Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-15
HEAR THE CORPORATIONS
Telephone and Telegraph Companies Want
Their Assessments Lowered.
RAILROADS ARE TO Be TAKEN UP NEXT
Iowa Telephone Company Refuses to
Treat with strikers and Fight
IL Now ON TO n
Finish.
From a star Correspondent.l

DhS MOlNES, Ia, July l4.-lSpeCial'J-
The state executive councll met this morn
Ing for the purpose of making the annual
assessment OF railroad, telegraph, express
and telephone property, and to sit as a
Board of Review in passing on the equality
of the Assessments in the various counties
Of the state. All the members we're pres
emit The work OF the Board of Review
could not be taken up today because not
all the reports from counties are in. The
reports from Dubuque, Monroe and Wright
counties came in late and the figures have
been put into the tables, but Linn county
Is still not represented. 1t is expected
the auditors report from Linn will arrive
in a few days, when the footings will be
made and the Information will be turned
over to the Board of Review by Mr.. Gun
derson, bookkeeper for the auditor Of
state.
The railroad assessment matter will be
taken up formally tomorrow, and repre-
sentatives of the railroads will be heard.
The council gave a hearing today Of the
representatives Of telegraph and telephone
companies. Before noon the following
were heard: e. B. Smith Of Davenport,
for the lowe Telephone company; Mr.. Mil
Ter Of Clinton, representing the Tri-State
Telephone company, and Representative B.
- CUMMINGS vi Wal ShdilNO"ht ANPANSShI-
ing the Marshall Telephone company. They
went over the telephone assessments and
pointed out inequalities, from their stand
point, and generally asked hat there be at
least no increase in the telephone assess
ments. 1t is understood. unoflcially, that
the council is rather favorable to some in
crease in telephone assessments.
The representatives of the Western
Union Telegraph company were heard this
afternoon and some others.
The executive council is not yet ready
to take up the final disposition of the
Burlington survey at Glenwood, although
the people of Glenwood and the Burlington
engineers are urging that there be no de-
lay.
Report on Orphans Home.
The annual report of Superintendent Gass
Of the lows Soldiers and Sailors orphans
home at Davenport, was filed with the
board Of control today. Thu report shows
that there were in the home July 1, a to-
tai Of 474 inmates, OF which 275 were SOL
diers' orphans and 1919 county charges,
there being 271 male and 2O3 female. The
total Of the year before was 439. The aver
age attendance during the year was 470.
A new turn was taken In the telephone
strike today when the organizer Of the
telephone operators announced there would
be a fight to a finish against the Iowa COM
pany in attempting to bring about a gen.
eral boycott. Manager Smith refused to
further treat with representatives of the
strikers. 1t was announced last week the
strike was to be declared off today. .s
Condition. of Iowa Crops.
"one-third Of the oats crop is lying fiat
on the ground and cannot be saved, ~ said
Henry, Wallace, the we'll known writer on
farm topics, after a return from a trip
through the rural districts of the state.
1T ig my opinion that the corn acreage
in the lowlands and on the flats is As per
cent Of the total acreage and nearly ruined.
The winter wheat is good. Almost a full
crop will be realized. Pastures were never
better. II conditions remain normal until
the hay crop is harvested a heavy crop
will be saved. 1 do not believe the clover
has reached the stage where 1t can be
damaged by the wet weather. 1t is true
that clover lies nat on the ground, but 1t
has not reached a stage where the decay
ing begins.
II believe the crops this year will be
far better than those Of 1901. There is lots
Of filling In Iowa this year and wherever
you find a farm we'll titled you will find
the soil in excellent condition for working.
In my travels throughout the state I found,
Of course, a great many fields where the
weeds are even with the corn. These
fields were less frequent, however, than one
would naturally suppose after the super
abundance Of rainfall"
The date for the opening OF bids for the
new buildings at the Soldiers home at
Marshalltown has been changed from July
2S to July 81. The new buildings include
an assembly hall, a hospital building, a
kitchen, a smokestack 143 feet high, a
laundry building, a cold storage building,
a nurses cottage and an icehouse.