Morris tribune., 1907-02-16

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it of dollar day to be applied on
the balance of the consignments, on
future shipments received or to be
settled in cash at the end of thirty
days. How this would work out wac
explained by Mr.. Nolan by taking as
an illustration a trainload of hay con-
signed to party in st. Paul. Under
ordinary circumstances it is physical
impossibly to unload such trsinlosd
in forty eight hours, but consignor
in unloading ten cars in twenty four
hours would have an additional day
to unload another ten cars. This be
claimed would work both to the ao-
vantage of the road and the shipper.
The road would get part of it's cars
quicker to use where cars were need
ed and the consignee would have
more free time to unload his hay.
But there is still another provision
in this section, placed there with
view of making the benefits recipro
cal. Should the railroad company fur
nish empty cars to shippers within the
prescribed limit of forty eight hours
at terminals and seventy two hours at
intermediate stations, it would be en-
titled to credit for the unused time
at the rate of dollar a day. That is,
supposing a Northfeld shipper order
ed six cars and the railroad, instead
of taking the full three days to deliv-
err those cars, furnished them within
twenty -four hours, the railroad would
have credit as against the shipper
of $1,000 to apply on future cars or
dered if not furnished in time to be
settled in cash at the end OF the
month.
Provision is made, however, that if
either consignee or consignor choose
they may waive this provision.
1t was against this latter clause
that Mr.. Spooner first offered strenn-
Gus objection. He expressed the
greatest adherence of a provision
which permitted the railroads to exact
from shippers a premium for doing
that which it was their plain duty to
do. At the hearing last Monday he
dwelt upon and reiterated this OBJ
lection. He also disapproved of the
wording of the entire section as am
biguous.
Finally, after the whole matter was
threshed over, Mr.. Spooner offered an
amendment which cleared up the am
biguous phraseology of the section
and made it's meaning clear as above
outlined This having been adopted.
he offered an amendment to it which
took. away the provision by which
railroads were rewarded for the
prompt service which it was their
duty to render.
To this Mr.. Nolan demurred, CON
tending that if il were adopted the
section would be unfair to the rail
roads, as it would not give them epni-
valent advantages to those conferred
on shippers. Ultimately, however, ne
deferred to Mr.. Spooner's view and
consented to the amendment which
on motion, was adopted by the com
mittee.
"Now, Mr.. Spooner," said Mr..
Nolan, II presume as your draft of
this clause and your amendment TO il
has been accepted, the clause as 3
whole meets with your approval
Being thus pinned down it trans
PRED that although Mr.. Spooner mad
appeared to approve the general pro-
visions of the bill by arguing objec-
tons to it made by John Lennon of
Minneapolis, the only man who openly
! attacked it in the committee, he was
really opposed to the principle OF the
| bill and to the measure as a whole,
Urged to specify the particular sec
tons to which he objected, with the
exception of the Klein amendment,
| he launched out in a speech in which
he quoted at some length from his
| election platform to show how earnest
| railroad reformer he was and in
which he referred to what had beer
"misnamed the reciprocal demnrrage
bill" He admitted, however, thai
the measure was demanded by popu.
lar sentiment, and because it was
although it did violence to his lega
education and to his view of What was
admissible under the constitution h.