Ash v. Gibson

67 P.2d 1101, 145 Kan. 825, 1937 Kan. LEXIS 229
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedMay 8, 1937
DocketNo. 33,338
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 67 P.2d 1101 (Ash v. Gibson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ash v. Gibson, 67 P.2d 1101, 145 Kan. 825, 1937 Kan. LEXIS 229 (kan 1937).

Opinions

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Smith, J.:

This was an action to enjoin the enforcement of an ordinance of the city of Ottawa. Judgment was for plaintiffs. Defendants appeal.

The ordinance sought to be enjoined is as follows:

“Section 1. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to trans-' port gasoline, naphtha, kerosene, distillate, oil or other inflammable or explosive oil derivatives into or through the city of Ottawa, Kansas, by means of motor vehicle, motor truck or combination of motor truck and trailer or other vehicle, over and upon any of the streets, avenues or alleys of said city of Ottawa, Kansas, lying west of Lincoln street and north of Fifteenth street; provided, that this section shall not apply to or restrict the transportation of such commodities in railroad tank cars upon tracks maintained through said city or to the transportation of such commodities into or through said city in quantities of six hundred (600) gallons or less.
[826]*826“Section 2. That any person, firm or corporation violating the terms of this ordinance shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be fined in a sum of not less than five dollars ($5) nor more than one hundred dollars'($100).
“Section 3. That due to the menace to the public safety of life and property in said city, an emergency is hereby declared to exist and this ordinance shall take effect and be in force immediately upon its passage and publication according to law.”

The petition, after the formal allegations identifying the parties, alleged that the plaintiffs were engaged in the business of transporting liquid petroleum fuel, which included gasoline, kerosene, distillate and naphtha, over the highways of the state, and that certain of the plaintiffs were engaged in such transportation in interstate commerce from the states of Kansas and Oklahoma into the states of Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, and that in the regular course of their business it was necessary for plaintiffs to transport these commodities into and through the city of Ottawa.

The petition then alleged that in much of the transportation in which plaintiffs were engaged the only direct route that plaintiffs could follow was along highway 59, which is both a federal and state highway, and which runs through the city of Ottawa; that in order for plaintiffs to operate their business and not go through Ottawa it would be necessary to make a detour requiring plaintiffs to travel an additional distance of from fifty to sixty miles.

The petition then alleged that the loss of time and expense incurred by this detour would be so great as to render it impractical and impossible for plaintiffs to carry on this business; and that as a result of this detour plaintiffs would be forced to pay additional wages for drivers and it would result in great delay and loss of time in delivering gasoline to its destination; that it would result in loss of contracts so that plaintiffs would suffer irreparable loss.

The petition then alleged that in the course of transporting commodities as alleged the plaintiffs had invested large sums for equipment with which to carry on their business; that the defendants had known of the business in which plaintiffs were engaged and that plaintiffs were transporting gasoline through Ottawa; that the plaintiffs, relying on the acquiescence of defendants in the free and unlimited use of the streets by plaintiffs, had invested large sums of money for equipment; that the business had grown until 25 percent of all gasoline transported within the state was moved by motor truck.

[827]*827The petition then contained an allegation that the city was without authority to pa'ss the ordinance for the reason that there is no such power vested in the governing body of the city by the legislature, in express terms, as incident to the powers granted to such governing body, nor could such power be fairly implied.

The petition then alleged that the ordinance was unreasonable and oppressive, did not operate on all classes alike, and was not fair, general and impartial; that the ordinance undertook not to regulate but to prohibit; that it undertook to make criminal that which is not criminal; that the ordinance sought to prohibit only those persons, who are engaged in the transportation by motor truck of the commodities mentioned, and it did not seek to regulate or prohibit any other type of motor transport trucks, and by the express terms of the ordinance it exempted railroad carriers of the described commodities.

The petition further alleged that the ordinance was unconstitutional in that it violated the fourteenth amendment to the constitution of the United States and article I of the bill of rights of the constitution of the state of Kansas because it deprived plaintiffs of their property without due process of law. The prayer of the petition was for a judgment enjoining defendants from enforcing the statute, and declaring the ordinance unconstitutional and void.

The answer of the city officials admitted the passage of the ordinance and that it was in full force and effect. The answer further alleged that the transportation business carried on by plaintiffs over the streets of the city was a part of the general traffic; that the transportation of the commodities named over the streets of the city was a dangerous and obnoxious business; that the business of transporting the commodities sought to be regulated is inherently dangerous to the general public and to the city and its trade and commerce; that plaintiffs and others similarly situated had been carrying on their business by means of large transport trucks transporting their cargoes as a part pf the general traffic of the city in quantities of 2,000 to 5,000 gallons, depending upon the size of their equipment; that the transport cargoes would average from six to fifteen tons in weight; that these trucks are heavy, cumbersome and unwieldy.

The answer next contained allegations as to accidents that had occurred in Ottawa, involving large gasoline trucks, that would not have been harmful to the public had the trucks not been so large.

[828]*828The answer next contained allegations that Ottawa is a city of the second class and that the ordinance in question was enacted by virtue of the authority vested in the city by G. S. 1|935, 14-401, 14-418, 14-420, 14-421, 14-422, 8-125, 12-848 and 14-439, which statutes confer authority on the governing body of the city to enact ordinances, rules, regulations and bylaws that may be expedient for maintaining the peace and welfare of the city.

The answer then alleged that the ordinance was reasonable and that in'the honest judgment of the defendants the safety of limb and life and property of the inhabitants of the city and the general welfare of the city demanded the regulations imposed in the ordinance. The reply was a general denial.

A restraining order was issued against the city officials when the action was begun, restraining them from enforcing the ordinance. Later at a hearing on the merits a permanent injunction was allowed. This appeal is from that judgment.

There was no testimony introduced before the trial court, but the parties stipulated as to what the facts were. That stipulation, omitting the portion identifying the parties, was as follows:

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Ash v. Gibson
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
67 P.2d 1101, 145 Kan. 825, 1937 Kan. LEXIS 229, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ash-v-gibson-kan-1937.