The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-11
TALK OF LAW SUIT.
Conference of Mayor Green and Others
Over Gas Situation.

The first "indignation meeting or the
citizens of Topeka for the purpose Oh
comne1linp the Consumers Light, Heat
&, power company to furnish sufficient
gas RI the consumers in this city, ended
in a final decision to take legal action
against the gas company, unless SUI
ficient gas was forced to the inaiiiS III
this city at once.
This meeting. held late Friday after
noon. in the council chamber at tne
city hall with Mayor Green, anu "a9
made up of Manager Treleaven, Coun-
cilmen Miller, Tandy, Drew, Howard,
Stanley. Jordan, Blakely, Hughes anu
Simpson, Assistant City Attorney SIarh,
Arthur Capper, Harold T. Chase, FRANK
p MacLennan, L. L. Kiene, f. D Culh-
ton and A B. Quinton.
The plan meeting with general 1aVor
and informally adopted at the meeting
Friday provided for a series of legal
steps against the gas company COM
pelling them to furnish this city with
sufficient gas within fifteen days OF
the city would take the matter 10 Inc
courts, ask for a receiver and tnen ue-
clare the gas franchise null ana Volo.
This is about the only course that can
be taken to revoke the franchise OF the
company under the present agreement.
According to Manager Treleaven,
the Consumers Light, Heat & Power
dividend to its stockholders. Futher-
more the manager stated that all Oh the
money above operating expenses mas
gone to the Kansas Natural Gas COM
pany. In addition to this the local
manager admitted that the company
in this city had received the ragged end
of a contract with the Kansas Natural
people-the worst part of this contract
includes the feature which has caused
the suffering in Topeka for the last ten
days-there is no section in the agree
ment that could force the Kansas Nat
ural to give more gas. They have sim
ply said they would "do their best and
the sample of what Topeka is getting at
this time is a definition of their best
E s. Quinton of this city expressed
the opinion that the Consumers COM
pany could go to court and demand
that the Kansas Natural people discon-
tinue their contracts with the local
companies in Kansas City, Mo, st.
Joseph. Mo- LeavenWorth and AtchiSon
on account of the fact that these con-
tracts were made after the agreement
with the ToDeka concern.
In his statements to the gentlemen
present, Manager Treleaven made an
other revelation that aroused the lis
teners and warned them of the danger
of retarded action. Mr.. TreleaVen
stated that he feared that the Kansas
Natural Gas company would never be
able to supply this city with gas dur
ing severe weather. This came as
shock to the conference.-the the To-
pekans looked at each other in as
constituent. 1t has been known that
there were shorta ges a. times but it
has always been believed that they
were caused by leak. break or an
accident to the machinery.
The members of the conference
saw readily that the gas could not be
increased by the local company. But
I1.n 4 1a% y nd
legal action will be taken through this
source. After the local company has
been made the defendant in a suit it
is up to them to further the cause and
make their demands upon the Kansas
Natural company.
1t is likely that a special meeting of
the city council will be held as soon
81 the opinion of Attorney General
Jackson is handed down. The council
will wait until Mr.. Jackson's move is
made. 1t is the intention of the state
at this time to prevent the Kansas
Gas company from furnishing
gas to cities outside of Kansas. After
that move the mayor and council will
instruct the city attorney to start
legal proceedings at once and force
gas into this city with the law if it
can't be done with the famous pumps
at Scipio.
In case other cities join Topeka in
the fight it was the opinion of E 8.
Quinton that the matter would be
taken to the United States courts who
would finally separate the Standard
Oil company from the Kansas Natur-
al Gas company (the former owns the
latter, and with receivers appointed
by the federal courts the proper
steps could be taken to procure an
ample supply of gas.
Manager Treleaven gave slight
ray of hope when he said that the
Kansas company is rushing work on
new pipe line from Oklahoma into
Kansas which will supply this state
with 25.0O0.000 additional feet of gas
every day. He said that the larger
company had used this line as their
basis of better claims in the future
81 doubt that this line will affect To-
peka very much" ended the manager.