Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-04-29
IOWA JOINT FREIGHT RATES
Commission Will BERN Preliminary Hear
ings ct DeS MOinsS May 8.
QUESTION OF DIVISION TO COME UF
Railroads Propose Rate of Eighty Per
Cent of sum of Two Locals, While
Some Shippers Say This
is Too High.
(From a star Correspondents


DIES MONIES, April 2S.-(Special.)-
When the state railroad commissioners
meet May for the purpose OF beginning
the work of preparing joint freight rate
schedule it will be merely for the purpose
Of complying with the technicalities of
the law that requires that the commission
shall within ten days after the law goes
into effect AK a date for hearings, and
the date shall not be more than thirty
days distant The commission on May s
will only briefly outline some of the plans
for taking up the matter and will then
adjourn until May o. Since the matter OF
Joint freight rate is one of the most i'm
portant questions the board has had to
consider since 1t first put in the distance
tariff schedule, Il is attracting attention
OF shippers everywhere. There is also con-
siderable question as TO just how the
division should be made on a joint schedule
! Both the railroads and a committee of the
Manufacturers association have asked the
Railroad commission to make the Joint
rate about so per cent OF the total Of the
two locals. But the Manufacturers asso-
citation and the railroads alike may be
looking after their own interests much
more than the interests of the public gem
orally. There is no doubt but that argu-
Il
that the joint rate should be much less
than so per cent.
On shipment of 100 pounds twenty-five
miles, under the Iowa tariff the present
rate Is II cents and for seventy-f1ve miles
the rate is % cents for goods OF the first
/ class. The total of these Is 80 cents, and
80 per cent OF that total is S12 cents. The
rate for a shipment of 100 pounds for 100
miles over one system OF railroad is but
"a cents, and the arguments will therefore
be that joint rate Of 80 per cent Is too
high.
There is also some question in the minds
OF those who have given the matter study
as TO how the joint rate should be divided
and as 10 whether a railroad originating
the shipment should have a greater pro-
portion of the joint rate than the second
line TO which the shipment is transferred.
| No Trim Passes.
| While Attorney General Byers has not
been asked for any formal opinion in re-
gard to the new anti-pass law OF this
state. It is understood that he does moi
believe that the law permits the issuance
Of trip passes or tickets by the railroads
The claim by some that the law by Civ.
ing a railroad right to issue a pass TO an
attorney who gives all his time to the
| uuHLlehs OF the Iodu Can issue a Trip pass
10 an attorney who is TO give all his time
for that trip to the railroads business
Attorney General Byers holds that this il
in defeat Of the plain intent OF the law
The law intends to stop the Issuance OF
passes to every Tom, Dick and Harry
and II trip passes could be issued IN po
litcal times and other times as we'll, tn,
anti-pass law would be really OF no fore,
and effect Some OF the neWsuapers OF
Iowa have contained items to the effec
that the attorney general Of Nebraska has
given an opinion in which he holds tha
trip passes are permissible. Attorney Gen
eral Byers said today that he understood
the opinion holds that they are not legal
Colonel AucttOnesr Coming.
Colonies galore from all over Iowa viii
meet in this city June and and Il vii
pay any ordinary mortal with a plain M
70 his name TO stay away. for he win no