Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-07-11

Gov. Hughes of New York has signed
the bill making sixteen hours the maxi
mum days work for all trainmen or 9TH
ers connected with train service.
The representative of eighteen Missouri
railroads has asked the United States
District Court of Kansas City to restrain
the State from enforcing the 2-cent pas
senger rate law, and also from enforcing
the live stock rates enacted by the last
Legislature The new passenger law was
to 60 into effect Friday.
Unresisted by Hartman, the Rock ISL
and Company has declared it's purpose
of running the Alton system hereafter
without the help of the Union Pacific,
the joint control to be cancelled after a
trial period of two years. This action
is understood to be due in some measure
to the investigations of the Interstate
Commerce Commission.
By sustaining the constitutionality of
the Duffield act taxing second-class rail-
road property at the local tax rate, the
New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals
saves millions of dollars to the State.
which must come from the Golfers of the
railroads. The same principle is involved
in the Perkins law taxing the main stems
at the average tax rate, law still before
the State Supreme Court.
Stuyvesant Fish, former president of
the Illinois Central. who had been adver-
tised to address the Economic Club of
New York on the subject, rs the Over
capitalization of Railroads an Evil"
recently, surprised his hearers by an
nouncing that he could not speak on the
subject because he did not believe the
railroads We're overcapitaliZed. Henry
CleYs proposed that all interstate rail-
roads employ a man whose sole duty
should be to report crooked transactions
to the interstate commerce commission
and to the executive committee of the
road. 1t was the first meeting of the new
club composed of prominent business and
professional men. similar to one in Paris
and another in Boston the purpose being
to discuss public interests seriously.
The Chicago. Rock Island and Pacific
railroad pleaded guilty to two of the
twelve counts of the indictment brought
by the federal grand jury at New York,
charging rebates in favor of the sugar
trust. District Attorney Stimson said
that the government would be lenient
toward those roads which, by pleading
guilty, showed that they intended to obey
the law in future. The court imposed a
fine of $1,000 each for the two counts.
President Hill of the Great Northern is
fighting the indictment on similar charges
against his road, having filed a demurrer
alleging that the commerce act under
(which ba oh hronub+ ssiS lie
criminatory and unconstitutional be-
cause the same restrictions are not laid
against companies transporting wholly by
water; also in so far as it aims to pun
ish criminally the defendant for acts done
by its agents.
James ]. Hill, president of the Great
Northern, upon arriving at New York
the other day, gave to the press an in
terView, in which he said that eventually
he believed that the government would be
forced to lend it's credit to the railroads
in order to finance their necessities. based
upon the demands of the public for better
conditions of the service, and that this
would eventually lead to government own
ershlp Of the railroads. He added, how
ever, that if such a thing comes to pass
1t would mean the end of Republican gov
eminent.
Representatives of the Carnegie and !
Bethlehem Steel companies have been in |
conference at Pittsburg over the recent |
general outcry of railroad men against |
the quality of the rails being furnished. |
In an interview Charles NJ. Schwab, for !
mer head of the steel trust, said it was |
true that many accidents were due to the |
poor quality of rails. He said he wanted |
not only an oPen-hearth rail made, but |
nickel ailoyed, or Harveyized, rail, which /
could be depended on forever. The steel |
men say they have agreed on new de-
sign OF rail to be submitted to the COM
mittee OF the American Railway Asso-
citation.