The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-11
FOR FREIGHT RATE
Senators VIII Pass a New Maxi
mum Law.
Will Apply Only to Wheat and
Corn.
CUT OF 90 PER CENT.
Probably Means Defeat of Two
Cent Fare.
Senators Say Freight Bill Is
More Important.

That some sort of legislation fixing
maximum freight rates, particularly in
regard to the tariffs on wheat and corn
will be enacted by the legislature, there
is little doubt. At any rate maximum
freight rate bill will go through the
senate, and it is likely that such a bill
will be framed up and favorably re-
ported by the members of the senate
railroad committee at a meeting which
they propose to hold tonight.
Two maximum freight rate bills have
been presented to the legislature. Both
of them are senate bills, one having
been presented by Senator Young and
the other by Senator Smith. The Young
bill provides for maximum rates on a
/ great variety of the products of the
Kansas farms and mines and other
materials which the natural resources
| of the state furnish. The Smith bill
| and wheat, the really two most i'm
portant products of the state. The
| maximum rates provided for in both of
these bills is about so per cent re-
| duction in the rates now charged by the
railroads for the hauls within the state.
This is particularly true of the Smith
bill.
And it is probable that the bill the
senate railroad committee decides to
report will be the Smith bill with GER
tain notifications. 1t is the opinion OF
a good many members of the commit
tee that so per cent reduction in these
rates is a trifle strong. Some of them
also believe that maximum freight
rate measure should also fix rates for
coal, cement and few other commodi
ties the rates on which are objection
able to the dealers in them. But wheth-
er or not rates for these commodities
will be incorporated in the bill is I'M
decided at this time and the committee
will thresh this question out at its
meeting.
the bill will be amended by the COM
mittee so as to fix a maximum rate on
wheat and corn which will be re-
duction OF the present rates, say of
between fifteen and twenty per cent
Most of the members believe that a re-
duction of thirty per cent would give
chance to the railroads to go to court
and attack the constitutionality of the
measure on the ground that thirty
per cent reduction would be of the
confiscatory order.
From talks with many senators the
understanding is that the railroads
will not put up much of fight against
a maximum rate measure that does
not make much of a reduction in the
present rates but the members of the
railroad committee believe that the
reduction ought to be sufficient to be
of some material benefit to the ship
pers and at the same time not of such
a nature as to do any injustice to the
railroad companies.
1t is known that the sc ntiment of 81
few more than a majority of the sem
atOrs are against two cent fare legis-
lation, on the grounds that they do not
believe the time is ripe for such a
compulsory reduction of passenger
fare in this state. These same Sena-
two cent fare legislation, do believe
that a maximum freight rate measure
of reasonable terms should be enacted
into law. The anti-two-cent fare SEN
1f hn1 bof he L nd oF
the farmers and other people of the
state are much more interested in leg
islation which will make a proper adj
justment of the rates on wheat and
fare proposition and these senators.
as we'll as all the other SEN
ators, are going to devote their en-
ergies to passing a maximum freight
rate bill that will be of material bene-
fit to the shippers of the state, and
also one which will not be so radical
that 1t may be attacked with success
in the courts by the railroads because
of any alleged confiscatory nature
which it may possess.
The opinion of a majority of the
senators is that a maximum freight
rate bill, making material reductions
of the state, will be of greater benefit |
to the people in general than reduc- |
ton of the passenger fare to two cents, |
and that the people on the other hand
rather than one in passenger rates. |
The argument is also put up by the |
senators that the railroads will be bet
ter able to stand a reduction in freight |
rates than they would in passenger |
rates; that reduction in freight rates |
to a reasonable figure would not inter- |
fere with the present freight service, |
while a reduction in passenger rates |
would materially interfere with the |
present passenger service, especially |
on the branch lines and would mean |
the discontinuance of many of the ex-
listing passenger trains on the main |
lines.
So under these conditions-this |
sentiment that is found to exist among /
the majority of the senators-it is |
safe to prophesy that a maximum |
freight rate bill, according to the lines /
detailed, will pass the senate and that |
the two cent fare legislation will be |
killed.
The members of the railroad COM
mittee are treating the two cent fare
and maximum freight rate measures
as entirely different propositions, but |
not so with the rest of the senator's
They do not feel that it would be right
to throw the gaf into the railroads too
strong on this rate cutting proposition
and think it more advisab BILE and to the
best interests of everybody to pass a
freight rate measure and
let the two cent fare proposition die.