Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1895-02-08
RAILROAD sILLs At PIERRE.
House Roll No. 4 tho Most Important
One introduced.

HAtIROA0 BILLS At PIERRE,
House Roll No. 4 tho Most Important
One introduced.
.F1efre. Jan. 2S.-Special: Now that the
resuomission question is settled and ap-
preparations not far enough along to be
mucn under contest, the jobbers' railroad
Dill u attracting increased attention. So
!ar the railroad lobby has not seemed
much concerned. and yet there is a deep
seated conviction with the legislature
tnas IN some way increased power must
Do gwen the railroad commission. It has
peen In the air for several years that the
Fosos must sooner or later take q dose of
eEaselc legislation. and had the past year
oeen one OF prosperity 1t Is quite likely it
woulo nave come this session. As It IL.
noWever.ther roads are able to show actual
losses from tho tremendous falling of
OF business. especially in freighting. In
some localities h decrease has been near
" one-half. House bill Nc. / is the formu.
lateo attack on the roads and Is called the
5opoers BILL because 1t is alleged to have
from them and to be drafted for
their special benefit. 1t is supported from
q quarter that in former sessions has been
dead opposed to any such legislation.
The bill does not seek directly to fx or
TO limit rates. It would empower the
railroad commissioners to do that. In sec.
ton 2 1t empowers the commissioners.
when in their Judgment repairs arc nee.
essary. additional rolling stock called for.
cnense of stations OF new stations re.
quired. or any change in rates of fare for
transporting freight or passengers. or
change In modo NJ op,ro%t,-
conducting their business. to prac.
tically order the companies to comply.
while at the same time. the section ENDS
win a specific declaration that nothing
In the section shall be construed as re.
present responsibility or liability for jam.
to person or property"
II certainly seems to an ordinary person
me "a a r 1,a ADS; could hardly be held for dam.
tempts to conform to orders given under
the above section.
Section 9 prohibits pooling. While hui,
70 prohibited. about the only way to pre-.
vent variation Of rates under one guise
or another Will be to successfully prohibit
With such travelling agents as now ara
employed to move about looking after the
focal business of The road. A solicitor
without inducements to offer can rarely
SSAS u oCCllOI1 j i Hills q
govern, IN q measure, schedule time SO aa
to make the transportation of freight con.
tnuous from place of shipment to place
more roads. Section u would make com.
actual damage in case a Company
refuses to pay the claim as made
is maintained BY the one claiming dam.
age. Sections Is and II also provide that
claims for damages from violation of the
missioners. and that their findings shall
be taken in court as prima facie evidence
as. to each and every fact found.
cerned.. Many small dealers Throughout
the state buy OF local jobbers in compare.
shipments freauentiy Of :" a i Jew hundred laSlrsd
pounds. Section % provides that the
roads h charge no more relatively fol
n ton than for several tons q a car.
than for several hundred up to one ton.
section e suggests an idea that the leg.
, wiaeSy p his state need to consider
what are reasonable rates the ratei
charged in other states, as we'll as this
sst anss, shall be taken as prima facie evi.
q road could haul the same freight the
same distance in one state, say Illinois OF
Ohio i, cheaper than It could in this state.
acted in a thickly settled region. where
the bulk of business would, at a cheapeii
rate. provide greater profits. If the same
rates IN freight and passenger traffic WerS
to prevail in South Dakota that ara
charged in Illinois, then to secure ex.
pense and profit a much larger territory
must be drawn from. and there would h
a corresponding reduction in the inpet,is
to construct roads. The less roads the
longer must be the average haul by tenn
the Individual producers to reach the
rket. There are pros and cons enough
t.esented by this bill to make the halls 81
legislation resound with eloaucnce should
II ever reach the committee of the WHO'S
an elther mouse, or both.
Senator Crawford. populist, from Kings.
bury county; has introduced a bill thai
would directly fix passenger rates at mol
oyer = cents per mile and compel the iss,Is
OF mileage books of 800 miles at not over
" cents per mile. The bill providing FOR
me 1885 census, which has passed the
mouse, Is meeting a harder fate in the
senate. In the house 1T carried an apnro.
pration of $1,000, but, inas1nuch as If pro.
woes that the census shall be very sjnnnia
AND be by the assessor, without" eXs
IRA compensatory from the state, it is rea-
soned that $1,000 for the blanks and tho
simple work of compilation is too much.
and IT Is probable that at least $4,000 viii
De knocked ont of tNo o-oronri !, tio,, wy"