Show by all means secure the introduction of 0 f natural gas in salt lake city I 1 is s recommendation of canton ohio man unqualifiedly recommending that it if possible salt lake city should secure the introduction of natural gas R n T 31 meyer eyer an attorney and business man of canton ohio gives the history and benefits benefi tm derived from the lite utilization of natural gas lit iu his him city in the following letter from him he reviews the lite subject from various angles he explains how the lite growth groi rth of canton is chargeable to ti the use usa of natural gas and in conclusion calls attention to the lite necessity of providing means of keeping rates once agreed upon on an equitable basis salt lakers will find much food for thoughtful coiL consideration in the article ed I 1 have just finished reading with much interest your editorial on natural gas for salt lake city being as canton a city of people has been blessed with natural gas for the past thirty years and is an industrial city increasing over sixty per cent in population each decade with the majority of the residents owning the their irown own homes I 1 feel like passing on gratuitously our experience here for what it is worth when it was first sought to introduce natural gas to canton many of the citizens were up in arms against it and I 1 rec recall all about 1896 my father as attorney for some resident seeking an injunction but today no one in canton or any other community once having enjoyed the use of natural gas would think of parting with it at twice the cost canton is located at the north edge of the ohio coal belt with hundreds of coal mines trucking daily several thousands of tons of first class domestic and steam coal into the city in addition canton also is blessed with complete electrification with high tension lines direct from chios great generating plants one hundred to two hundred miles distant which supply residents at t the comparatively low rate hereabouts of ac per K W and lower as capacity is is used together with very low industrial rates this later electrical development forces coal cobal to a strong competitive basis how they work the business in canton the history of natural gas would seem to bring out strongly its own field of supremacy the rate fixed here at first was about per thousand cubic feet I 1 b believe when this franchise expired a new one was entered into for ten years this term now is for five year periods in every case se of a new franchise the rate has been increased today we ye pay per thousand for first five thousand feet with ac jc per thousand feet increase for next five thousand feet and an all additional ac per thousand for the amount of feet and over also a service charge I 1 of per month 6 for r each ch installation in addition to the rates given we have a central electric generating plant here I 1 owne owned d by the same private company which furnishes steam ecat at from excess heat to almost all of pur our busin business e ss blocks th thus US further comp competing aing with our coal mines to ay say nothing af pf 01 the te add it ignal competition of automatic oil burners now I 1 so common in many ahu churches i 1 r ches a apartments p atme ants etc 1 from this brief outline you would imagine that natural gas would be economically forced to a non profitable figure but the contrary is the truth practically all new residence houses have steam or hot air or hot water furnaces gas grates and mantle in the living room gas pipe in the bath room for small heater if desired hot water range boiler in cellar heated with gas and a gas range in th the ekit kitchen chente th e kitchen always also having a floor or wall register from the furnace here a new house piped for gash gas lighting is is arar a rarity indeed the only places today where you notice gas light is in old hofses that have never been wired being piped for gas twenty to thirty years ago 1 1 the demand for gas equipped homes for cooking purposes as this is the chief and you might say only real insistence on the part of the women for gas on account of its cleanliness and quickness in preparing meals is such that it is impossible to rent a city property in a new section where the gas mains have not been extended and also yet very hard to sell in fact professional builders seldom erect a home on a lot where gas is not reasonably available on account of the difficulty in selling it all restaurants hotels etc use gas for cooking gas Is not a competitor of coal relatively speaking gas does not compete with coal it I 1 has its own field no one here would think of u using sing gas in i n a furnace as it is several times more costly coal min mined ed locally retails about 5 per ton for run of mine higher for far screened and about about 4 who wholesale cesale to factories coal prices are higher today or as high as at any previous time mh marketing coal is like any other business you must get on orra a production basis and that takes capital invested to clinch clicc h and is not competitive peti ti ve the h e argument that gas has not been coni fa for r local coal mining numerous city yards are scatter scattered d which handle coal ship shipped pia d alo along ng every railroad sidi siding ng all of in from kentucky penn pennsylvania sylvania and west virginia in d addition di of ohio coal from points to t the he many excellent qualities distant distan t fifty miles or more all of these should speak for far themselves all being sold for at least a d ollar dollar per ton hir higher than local coal in conclusion I 1 would sa say y by all means in introduce traduce natural if available 1 I believe that community into u r gas yo your canton cailton today can place credit for her marvelous growth 7 and especially the fact that the average home is occupied the fact that we are ly and not as a renter to A as towner owner conveniences into every home homeno comeno no ible able to install all modern how humble this makes for a loyal co contended nten citizenry I 1 matter atte r I 1 m discontented and striking labor is practically I 1 unno known however here and let me emphasize it a loyal city council is to ke keep the r rates ates aia watchful catiz citizenry nr y is necessary and I 1 otherwise t iier wie once entre entrenched n clied and with evar every Y 10 ahme M e fai fair r price cipo an oc 0 gets ia e i ped gas 5 brnic equipment a strangle hold and an obliging city officialdom eats out of its hand under no cir circumstances cum stances let them foist the abominable and absolutely indefensible service charge upon you |