Meade County news., 1917-02-08
Attorney General BreWsterAsks
for Immediate Dismissal of
Kansas Natural Receiver.
CALLS PRESENT RATES UNFAIR
Motion Charges That Present Prices
Are Unreasonable and Unjust
and Result in Waste.

/ q hOtlOu ulcu ny AIlOTHGy G0ueTdl
S. M. Brewster, the cities of Coffey-
vile and Independence will be forced
to pay an increase of Is per cent
in the price of natural gas. Instead
of 20 cents per thousand, the present
rate, consumers here must pay 20
cents.
The motion of the attorney general
is a voluminous document. 1t re.
views at length the history of the liti-
cation in which the Kansas Natural
Gas company has been involved for
years. 1t asks for the immediate dis.
missal by Receiver j. NJ Landon of
all suits now pending in the federal
district court involving the Kansas
Natural. The court is also asked for
an order directing the receiver to put
into effect rates for gas in Kansas
as established by the public utilities
commission in an order dated Deem
ber 10, 1915, and to abrogate and dis
continue the discriminatory, unfair
and unreasonable rates now exacted"
by the receiver, and (which have re-
suited from the litigation carried on
by the receiver in said suit" and
from controversies between the cities
OF Kansas and the receiver, and said
reasonable rates and no other to be
charged for January, 1917.
1t is charged that the rates now in
effect are not only unreasonable and
unjust, but result in waste to the prop.
erty.
February S, 1917, Doherty is expect
ed to assume control of the property
and to operate it in connection with
the Empire Gas and Oil company, and
the Wichita Gas company. When the
state utilities commission, at this re-
quest, granted Doherty a certificate
empowering him to operate the Kan
sas Natural properties in Kansas, 1t
was upon the express promise that
he would dismiss all litigation in the
federal court, the attorney general al
leges, and that a 28-cent rate for gas
would be adhered to.
X X X
Pioneer Physician Dead.-Dr. Will
liam H. Winterbotham, 70 years old,
for thirty-two years practicing physi-
clan Of Salina, is dead.
X X
Drops Dead at TeIephone-While
reporting over the telephone at his
home in lola the critical illness of
his son, George Anderson, smelter-
man, dropped dead of heart disease.
x X X
Emporia's Oldest Mason Dead
Simri Carter, Emporia's oldest Mason
in point of membership, is dead at the
home of his daughter in Augusta. Mr..
Carter was born in North Carolina
in 1888, and came to Kansas In 1867.
X X X
Out Of Municipal League-On the
theory that the city administration
should be above lobbying, the board
of commissioners of Wichita voted to
drop out of the Kansas League of
Municipalities by refusing to pay the
500 membership fee.
X X X
eighty" Brings 2,ooo-Western
Kansas land continues to enhance in
value. The Tom Mulkey eighty acres
near Smith Center for $4,000, the
largest price per acre that Smith
county land ever sold for Less than
ten years ago the farm went begging
at $4,000.
X X X
Gift for Wichita Hospital-It was
announced at Wichita that Ira T. Fos-
ter, wealthy oil man and farmer of
Eldorado, Butler county, has given
$50,OO0 to Wesley hospital, Metho-
dist institution of Wichita! Foster
has one of the richest farms in the
Augusta field and his income from
royalties is said to average $4,000
a month. Mr.. and Mrs. Foster have
no children and have announced that
they will aid worthy causes.
X X X
Train Kills Brakeman-J. w. Por-
ter, Santa Fe brakeman, 35 years
old, was killed at Wellington when he
attempted to cross the track ahead
of a passenger train going west
through the yards.
X X X
Two Hurt In Auto Accident-Ge George
Eckles, so years old, farmer Of Ben
nington, was probably fatally injured
and his wife badly cut and bruised
when their motor car ran into con-
crete abutment Of bridge north of
Bennington. Eckles was pinned in
the wreckage of the car, but man.
aged to extricate himself, only to fall
fifteen feet to the rocks below.
X X 4
Muscotah Merchant Dead.-Andrew
Little, for thirty years a merchant at
Muscotah, died at his home there
recently after long illness. He was
81 years old and a native of Canada.
X X *
Triplets Born at Munden-Mr. and
Mrs. Frank Homolka recently became
the parents of the first set of triplets
born in Republic county in many
years. Homolka is wealthy Bohe-
mian farmer living near Munden.
There are seven children in the fam
/ ily below school age, all born in less