The first chairman of the board was Sir Andrew Clow who established the headquarters at 25 Drumsheugh Gardens and 12 Rothesay Terrace Edinburgh.
Each undertaking performed the functions of coal gas production and distribution through underground pipes to domestic, commercial and industrial customers, sales promotion, finance, etc.
This was in very sharp contrast to the free-market concept of charging 'what the market will bear' i.e. the highest price that still enables sufficient competitive advantage to retain that customer, thus capturing all the consumer surplus.
Government rules about return on investment often made mains extension impossible, again to the detriment of suppliers of gas versus electricity.
While the chairman was confident about the technical expertise of the staff he had inherited, he recognised that, unlike the previous owners, it was necessary to promote gas sales by 'educational advertisement and display, canvassing and salesmanship' and by making 'more contact with domestic customers, local authorities and various personalities'.
The industry had, hitherto, been managed mainly by professional engineers, whose aim was to produce and distribute gas as cheaply as possible, bearing in mind that, in the interest of safety, demand had to be met at all times.
The procedure then requires pipes to be purged to ensure that any explosive mixture of gas and air is removed before the main is pressurised again.
But these and many more gadgets in the machine will be of little value unless those using them add to their professional competence a sense of vocation and an anxiety to brighten up what Wordsworth calls 'the still, sad music of humanity.'"