The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-11-01
New Kansas. Natural Buyers
Won't Cut Charges.
Adequate Supply of Gas To Be
Guaranteed, However.
IT is ALL SUBJECT TO APPROVAL
Kansas Utilities Commission
Has Last Word ON Case.
Not So Much Additional Invest
ment Is Required Now.

Kansas City, Nov New COM
plications were added to the stormy
situation involving the Kansas Natural
Gas company when the news was re-
ceived yesterday of the sale OF ma
jority of the stock of the company to
the Henry L. Doherty interests which
already have extensive gas property
in both Kansas and Oklahoma. The
negotiations for the sale of the Kan
sas Natural have been going on for
several months They were conducted
by the members of the reorganization
committee which is composed of B. t.
Braden of Pittsburg, Pa; r. A. Long,
of Kansas City; M. L. Benedum, of
Pittsburg; w. w. Splane, of Oil City,
Pa; E. P. Whitcomb, of Pittsburg;
L. c. Mckinney. of Titusville, Pa, and
Victor A Hayes, of Independence,
Kan, former president of the COM
pany.
It is understood that the committee
has secured contract by which Mr..
Doherty is to pay all members of the
committee who wish to sell their
stock at the rate of $40 share which,
under all the circumstances, is con-
sidered fair price. Judge Flannelly,
under whose order the receivership
has been going on for several years,
is said to have approved the sale and
to have advised the stockholders to
make the transfer. According to Re-
ce1ver Landon this is about the only
arrangement that could be made by
which the towns and cities of Kan
sas and Missouri served by the Kan
sas Natural will be guaranteed an
adequate supply of gas He insists.
however, that neither Mr.. Dohertv
nor anybody else will be able to get
an adequate supply without a higher
rate and it is said here that Mr.
Doherty will ask for the same rate
that was put in by Mr.. Landon.
What About p. U.C.?
Whether this rate is approved nv
the Kansas public utilities commission
remains to be seen. The whole plan
OF sale is subject to the approval of
the commission and a meeting of rem
resentatives of the Kansas Natural
ana ana me Doherty interests will meet
the members of the Kansas commits
sion by appointment Friday to talk
over the whole plan.
me Doherty interests own the
W Wichita Natural Gas company. the
supplies Wichita, Newton. Hutchinson
and other south central Kansas towns
and several lines in Oklahoma and
eastern Missouri. The same company
taps the Augusta gas field from which
large supply of gas is now being
drawn.
1t is the opinion of leading natural
gas experts that the merging of the
Kansas Natural and the Doherty in
luton of the natural gas troubles of
the hundred or more towns and cities
that depend upon natural gas for fuel
and lighting. According to Receiver
Landon neither company alone would
be able to get an adequate supply of
gas but that under one management
his will be possible 1t will furnish
system of gathering and distributing
lines that will require comparatively
little additional investment beside the
connecting up of lines and the building
of a new high pressure line from lola
to Kansas City.
Prospect of Settlement.
Judge Ames of Oklahoma City, rep
resenting the stockholders committee
was in Kansas City yesterday confer
ring with the Kansas City stockhold-
ers and other interested parties. He
had been attending a meeting of the
committee in Pittsburg for the past
ten days Judge Ames is enthusiastic
over the prospect of the final settle
ment of the troubles of the Kansas
Natural Gas company He says that
everybody interested in natural gas
either as a consumer or a stock
holder owes a heavy debt of gratitude
to Judge Thomas ]. FlanncIly, who has
had the receivership in his court for
several years. He says that Judge
F1annelly has been unjustly criticised,
he has been abused for political pur-
poses and cruelty impugned by ignor-
ant or selfish persons and that 1t IS