The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-13
THIS MEANS MUCH
Bill Passes Senate to Regulate
Terminals.
Would Force All Roads to Keep
Them In State.
COULD BE REACHED.
Prevent Hiding Behind Inter-
state Commerce Law.
City Officers Won't Be Elected
i'm Fall.

| with an unanimous vote and without
| any debate. 1t is the bill introduced by
Senator Noftzger and is designated in
common parlance as the terminal ia
! cilities bill"
1t seeks to give the board of rail-
road commissioners power to compel
the railroads operating in the state to
| establish adequate freight terminals ia
cilities in, or in the vicinity of, Kansas
| City, Kan. Under present conditions
about all the grain, live stock and other
products of the Kansas farms which
are shipped to Kansas City for hand
| ling there and distribution from there
to other parts of the country are billed
| by the railroads to Kansas City, Mo-,
| and this of course makes this trafhc OF
! an interstate order and the state poaro
| of railroad commissioners have no Jur-
| isdiction over the rates on this class
of traffic.
| Although billed to Kansas City, Mo-,
| it is current knowledge that this traffic
! Is handled to a great extent on the
Kansas side of the state line. This
| Noftzger bill seeks to compel the rail-
roads to -esta blish freight terminal IA
| cilities, or depots within Kansas to
which this traffic can be billed. If the
measure becomes law and is opera
tive the state board of railroad COM
missioners will have jurisdiction over
lot of rates on grain and live stock
| traffic in the state which it does not
enjoy now.
railroad committee of the senate the
railroad attorneys, who were heard on
the matter, did not make any serious
objection to favorable action on the
measure. 1t is believed that their ac-
Quiescence to the measure is due to the
fact that there is some defect in the
bill which the courts will detect, and
that it will be imperative. Those back
of the measure, however, are unable to
find this defect if it does exist.
Of
the senate this morning was taken up
with the consideration of bills on the
order Of third reading and among the
bills on this order were several of I'M
portance. The bill introduced by Sena-
tor Waggener amending the present
laws so as to exempt the homestead
property of veterans of the civil war;
not to exceed 81 200 in actual value.
from taxation, had hard shedding to get
through A good many senators were
working in committee rooms when II
came up and on the first roll call there
were not enough votes to pass 1t. A
number of senators were gathered in
and the bill was passed by vote of
% to 8, Senators Benson Fitzgerald,
Getty, Harrison and Martin Of Wood |
son voting in the negative.
The bill substituted for Senator |
Smiths bill on the con1scation of coal
by railroads by the senate railroad |
committee was passed. AS passed the |
bill provides that when a railroad |
company confiscates coal while in |
transit it shall be compelled to pay |
double its invoieed price or twice its |
market value. The bill passed by an |
unanimous vote and without debate.
The measure introduced by Senator |
Porter of Crawford changing the time |
of election of city officers in cities of /
the first class from spring until fall |
was killed, the enacting clause being |
stricken out on a motion by Senator
Young. This was agreeable to Senator |
Porter the author of the bill He said |
that if the bill should become a law it |
might interfere with the plan for gov |
eminent of cities by commission, and
he thought his measure ought to die. |
other bills were passed as follows:
BY Senator Stewart Extending the I
time from 10 to II years for the pay
ment of internal improvement bonds !
for paving or repaving in cities of the |
first class
BY Mr.. W. Y. MISUNDERSTANDING
certain official acts and proceedings or
boards of education in cities of the
second class of over ten thousand IN
habitants.
BY Senator Brewer-Providing for
the registration of trade marks and /
other marks of ownership and to pro-
tect the owner thereof in his rights.
By committee on banks and bank
ing-Seeking to prevent express COM
panies from doing banking business.
By committee on charitable institu-
the employment OF
an additional stenographer by the |
state board of control
BY Senator Young-Permitting ac-
tions against common carriers to be
brought in any county through which
their lines run. Under the present
law an action against common car
riers for damages for personal in !
juries can only be brought in the /
county where the accident occurred.
BY Senator Young-Providing reg I
uIations for cities of the second and 4
third class when they desire to annex
contiguous territory.
BY Mr.. Hendricks@Providin for /
the use of transcripts from the files of Il
the State Historical society when coun-
ty official records are lost, stolen, or
destroyed.
By Mr. Kiff-Permitting county
commissioners to obtain plats and field II
notes of the original United States sur
veys of lands in their counties and for
their filing in the office of register of
deeds.
By Senator Carver.-Amending the
Barnes high school law so that county
superintendents may levy the tax for
the maintenance of such schools In
case the county commissioners fail 10
do so.
BY Senator Martin of Bourbon.-Re-
vising in several particulars the mill
tary law of the state relating to the OPP
Grafton of adjutant generals depart
ment.
BY Senator Observation-Disclosures
cities with population of $4,000 20
vote $500 a year and all other cities
500 a year for the proper observance
of Memorial day, the money to be ex-
pended under the direction of the G. a.
r. posts in the cities.
BY Senator Martin of Bourbon
s2,500 for the purchase
for the purpose of turning 1T into a
state armOry-