Beckley Post-Herald from Beckley, West Virginia • Page 19

Hope Requests Authority If BECKLEY POST-HERALD, BECKLEY, W. VA MORNING, DECEMBER 6,1973 NINETEEN CHARLESTONi W.Va. (AP) A hearing will be held here Dec, 17 on the most extensive request yet made in West Virginia tor authority to cope with the natural gas shortage by cutting deliveries. Seeking Public Service Commission approval of an allocation plan and a schedule of priorities for delivery of available gas tirt Hope Natural Gas Co. division of Consolidated Gas Supply Corp.

WitH 103,000 customers in northern and central West Virginia, Hope is the state's second-largest gas utility. The larg est is Columbia Gas of West Virginia, whose 218,000 customers are chiefly in the southern pan of the state. Major gas utilities In the state, Columbia and Hope included, for some time have had PSC authority to impose gas conservation restrictions. How- By Strippers CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) The West Virginia Surface Mining and Reclamation Association Wednesday blamed "would-be politicians" anc "headline seekers" with making wild allegations that the stripping industry was responsible for the severity of last week's flash flooding.

President Lawson Hamilton Jr. said that many who have absolutely ne facts to charges, are back up exploiting their disasters under the guise of environmental concern. -ftis comments referred to charges by Third District Con gressional candidate Darrell McGraw of Charleston, who accused the industry of being responsible for the severity of the flooding. Hamilton explained that several Department of Natural Resources personnel, trained in reclamation and water control, said that not one failure from an active surface mine drain- ge system had been reported and that in many cases the ponds and ditches constructed by. the mining companies had helped slow the flow of water, Lending Rate Raise Sought CHARLESTON, W.Va.

(AP) Hw: West Virginia Savings and Loan League will ask the legislature to boost the ceiling on mortgage. interest rates from 8 per cent to 10 per cent. "Tte boost is needed to make more mortgage money available for home building tod home buying, according to Joseph P. Condry, the league's executive vice president He said home building is 30 per cent below last year's levels. "If the ceiling is raised on contract interest rates, it doesn't mean that me rate automatically will go to 10 per cent," Condry said.

"I believe it will settle down to about per ceint." JJefore interest rates on savings and lending went up in July, most of the league's 29 member associations were making 90 and 95 per cent loans which required the borrower to have only a 5 or 10 per cent down payment, he said. Now they are back to 80 per cent loans and the borrower needs 20 per cent of the cost of buiWing or buying a home, be said. Coal Market Lower Again "CHARLESTON, w.va. CAP) Hie nation's coal production continued to decline in late November, despite the growing shortage of other energy fuels. The nation's total production of bituminous coal and lignite in the week ended Nov.

is estimated by the U.S. Bureau of Mines at 10,575,000 tons, down 9,6 per cent from the preceding week. Production in the corresponding week of 1972 was 10,180,000 tone. total production for this year through Nov. 24 was 534,610,000 tow, down 1.3 per cent from me 541,710,001) tons mined Nov.

25, 1972. Ren fa the bureau's estimated weekly coal production in Eastern states, in thousands of tow, for the weeks ended Nor; 17, M73; Nov. 10, 1973; and IS, 1972, respectively: Ata. nt. Ind.

Ky. Md. Ohio Pa. Tein. Va.

W.Vt. 352. 965 1,211 1,065 310 403 528 2,729 2,724 2,529 94 35 975 9721,059 1,429 1,676 1,837 247 296 12S 690 714 621 2,179 2,375 The Grett Pyramids in Egypt, the only wonder of the ancient world still standing, took 20 yean te buiM on order of King who wwmd it for a Burial pfece for thus lessening the flood hazard. "In fact, in Lincoln County, where flooding was the worst, there has been no active surface mining in over a decade," Hamilton said. "The surface mining industry was not responsible for flooding in Lincoln or Kanawha counties," he said.

He concluded, "If we're re- spofcsible for damage to private property, we'll do everything we can to correct the situation, but we're tired of getting the blame from self-motivated polt- icians who would play on the sympathy of flood victims." these are mainly authorizations to refuse service to new customers and to refuse increased deliveries to existing customers. Under the proposal to be heard by the PSC Dec. 17, Hope would have authority to curtail existing deliveries whenever the company considered it necessary to protect supplies and deliverability. The plan includes a priority schedule, corresponding to applicable Federal Pow- er'Commission priorities. Lowest-priority customers would be curtailed first arid highest-priority customers last: The plan gives No.

1 priority to residential and small commercial customers. The lowest priority, No. 5, would go to large-volume industrial customers with capability to meet their needs by switching to alternate fuels. Assignments to priority categories between the highest and lowest are based on volume requirements and other factors. If Hope ordered a percentage cutback in deliveries, the plan would let it grant variances so customers could use less than their allotted volumes for part of the curtailment period in order to exceed their allotted Bar Patrons Drank Beer, AM A Opposes Monitoring Of Doctors aw Says Witness BRANCHLAND, W.Va.

(AP) A witness who saw woman beaten to death in a Lincoln County tavern said Wednesday several of the bar patrons stood by drinking their beer while the victim's assailant jumped up and down on her. A man and teen-aged charged with first degree murder were Scestell Toppins 28, his brother, Ronsford, 24, ANAHEIM, Calif Bowing to the demands of the angry doctors, the American Medical Association voted Wednesday to oppose a federally mandated But detegtes to the; AMA's. In approving a- statement that annual clinical i "the best interests el the heeded appeals of their leaders American people, our patients, and backed off from mounting would be serviced by the a national campaign to repeal peal" of the law, delegates then the law, thus avoiding a clash ordered the association to work bom of Midkiff in Lincoln Coun- system that will monitor the with Congress that would have toward amending the legislation ty, and their cousin, Danie competence of physicians' ser- been similar to the fight over to the most Boone Toppins, 30, of Culloden The three were being held in the Lincoln County Jail pendinj a hearing Saturday. who did attempt to help the 40-j Lester said the tavern wher year-old woman were them- incident occurred is owned selves beaten by the three men charged with the killings, said state police Trooper B. R.

Lester of the Hamlin detachment. According to Lester, Doris Abshire was beaten and stomped about 8 p.m. Monday in Walter and Lillian's Tavern on W.Va. 10, one mile south of here! She was then put into a car driven by one of the men charged with her murder, Lester said. "She was in the back seat when I stopped them," said the trooper.

"I had been looking for them and when I found they said they were on the way to the doctor so I followed them to his house." At the house, Dr. G. 0. McClelland of Hamlin said the woman was dead. Wednesday, be said she was brought to his office about 9 p.m.

and probably had been dead for about 45 minutes when he examined her. Lester said the woman was a mass of bruises. by a brother of Scestell am Rosford Toppin. "It's about a lowdown a place as you'll fine and the witnesses are scared to he said. As he reconstructed th crime, Lester said one of the men allegedly began arguing with Mrs.

Abshire the mom er of six children and the ar gument escalated into the beat ing. He said witnesses told him the woman while his two com panions stood guard. When the man and boy did try to stop him the witnesses said, the man who was beating Mrs. Abshire halted his attack on her long enough to help his friends subdue the would-be resumed jumping up and down on the woman, who lay prone on me barroom floor. "They had been drinking, mat's for sure," said Lester amounts the rest of the period.

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