The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-03-05
Public Utilities Commission
Has Heavy Docket Ahead.
Fourteen Hearings Scheduled
i'm Next Thirty Days.
MANY TELEPHONE TROUBLES
Eight Cases of Conversation
Companies" Before Utility.
Passenger Rate Matter Comes
Up for Big Hearing.

Since the department was organized
several years ago, the Kansas public
utilities commission has never expert
enced a buster month than is called for
by the docket of cases to be heard in
the next thirty days. Fourteen Or
more hearings, ranging from rural
telephone kicks" to the famous APP
plicaticn of Kansas railroads for
higher passenger rates, are scheduled
to come before the commission before
April 6.
Since the telephone companies of
the state were placed under the eye of
the department, the commission has
been a clearing house for complaints
made by the companies and by the
public. Eight telephone hearings Will
be held before the commission in the
next thirty days according to the pres
ent docket and many more are la
of a months time.
Monday, March 8, the application
of the Colorado and Kansas railroad
for an increase in passenger rates will
be heard. The applicant in this hear
ing is the road made famous by the
Kansas legislature as the jitney rail
road. The road is in the extreme west
part of the state. Following the rail-
road case, an application of a tele-
phone company at Allan, Kan, to sell
property will be taken up March 8.
Railway Telephone.
March 10, the city of Weir will tell
it's troubles with the Western Union
Telegraph company and the Frisco
Railway company to the commission
at a hearing to be held at Weir. In
the complaint it is claimed by the
complainant that the railroad discon-
tinued telegraph service recently and
began operating with telephones,
thereby leaving Weir without tele-
graph service.
In reference to an adjustment of toll
charges a hearing of a complaint of
MahASk9 FHR1PnhOna ne V
against the Narke Telephone associa-
ton will be held at Belleville March
u. An application for approval of
the sale of telephone plant at
Osawkie will be heard before the com
mission in Topeka March 10. On
March 6 the hearing of Cyrus Cox's
complaint against the Santa Fe for
better stock yard equipment at Madi-
son is scheduled to be held.
An application of the Arkansas Val
ley Telephone company for increased
rates at Great Bend will be threshed
March IS at Great Bend. Another
application for an increase in rates
with the receivers of the Baxter
Springs Telephone company as appli-
cants will be considered at Baxter
Springs March %, and still another
case to increase rates on the part of
the Spive Telephone company will be
heard at Spive March %.
The application of the Hartner
Rural Telephone company for certifi-
cate of authority to transact business
as telephone company will be heard
at k1oWa, the following day. March 26.
Horton Complaint.
The A. J. Stephens application re-
Gently filed, asking permission to lease
telephone plant at Horton to the
Northeastern Kansas Telephone COM
pany and an application to consoli-
date two companies and fix rates will
be heard at Horton April A request
filed by Kansas City, Kan, to have
the Santa Fe railroad stop certain
trains at Kansas City is scheduled for
April 3 at Kansas City, Kan. Follow
ing the Kansas City-Santa Fe hearing
complaint as to toilet facilities on
the Leavenworth interurban will be
heard at LeaVenworth.
On April the most important hear
ing that has been held before the COM
mission for years, the application of
railroads operating in the state for
3-cent passenger fares, will come up.
Anything is liable to happen at the
passenger rate hearing and it is one
that will affect every man, woman and
child in the state. On request of the
railroads and on mutual agreement of
those interested the hearing has been
postponed several times since the ap-
pllcatlOn was filed.
Several cases of more or less i'm
pOrtance-mony of the more impor-
tant variety-have been disposed of
by the commission recently. One OF
them, the Ottawa telephone trouble,
was before the commission several
months. According to testimony in
troduced at various hearings Ottawa
had outgrown its dual plants. The
matter was eventually arranged for
the two old companies to sell out to
a newly organized corporation and
was satisfa Glory to all concerned.
Dozens of other cases similar to
those scheduled to come up next
month have been decided just as sat
isfactorily by Commissioners Gable,
Kinkel and Foley, who continue to su-
pervise a court of judgment that arbi-
trates differences between the public
and corporations of the state.