The Missouri Pacific has been doing a fine freight business from this point for the past eight months according to a report by agent J. I. Wilkin. The raiload shipped out 550 loaded cars from Stockton during that time. Of this total number of cards 219 were loaded with corn, five of wheat, 86 with livestock, 175 of various grain, such as barley, oats, kaffir, sudan grass, milo, etc., and 65 cars of other merchandise. Only 235 loaded cars were received, being 25 cars of livestock, 52 cars of coal and 57 of oil and gasoline, and 101 loaded with lumber, machinery, automobiles, potatoes, flour and the like. A total of 1,054 locals cars were received—containing one small box from Woodston to almost carloads of merchandise. There were 413 cars localled out, usually loaded very light. The passenger business has not fared as well. The ticket sales are about $150.00 a month in excess of that of a year ago. Many Stockton folks going to Kansas City buy tickets as far as Downs and there buy for the Missouri point. This works a hardship on the local station, as only local sales are considered in deciding what service can be profitably supplied on any branch line.

It was an enjoyable and enthusiastic meeting of the county Republicans held in the assembly room of the courthouse last Saturday afternoon, All but three of the twenty-two townships of the county were represented and the party spirit prevailed. One of the purposes of the meeting was to name delegates to the state convention at Topeka and also to the district meeting to be held at Colby. The Topeka meeting will be represented by O. O. Osborn, Mrs. R. J. McClay, Anna Glick Eades, J. W. Smith, L. L. Marshall, M. S. Graham, Chas. Miller. The Colby delegates are M. S. Graham, N. F. Hill, W. F. McNulty, Gerald McClay, Miles Hindman, C. C. Bray and Ed Thyfault.

The following article was clipped from last week’s copy of the Topeka Daily Capital: “Few politicians have ever heard of E. Bartholomew. Few newspapermen have for that matter, yet it is a well known name among botanists around the world. His work and writings in one department of botany is authoritative. He is a America’s greatest collector of fungi, more commonly known as rusts. He is a Kansan, he lives on a farm near Stockton, Rooks County, the same farm on which he settled when he was a young man. He was not college bred. He knew no Latin or German. He was just a young man who came to Kansas for a home.

The editor accompanied Harry Eades on a drive to the Frank Fuller farm, northeast of town last Thursday evening on business. The Fullers have a nice, valuable farm with good improvements and well stocked. Frank has a nice bunch of cattle and hogs and with his other farm work keeps pretty busy. Mrs. Fuller has nice flocks of white Leghorn and Rhode Island chickens and Mammoth Bronze turkeys that are good paying sidelines for the farm.

The board of directors of the Rooks County Fair Association announced the dates of the 1924 Fair on August 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th. It has been sort of a set custom for a number of years to hold the Fair during the first week in September, and there are many contending features that cause some interference. The schools of the County open during the first of September and also court convenes that week. The Board has considered these features and decided the last week in August would be a more congenial time. The Fair officers are planning some fine things and their slogan is, “Bigger, Better than Ever,” which can be applied with more enthusiasm than ever before. A representative of the Western Managers’ Vaudeville association met with the Board and contracted a number of free entertainment acts. This is the same company that furnished the acts at last year’s Fair.

Walter E. Fleming is the first to come forward to make known is intentions in county politics. Walter is seeking the office of country treasurer on the Republican ticket and if Walter should happen to land the job, we believe the County’s money would still be in capable hand. Walter is a native of Sugar Loaf Township and still resides in its confines. For one year he served his country overseas, being in the 356 Infantry. Walter has all the earmarks of a businessman and is asking the Republican voters for their support.

The friends and neighbors of James R. Beckley proved themselves real Samaritans last Thursday when they assembled at the Beckley farm and harvested Mr. Beckley’s corn. Mr. Beckley was taken to the Concordia Hospital several week ago and is suffering with an attack of Bright’s disease. The neighbors, knowing of his condition and the harvest to be done, volunteered assistance and in a few hours shucked 1,500 bushels of corn. There were forty-five men, with thirty-five teams and wagons. The wives came along bringing baskets of good things to eat, and at noon the workers set down to one of the greatest dinners that they ever had the privilege to attend.

The new high school came near going up in smoke last Saturday night. It was a great scare for the populace and while considerable damage was done everything was soon repaired. The fire started in the basement among some trash that had been dumped in a corner. The fire rapidly spread and before it had been gotten under control burned up several new school desks, several boxes of paper towels, toilet paper, etc. The water pipes in the room above were melted and other damage resulted to the woodwork in that particular section of the building The fire was discovered by the janitor Allen, about 11:30 p.m. as he was returning to his room at the building. He lives in one of parts of the basement and being unable to gain access through the door broke out a window to get in. The heat and smoke were too great for him to combat the fire with the building’s fire hose and consequently he gave the alarm. The Board had the insurance adjuster at the building on Sunday morning and estimated the loss at $1,000.00. Three or four plumbers were busy that day getting the plumbing in order so that nothing might hinder the working of school on Monday morning. It was a close call for the fine building and lucky the damage was no greater.

The Stockton Motor Company got in a carload of Chevrolets the first of the week, the shipment containing three cars and a truck. The Chevrolet has made a big growth as one of the popular medium-priced cars, the transportation averaging lower costs per mile than of other automobiles. See the advertising of the Chevrolets in this issue.

Reading an item in one of the Kansas City papers that a woman of that city picked violets on Christmas day inspired a couple of Stockton girls to hunt for violets in Stockton. Sylvia Munn and Edit Douglas made a bet that they could find violets and they started a search. They did not look long until they located a patch in full bloom and picked a handful, bringing the flowers to the Review and Record office as evidence.