The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-02-07
WON'T TOUCH IT.
Peculiar Turn to Legislative
Coal Investigation.
Proposed to Legalize COnfsca-
tiOn by Railroads.
MAKE ONE EXCEPTION.
Fuel for State Institutions Must
Be Left Alone.
Private Dealer May Have Coal
IF RooNc A,.o EV5IIsro.
MAKE ONE EXCEPTION.
Private Dealer May Have Coal
If Roads Are Willing.

The committee which has been inves-
tigating the coal famine has prepared
two bills designed to discourage the con-
fiscation of coal by railroad companies
One of the bills relates to coal consign-
ed to state institutions. 1t absolutely
prohibits the railroads from confiscat-
ing such coal The other relates to coal
consigned to other people and provides
for the prompt payment Of the full re-
tail value of the coal to the person to
whom it was consigned.
This would. in a measure. legalize
conhscation. It would seem as though
the dealer who has his coal conhscated
ought to receive something to repay him
for the injury done to his business by
not being able to fill his contracts. A
provision that a railroad company
should pay the dealer double the value
of the coal would not only discourage
the railroads from confscation except
in cases of extreme necessity. but it
would repay the dealer in a degree for
the damage to his business.
The bills are now in the hands of At
torney General Coleman for his inspec-
ton.
H U. Nudge, general manager of the
Santa Fe, was summoned before the
coal famine investigating committee late
Friday afternoon to tell why the rail-
roads conhscated coal.
After the usual preliminary questions.
Senator Noftzger asked Mr.. Nudge di
rectly if the Santa Fe ever conficates
coal
1T has done so, replied Mr.. Nudge.
Why is it done2' asked Senator
Noftzger.
Because the Santa Fe has been on
the verge of stopping business for want
of coal. It was necessary to either con-
fiscate some coal or stop our trains"
DO you know how great the coal
NO. do not think there is. any pos
sible way of knowing
How much coal have you conhsca-
Ssince the first of October the Santa
F'e has taken 70 cars of coal-kansas
coal The most of it was during Janu-
ITO what do you attribute the short
Fl believe it is largely due to the ex-
traordinary demands for coal The
times are extremely prosperous, more
industries use coal than ever before, and
others have enlarged So far as our
railroad is concerned I do not think we
have used a greater amount than we
did year ago, but the industries along
our lines have used more.
rs there any eastward movement OF
coal on your road2
mo, 1 think not"
We'll is there as much Colorado
coal coming into the state as hereto
I hardly think so. There is an in
I creased demand for Colorado coal in
the west for smelters."
DO you think the railroads have any
o,- ~ ffnur cOa11''
The only right-the reason-for do
I ing it is one of public policy If we
I had not cOnfiscated some coal at times
we could not have moved not only our
+ freight trains but also our passenger
and mail trains. We have been at the
point where it was necessary to take
coal or shut up our railroad, and we
i considered our duty to the public JUS
tilted taking the coal"
DO you lay in any during the sum-
mer months %
yes. and we laid in more last sum-
mer than usual
why, then, did you run short?"
Because we were unable to get our
/ acquisitions filed when the winter
came on"
Cannot you store enough in the
summer to run you through the winter
without danger Of a shortage2''
1T is not practicable to pile up Kan.
saS coal It heats and there is danger
4 of spontaneous combustion. We have
: lIleQ II dl inherent iDliAIS dL UAIIEEtHL
times and nearly always with the same
results. Two years ago we stored 8 600
tons down near our shops here in To-
peka, but it began to burn and we lost
much Of it and endangered our build
ings. l would say that the coal which
we stored last summer, to which I re-
! ferred was Colorado coal. We stored
II 900 tons at Newton and 1000 tons at
Dodge City, but it was all used in Kan
sas-"
"F4as there been. .anv. shortage of cars
for shipping coal2"
There has been no lack of trans
portation facilities from the mines on
/ the Santa Fe during the last two
months. Before that believe there
was some shortage, but we met it by
taking our ballast and work cars and
using them. There has been no short
age reported in the last SO days
There has been some complaint
about the confiscation of coal belong
ing to the state institutions. What do
you know about that2"
I did not know that the Santa Fe
had taken any state coal until Cover
nor Bailey told me about it yesterday
He gave me the numbers of four cars
that had been conhscated, and upon
! looking the matter up I found he was
correct. One of these cars was billed
/ to Winfield. another to Hutchinson
/ another to Dodge City. and the fourth
/ to Topeka Perhaps if good judgment
had been used other coal might have
been taken. It was unfortunate to
have taken the state coal"
Some of this coal which was con-
signed TO the state hospital for the in
sane here in Topeka was taken when
there was only about days supply on
hand Do you not think It would be
better to stop the trains than to have
the inmates of these institutions suffer
from cold2"
YES. I do But there are hound to
be men of poor judgment in railroading
as in other lines of business. I do not
say positively that it was poor judg-
nent. because there might have beer
no other coal availabl
do you not think a statute abos-
lutely prohibiting the confscation oi