The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-01-01
Three Men Must Pass Upon Ali
Movie Pictures Before They
are Shown in Kansas.
HARD WORK TO JUDGE FILMS
Officials Must Sit From Morning to
Night Watching the ReeIs-Do
Not Always Agree.

Is case of too much of a good thing.
To sit from morning till night and
sometimes far into the night, con-
stantly looking at pictures, is a very
tiresome task.
Ali pictures shown in Kansas are
first passed upon by the censors. 1t
takes three of them to do the work
Usually they have three shows go
ing on at the same time. Most of
the pictures go under the scrutiny of
but one censor Occasionally, how
ever, all three censors sit on a pic
ture. In such cases they usually dis
agree and the board of appeals, COM
posed of the governor, attorney gen.
eral and secretary of state, is called
In.
In a general way the censors have
some rules or standards to go by, but
many pictures run so close to the bor-
der line that it makes it difficult to
judge them. For instance, one censor
may pass picture that would not be
approved by another censor. This has
happened frequently Recently one
censor prohibited a picture that was
approved the day before by another
censor.
1t all depends upon the viewpoint,
and the censOrs, like other people, &C.
casionally differ in viewpoints In
fact, censor sometimes differs with
himself. One day when he is feeling
just right he approves a picture that
he would condemn the next day. AS
a rule, the censors try to cut out en-
tirely all vulgar, drinking scenes,
shorten "soul kisses" and eliminate
suicides.
One movie manager pasted togeth-
er strips eliminated from various pic
lures by the censors. For the edifi-
cation of the appeal board the other
day he ran that reel through the ma
suggestive scenes and showed that the
censors have earned all they have re-
ceived in salary.
x x
Howat Heads Miners-Alexander
Howat was elected president of Dis
trict No. Il, United Mine Workers of
America, recently. Unofficial returns
indicate that he will have a large ma
jority over Fred Stanton of Mulberry,
his only opponent. Robert Gilmour
apparently was elected international
board member.
X x X
Motor Car Turned Over-Mrs. Oscar
Haubursin of Caney was killed at 6
o'clock the other afternoon when the
Haubursin motor car turned over on
a steep hill two miles west of COT
feyville.
Complete a Kansas Line-The first
car of the Arkansas Valley Interurban
system, which has been built between
Wichita and Hutchinson, arrived at
Hutchinson recently, beP ring the Off
Gals of the electric 7cad.
x x
School Near Ottawa Burned-Fire
caused by an overheated furnace de-
stroyed the Greenwood district school,
a broom building, ten miles southwest
of Ottawa, recently. Most of the stu
dents were practicing in rural church
nearby for a Christmas program when
the fire broke out at recess.
New Gas SuppIy.-Gas produced in
Franklin county is to be used by the
Kansas Natural Gas Company Ar
rangements have been made with Al
fred j. Diescher of Bart1esville, Ok, an
operator in the local fields, to handle
gas coming from a string of wells in
the Rantoul and Peoria fields, which
are situated in the eastern part of this
county. The construction of a six-inch
pipe line from the Kansas Natural line
at the edge of Ottawa into the local
fields have been completed. En- gineers
are at work and the first shipment of
pipe and other material for the line ar
rived recently. Diescler and several
other operators have been busy drill
ing for oil and gas for several months
Octoaenarian Cead.-Mrs Elizabeth
Miller, so years old, died at her home
in Pittsburg recently. She was the
widow of David S. Miller, a Kansas
pioneer, who died there year ago.
New Pos.mast~Ts Named.-Rodney
Torrey, La Cross; Alexander Niern
berger, Ellis; j. C. McConnaughay
Larned; J. E. Leach, Randolph; Fred
erick c. Herdman, Leroy.
Girl Injured in Runaway.-Probable
fatal injuries were sustained by Miss
Shirley Page of Everest, when she was
thrown from buggy during run
away She suffered conclusion of the
brain. Two other young women with
her jumped and escaped injury.
Sue for 17-cent Gas-The st. 10
seph Gas Company has filed suit il
the Montgomery county district cour
asking an order to compel the receiv
ers for the Kansas Natural Gas Com
pany to sell gas for II cents per LOO
feet
X X
Died on Station Piatforna.-Willian
W. Jones of Emporia was stricken
with apoplexy while waiting for
train at the Santa Fe depot in Dodg,
City and died on the platform H,
was about so years old and had beer
connected with the Warren Mortgag
Company of Emporia for more thai
twenty years.