Omaha daily bee., 1906-12-09
REPORT OF RAILWAY COMMISSION
Increase is shown in Amount of Taxes
Paid by Roads,

Increase is Shown in Amount of Taxes
Paid by Roads,
SIOUX FALLS, s. D., Dec. S.-(Special.)
Considerable matter of statewide interest
is contained in the seventeenth annual re-
port Of the Board Of Railroad Commission
ers of South Dakota, an advance copy Of
which has been furnished to The Bee cor
respondent by William H. Stanley, secre-
tary Of the board. The report will be
printed in book form In time for distribu-
ton among the members of the legisls-
ture in January.
The report shows the taxes paid by the
railroad cOmpau MES with lines in South Da-
kota during the year ending June 80. last,
amounted TO an aggregate of $685.. 72OO6, an
increase OF Sl3.0O2.05 over the last prior
fiscal year. Reference to the detailed state
ments OF complaints filed with the board
during the year disclose that, while an un-
usually large number of cases have been
considered. q large proportion of them have
been satisfactorily adjusted without the
| trouble and expense incident TO formal
hearings and Investigations. and where or
ders have been made by the board during
the past year they have, with on excep-
ton, been uniformly obeyed without re-
! course to the courts for the enforcement
of the orders
Warehouse licenses 20 the number OF
| LOS were issued by the board during the
fiscal year covered by the report. This
is an increase Of 1877 over the previous
year, and an increase of 1Ss over the year
1904
The railroad commissioners recommend
that the legislature enact a law requiring
grade crossings to be properly protected
by interlocking and deraillng appliances al
Il oil vyha In. ind %
commission. the safety Of the public re-
quires It. This would also avoid the ne.
cessity OF stopping all trains before pro.
ceedinE over grade crossings so protected
and would save much time in the opera,
ton OF trains. The legislature also 1.
urgently recommended to enact law
making It unlawful in South Dakota foi
any railroad company TO either compe
or permit any railroad conductor, engineer
fireman, brakeman or other employ,
actually engaged In the running or opera
ton OF trains TO work for a longer periot
than sixteen consecutive hours out OF ever
twenty-four.
! owing to the uncertainty OF the authoritl
OF the railroad commissioners IN case
where It is desired TO have connectinj
. tracks constructed at points where IN
lines OF different railroad companies inter
sect % as 70 permit the transfer iron
D the track OF one railroad company 20 tn
track OF another Of loaded and empty car
4 designed for transportation upon bot
4 roads, the commissioners ask the enact
! ment Of laws authorizing the board to or
der the construction OF such conneotin
: tracks and definitely prescribing the pro
3 cedure IN such cases.
It is recommended in the report tha
d sufhcient laws be enacted making Il un
lawful for any railroad company to clos
or abandon any passenger or freight sta
4 tion, or 70 remove the station buildin
J: from any station, or to withdraw an agen
from any station where an agent has ono
!. been employed without first obtaining IN
/, written consent Of the railroad commits
! sioners.