Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1906-02-08
HEPBURN'S RATE
BILL PASSES
House Overwhelnn-
ingly Adopts
Measure.
ONLY SEVEN AGAINST It.
Gives Interstate Commerce
Commission Power Over
Railway Rates.

Washington, Feb S.--The House
today passed the Hepburn railroad
rate bill by vote of 342 to T. Those
voting against the bill were Littlefeld,
Mccall. Perkins, Sibley, Southwick,
Vreeland and Week.
ALI who voted against the bill were
Republicans. Sullivan of Massachu
setts voted present and was not pair.
ed. There were twenty-eight members
paired, but these pairs were generally
political ones. None of them were
made upon the bill, and consequently
did not Indicate opposition. The PEN
sion bill was then taken up in the
committee OF the whole
Substance of Bill.
Washington, D. c., Feb. S.-Follow
ing is the summary of the Hepburn
railroad rate bill on which the House
voted today: The bill, according to
Hepburn, was intended, and did, so
far as 1t could be made to, comply
specifically with the recommendations
of President Roosevelt on the rate
question.
1t gives the interstate commerce
commission authority, when the rate
has been complained of as "unreason-
able" by the shipper, to investigate
the rate, state whether or not it is
unreasonable, and if found to be un-
reasonable, to name rate which Is
to be just and reasonable and fairly
remunerative, which Is to be the maxi
mum rate charged.
How Fixed.
This rate is SO fixed as to 60 into
effect thirty days after it is an
nounced by the commission, subject
during that time to be set aside or
suspended by the commission or the
courts. After it has gone into effect,
it is to remain for three years.
Another important feature, is the
definition of the words Railroad and
Transportation, in a manner to
include all the auxiliary instrumentali-
ties OF common carrier and to bring
them within the control of the com
mission. These are the new features
and all the other provisions are mod;
fications of the existing law
They include publicity of railroad
methods, which is to be aided by o
prescribing system of bookkeeping,
and enlarging the commission to seven
members and increasing their salaries
to $4,000 year.
Land for Gallup.
Washington, D. c., Feb. S.-Delegate
w. H. Andrews this morning intro
duced a bill in the House of Repre-
sentatives granting to the town OF
Gallup 100 acres of public land ad.
joining the town site for municipal
purposes The delegate also intro
duced a bill granting an increased
pension to Gottlieb I[unzaker Of New
Mexico.
Delegate Andrews. National Com
mitteeman Solomon Luna and Terri.
torial Secretary J. w. Reynolds today
appeared before the House commit
tees on Territories and on public
lands and advocated the passage of
bills beneficial to the Territory 50 far
introduced by Delegate Andrews.
For Water Users.
Special to The New Mexican.
Washington, D. G., Feb. S.-United
States District Attorney W. Fl. Fl.
Llewellyn, H. B. Holt, president Of the
Elephant Butte Water Users AssOcia.
tion, and r. L. Young, all Of Las Cru
ces, the committee appointed to con-
fer with the Secretary of the Interior
in the settlement of questions arising
out OF the construction Of the Ele-.
phant Butte reservoir system in the
Rio Grande Valley by the United
States Reclamation Service, were with
the Secretary Of the Interior this fore
noon and held a long consultation with
that official. Results cannot yet be
announced.