany and arrived at the conclusion
that the gas company could not
operate, save at loss, at $1.3S per
thousand feet, and recommended
that the rate be fixed at $3.50 net.
In pursuance of this recommenda-
ton of Mr.. Belser, the committee
of the League Of Women Voters
undertook to circulate a petition to
put into effect the agreement en-
tered into at the mass meeting.
The committee interpreted the
terms Of the resolution reasonably
and literally, believing that the
Signature Of the wife was as re-
liable an index Of the sentiment Of
the family as that Of the husband,
and they proceeded to obtain sig
natures Of women as we'll as men
to the petition. They secured the
signatures Of more than seventy
five per cent of the consumers Of
gas. The petition was presented
to City Council. Mayor Jennings
ruled that "subscri bers," the word