City of Zanesville v. Ohio Fuel Gas Co.

Many years ago The Ohio Fuel Gas Company, or its predecessor in title, obtained from the city of Zanesville a franchise for the furnishing of natural gas, authorizing the use of its streets and alleys prescribed in the terms and conditions for such franchise grant. That grant, by its terms, expired in 1923. From that date until March 1938, the defendant company operated in the city of Zanesville by virtue of rate ordinances duly passed by the council of that city and accepted by the gas company. As a part of the accepted rate ordinances, free gas was furnished by the company to the city of…