The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-07-19
The People Just Look On and
Pay the Bills.
COURT TO COURT THEN BACK
The Whole Deal Started More
Than Three Years Ago.
End Seems To Be No Nearer
Than at the Beginning.

From the courts to the utilities
commission and no gas. From the
utilities commission to the courts and
no gas. From the lower courts to the
higher courts. No gas. From the
state courts to the federal courts and
back again. Still no gas.
That is the story of the checker
game which the state has been play
ing with the Kansas Natural Gas 5m-
pany since 1912. Every court and
commission which could get a swat a
the gas company ordered more gas.
The state spent thousands of dollars.
The courts gravely issued orders. The
utilities commission employed OK
perts-aI state expense appraised
the gas company's property, listened
to days of testimony, studied 'ates
and gas pressure and leakage and is
sued orders. But always and ever the
result has been the same. No increase
in the gas supply
Only the other day the utilities COM
mission handed down another opinion
in the case. The commission worked
hard and faithfully and perhaps sin
cerely believes its order will mean
something in the settlement OF the
gas row. Possibly it will. But if the
order which really didn't mean any
thing at all, should bear fruit, it Will
be the first harvest of results since
the state tackled the gas problem
three years ago. Up to this time no
one has seriously commended that the
recent order will have even slight eff
feet on the situation.
Began in 1912.
Away back in the fall of 1912, the
state began squabbling with the gas
company. The row jumped from the
Montgomery county district court to
the federal court and receivers were
appointed. Both Judge Pollock OF the
federal court and Judge Flannelly OF
the Montgomery county district court
appointed receivers. Then began long
drawn out litigation for the d1splace.
ment of the federal receivers. All OF
this added to the expense, but failed
to produce more gas. In the mean
time the attorney generals office was
busy with half dozen gas cases. Then
the public utilities commission decided
to take chips in the game. If the COM
mission succeeded in getting results,
no one ever made a public charge to
that effect.
About three years ago the utilities
commission issued a lengthy opinion
1t dealt with every subject from the
cost of dressing tools to the building
of a several million dollar pipe line
system. 1t went into every phase OF
the gas company's holdings and or
dered the gas company to go into Ok
lahOiha and get more gas. Even the
commission itself admitted it had little
faith in its own order. The gas COM
pany laughed at it.
Court Records Flooded.
Then there was more litigation.
First in the federal court. Then in
the district court. Then in the SUI
preme court. Lawyers travelled to
Denver, to Salt Lake City, to st. Paul,
t. St Louis. to Washington and fire.
quently to Kansas City. They took
enough dispositions and testimony 10
fill the book shelves in public Ii
brary The court records were del
uged. But there was 10 more gas.
The gas decision issued in the sum-
mer months always came too late for
results that year. By the following
spring. some new line of litigation had
been started and work was suspended
pending results. The little gas meters
hummed grand opera selections and
registered gas which the consumers
swore would neither burn nor furnish
heat. The gas question has been be-
fore almost every tribunal of record
in the country No one seems to have
the slightest idea as to the expense
AS to results, there is a general agree
ment- There have been no results.
In its order last week. the Kansas
utilities commission said a small in
crease in rates would be tolerated if
the Missouri commission approved the
Kansas order. The increase was not
in accord with the request of the ga
company i'm its petition.
What will be the result? No ore
seems definitely to know. The gas
company has the right of appeal. That
means more delay. Another delay
means no gas pressure increase next
winter. Even the Kansas commission
ers admit the order cannot be made
effective before September /. That
would. admittedly, be too tate for re-
suits this year.
And thus the state watches the lit
tie comedy drama and pays the bills
while the gas consumers get no gas.