The Topeka state journal., 1905-02-07
READY FOR IT.
House Will Discuss Railroad
Bill Wednesday.
Measure Demanded by Shippers
and.COmmercial Interests.
MAY BE NEW BILL.
Railroad Committee Opposed to
Act as 1t Stands.
Depository Bill Is Recommended
for Passage.
MAY BE NEW BILL.


for a consideration of the Plumb rail-.
road bill, which is endorsed by the
Kansas Federation of Commercial
interests.
Railroad attorneys have demanded
that the advocates of the bill show
cause why there is need for such
stringent legislation, and the railroad
committee has ordered the shippers
of the state to produce their evidence
It is expected that a large number of
the heaviest shippers of the state will
appear before the railroad committee
Wednesday night to make showing
for their bill Then the railroad at
torneys will come back with evidence
to combat the shippers. 1t is highly
probable that the hearing OF the
e. B. Schermerhorn of Cherokee,
chairman Of the railroad committee,
saws: 1.-THE probability is that the
railroad committee vii draft a new
bill. embodying about twenty sec
tions, and covering all the more sa-
lient features of the Plumb bill 1t
will be introduced as substitute Tor
the Plumb bill.
George Plumb of Lyon thinks tnat
such a substitute would not be ac-
ceptable to the shippers. He said:
soThis bill which 1 have introduced
has been most carefully considered
by the shipping interests OF Kansas.
If enbodies exactly the legislation
which is needed. and no more. If
the railroad committee attempts to
modify the bill to any great extent
l think the shippers will probably re-
/ fuse TO endorse any legislation, and
will simply wait until two years from
now for another Legislature
1.-THE time is certainly coming
when this bill will be passed There
| is no doubt about it. If the present
/ 1n
next legislature will do So The ship
pers know this full well, and expect
/ to act accordingly
81 expect that the railroads VIII
claim that the present railroad law is
| ample to the needs; that it has never
been tested. and that the state should
not enact new legislation until the
old legislation has proven 1nopera-
tive But the shippers know thae TN tne
present law is not what is needed.
/ and they will demand better laws.
Depository Bill Recommended.
It was $3.50 O'Clock Monday even
| ing when the house adjourned. after
/ being in committee of the whole Tor
three hours considering the state de-
/ pository bin, introduced by the banks
/ and banking committee as substl-
/ tute for other bills The bill was
amended in a few particulars. and
then recommended FOR passage:
The bill will probably require an
increase of one clerk in the state
auditors department, as it puts upon
the auditor the work OF making our
a monthly estimate of expenses,
| drawing a monthly warrant on each
| county treasurer for that county S
proportion of the estimated expense,
and handling all the checks by which
the state treasurer pays out the state
funds
The bill provides that the state shall
draw on the county treasurers each
month for as much money as is need
ed for the current expenses OF the
month. The money does not come
Into the possession of the state treas
urer at all; it is simply placed to his
account in some of the depository
banks. The bill provides that the
board of treasury examiners, TO De
of state and auditor, shall on the nrst
/ Monday in May, 1905, and each two
years thereafter meet and advertise
for bids from banks which desire 10
receive some of the state funds on de-
post. Under this arrangement the
operation of the law would actually
commence about July, 1903 The sen
ate bill provides that the operauoIl
shall commence in September. The
bank must deposit with the state some
sort of Kansas or U. S government
bonds to secure the full amount OF the
deposit. An effort was mace sl1. .G
to put UP a surety bond for the money
but this plan failed
/ Geo. B. Cones moved the amend
ment in regard to surety ponds. an. any
j. T. Pringle, of Usage, spoke III laNol
of it. He said:
1--WE consider a surety company
bond good enough to protect the slale
from the state treasurer IN the sum
of half a million dollars. Why should
tnot a surety bond be good enough &c
protect the state from a little country
bank which has ten or hfteen tnou-
sands of state money II we arr tI-s
afraid of the surety companies, We
had better pass the pending Dill 1ol
lplacing all these companies under TINS
supervision of the state insurance
commissioner" -,
4 DroDosition. He argued that surety
bond was good enough Tor a statt
treasurer. but not suitable for banl
receiving mo money; M stubbs ngbe ssy aTe Tor for
eign corporal tions. with Headquarters
lin Boston. New York. or some olhel
place We don't know much apou
them The first thing 10 pc coilsld
The surety bond is not as good as
first class Kansas municipal or county
bond. The surety bond is intended t.
protect from dishonest individuals
: while in the case of a depository bank
: dishonesty is hardly the thing agalns,
which we have to protect ourselves.
The Cones amendment was de
probably the most important chang'
made in the bill was the amendmen
proposed by Mr.. Cones TO reduce TN
lamount of money which coulo De de
posted in anyone bank from 500.
mo- to $4,000. The object of thi
amendment was to scatter the none!
: among more banks, and keep the 70
49, banIrs from getting more thar
: their share This amendment wa
: It was also decided to fix forty a
the maximum number of banks to re
: ceive state funds on deposit, and tel
as the minimum.