The Globe-republican., 1890-05-07
SENATOR VESTS BILLS.
-Four Measures introduced Into the Senate
Relating to the Great Beef Combine.

w - SseeSs
-Four Measures introduced Into the Senate
Relating to the Great Beef Combine.
WASHINGTON, May 2.-Senator Vest
accompanied his report from the Select
Committee on Meat Products yes
terday with an explanation. He
said that the committee had investi-
gated the subject very fully and had re-
ported four measures for the considera-
ton of the Senate.
The first was concurrent resolution
asking the President of the United
States to inaugurate diplomatic corre-
spondence with the authorities of Great
Britain to bring about repeal or modi-
fcation of the existing quarantine regu-
lations of the United Kingdom.
The next measure was one providing
for National inspection law and re-
quiring that all live cattle should be in
spected when exported, and also that
cattle intended for exporta ton or the
meat of which was intended for exporta-
ton, should be subject to inspection at
the places where killed.
The third measure was intended to
prohibit the monopoly now practiced as
to the storage capacity of steamships
carrying cattle to foreign countries.
The evidence has shown very cOnclu-
sively that in the port of New York the
practice had obtained among the steam
ship companies belonging to foreign ma
tions there being no American lines)
of leasing or contracting sometimes
a single vessel, sometimes all the ves-
co1c IF tho limo for hnr of h
in advance, to one person, and the re-
suit was that the shipper who was not
the favored contractor had no oppOr-
tunity of putting his cattle in the for
eign market at all. The agents of the
steamship lines had appeared before the
committee and had frankly avowed that
they did not propose to divide the stow
age capacity of any vessel between two
or more shippers and had given as a
reason for it "a reason not satisfactory
to the comm ittee) that when they had
divided up their stock capacity between
two or more persons it resulted in diff
culties and squabbles between the en-
plOyes of the cattle owners to the annoy
ance and inconvenience of the officers
of the vessel.
The fourth of the bills reported was
one intended to prevent the discrimina-
ton which now existed on all the rail-
roads belonging to the Trunk Lines AS
ISOLATION land that embraced all the
roads running from Chicago east under
which no mileage was given to any Of
the improved cattle cars carrying live
cattle from the West to the East. The
nyidonon chnurad haf 1innc acf
of Chicago belonging to the Central
Traffic Association mileage Of from one
to o19 cents mile was given to cattle
carried, whether improved or unim-
proved, that belonged to private in
dividuals. AS between railroad COM
panies a custom had obtained and was
generally observed by which a company
using the cars of another corporation
paid a mileage of three-quarters of a
cent each way for the use of the cars.
The evidence showed that on the lines
east of Chicag 60 the refrigerator cars in
which dressed beef dead beef was con-
veyed received mileage of three-quar-
tiers of a cent each way, although they
were hauled back empty, but improved
cars in which the live cattle were trans
ported, on the same roads, received no
mileage at all since June, 1883, by resO-
luton of the Trunk Lines Association.
The Judgment of the committee was
that this was an unjust discrimination
against live cattle and the committee
had reported a bill amending the Inter-
State Commerce act 50 as to prohibit
that abuse. The bills were submitted
with the report
Mr.. Vest called the attention of the
committees on eac h side of the chamber
which had control of the order of bust
ness of the Senate to the importance of
those measures to the cattle interests of
the United States, which was now in a
very depressed condition. The select
committee was powerless to bring about
an early consideration of those bills.
The matter was entirely under the con-
troll of those two committees and of the
Senate eventually, and he asked in the
name of the cattle raisers of the coun-
try that the bills be taken up and con-
sidered at an early day.
: Mr.. Platt said he regarded the sugges-
ton as one of great importance and
which ought to be considered by the
ScuaVc ~ IN carly udy. ne assured inc
Senator from Missouri that so far as he
was concerned and SO far as he repre-
scented his friends on his side of the
chamber he would do his best in that
direction.
Mr.. Cullom. chairman of the Commit
tee on Interstate Commerce. recognized
the importance of the measures reported
and declared himself anxious to secure
their early consideration.
Railway Surgeons Meet.
KANSAS CITY. Mo-, May 2.-The third
annual convention of the National AS
ISOLATION of Railway Surgeons as
sembled at the ellis Opera House.
About 100 of the leading railway surgeons
of the United States are in the city
in attendance upon the convention.
The session was opened by a prayer by
Rev. DR.. Vassar, of the First Baptist
Church. Mayor Holmes welcomed the
visitors to Kansas City,
Cost Of Service Pensions.
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