Long v. Brockton Taunton Gas Co.

The plaintiffs, minority stockholders of the defendant corporation (the defendant), sought to enjoin the sale and rental at retail of heaters, stoves and other appliances which use gas as a fuel as beyond the scope of the charter powers. These were, in substance, the manufacture and sale of gas. The judge in the Superior Court found that ‘ ‘ The sale and rental of appliances has proved very profitable to the defendant company. While such sales and rentals are profitable, the defendant company is principally interested in increasing the sale of gas,” and he ruled that the complained of…