The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-07-14

VA Congress- ad opted "a Joint resolution oYer
g year ago directing the Secretary or ttl.
Navy to L appoint q board which should
be charged with the duty Of making all
Investigation looking to the erection 5SOt
an arlnor plate&plant by the government.
When this recent session Of Congress- was
|; nearly y AN and g solution was rad opted
i calling on tho Secretary Of the I. avy fer
Information as Ii to the progress. OF thu
#invest igatlon. Secretary Bonaparte, le-
spending to the resolution of II Inquiry
said that nothing had 4 been idons; that
the resolution appeared to have been over
looked entirely. He promised. however,
that steps would be taken at once TO
convene the board of icers SO that.
would be ready to report on q the first
day OF the coming session OF Congress-
The government will probably erect
such plant. here ha $ been talk of e this
course for years. but the steel atrust9and
the N subsidiary ar1nor plate trust have
ibean able to block all attempts In . this
direction Public sent iment Is so strongly
against trusts these days however, tnat
1T would not be at all surprising If the
government undertook to make Its own
garmor. The smok eless Il powd erS & for the
navy Is now 5manufa ctured In a govern
5meht plant lat Indian Head , Va, and
the Qualifications billS;this. year carries
an item Of SIG, 900 for: tho erection OF a
plant for the manufacture OF smokeless
tor the army, The government builds
some vessels In government yards, ard
there would seem to be no greater obs
lection to the 5manufaoture Of 5armorEplhta
for! the vessels than the construction Of
Stlle yesse els up ST the point + whre they
We're read 81 to receive tho plate: H,
New Investigation.
=
Commerce Commission, by au-
sthorlty of i, the 4 United States Senate, of
the elevator grain-bu ying and Z forward
Ing business i Of the scountry j, to determine
to what HI extent special faYors have been.
granted TO them by railroad 5companies:S
the nfluence which tho a LEGGED nlonopo-8
Hing 2of9 this bra nclS Of business has had
upon the nnarke s tho injury It has worked
to grain producers; the extent to which
railroads, their officers. directors, stock
no Aers, and emp oyes own or con troll the
igrain-huying and grnin-f forwarding COM
.panies; and the + manner In which such
holdings, s II any, were sc cured " NJ
Ell The Senate adopted q resolut ton direct
Ing the Interstate Commerce Commission!
to make a thorough i Inquiry along the
lines Ind lcatod HI mi the judgment Of the
commission, this investigation involves
securing Immediately items of 4 informa-s
SIlOll IIuIIl SaNIleTHt lsttSSuB|!lttlo
itransportatlonf Of grain ms nterstateS oola-i
1nerce.s InS 4purs anoe OF the resolution.
therefore, the commits Ion has sent a Cir,
,cular letter to every railroad corporation
in>Sthe United States, requesting Its reg
sponsIble officials ito furnish to the COM
mission as, soon as pre- oticab BILE the infor-g
nation which will /, bile 1t to, report
to Congress next Dece Der. 4 .is II 4
It la expected BY the commits sion that It
Will require three or four months to- obs
tain the III formation asked Tor In Its
circular letter, but no special difficulty
Is anticipated ultimately In obtaining II,
The Investigation Instituted by the CONS
mission VIII be thorough and sweeping.
ard the commission expects to \ be q bla{
at the BEGINNING of the next session at
Congress- to lay be- fore the sen to such lr-s.
formation an may be- Of lue to " In the,
formulation Of eglslation regulating the
interstate grain tEatlo .Sof the country,
Imp oTtant . Decision,
v The interstate 4 Commerce commission
handed down a decision to-day In a case
affecting the Norfolk and Western Rail-
way and coal rates, q he case ls STYLED
50, j. ia Mari s. D Son VS. 3 n orfalk nd
,Western Raj lway Comp ny,;;3 II ock lng VAIL
LEI Railway Comp " ~ aRyd IN W Erie