The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1916-08-18
SAY THEIR HANDS ARE TIED
State Officials Declare Their Inability
to Prevent Proposed Boost In
Natural Gas Prices.

The hands OF the state of Kansas
are tied SO well that not a move can
be made to stop the hike in the gas
rates. The United States courts did
such good job in spreading injunc-
tion orders around that the receiver
for the Kansas Natural Gas Company
can order dollar natural gas if he
wants to, and get away with it. After
conference between Governor Cap
per and S. NJ. Brewster attorney gen.
eral, the conclusion reached was that
Kansas would have to sit down and
hold its hands while the Kansas Ma.
tural takes whatever money and other
valuables it may find.
The federal court granted permits.
sion to the Kansas Natural to charge
thirty-five cents a thousand feet for
gas. The court said that not less
.han this sum should be collected.
The Kansas Natural is taking care to
see that rates do not get as low as
the minimum, for reports from large
number of cities served showed rates
of thirty-five to forty cents.
Along with this rate order was an
injunction against all the state Off
Gals prohibiting them interfering with
the rates fixed by the receiver. There
is no review or no official sanction to
the rates.
1.-THE price increase is an outrage"
Governor Capper said THE order
that the minimum monthly bill should
be 81 is even worse. l wish there
were some way to stop it, but it
seems that our hands are tied
Drank, Slept on Track.-"No in
quest necessary" the county coroner
said at Columbus when he decided
that Edward Frere and Melvin John
son, killed by st. Louis G. San Fran
cisco train near Galena, had been
drinking and went to sleep on the
tracks.
Crop Failure Causes Suicide. -
Worry over the loss of his corn crop,
which was destroyed by the drouth,
is believed responsible for the suicide
of James F. Tomberlein, a wealthy
farmer, near Kirwin, Kas. Tomber-
lein was found hanging to tree.
4 X
Miner Shocked to Death.-Antone
Kotnik, an Austrian miner, was cleo
trocuted in mine No. 13 of the West
ern Coal and Mining Company at
Yale recently. He was employed as
an underground motorman and when
his car left the rails he touched the
trolley wire in attempting to replace
his car on the tracks.
X X X
Killed by Gasoline Stove.-Geralda
Holmestrom was burned to death at
the home of George Shirk, banker, in
Lost Springs, south of Harrington. She
was filling the tank of the gasoline
stove while the fire was burning
X X X
Pile Wheat on Ground.-Tourists
from the West say that along the
Union Pacific railroad thousands of
bushels of wheat are piled on the
ground at various places because of
the shortage of cars to handle the
grain. AT Plainville thirty thousand
bushels are on the ground.
X X X
Killed by EnsiIage cutter.-Charles
Hall, 40 years old wealthy farmer,
was instantly killed recently at Clear.
water when an ensilage cutter burst.
4 X X
Hospital Fund.-The citizens of Gi.
rard and surrounding country are to
be called upon to raise $4,000 in
twenty days for new community hos
pital. Girard's hospital was forced to
close it's doors because the govern.
ment had purchased the site for new
postoffice building. The law will not
allow the citizens to vote bonds.
y y 4
Runaway Fatal to Farmer.-Swan
M. Carlson, 65 years old, farmer
near Falun, is dead from injuries re-
oeived when he jumped from q hay
rake drawn by runaway horse.