Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-10-15
Strike Causes Car SHORTAGE.

Strike Causes Car Shortage.
Des Moines.-With the heavy ship.
| ping period of the harvest season just
opening, the car shortage in Iowa is
already acute. Complaints are COM
Ing in to the Iowa Grain Dealers as
ISOLATION and there is prospect of
legal action.
On the Great Western and the I'LL
nols Central dealers with their eleva-
tors full have been unable to get cars
for from 10 days to two weeks. In
some cases there seems so little hope
OF moving the grain that dealers have
covered it with insurance. This con-
dition is fairly general in the state
and with each day it grows more
acute. The danger of the situation
lies ahead. For If the transportation
facilities are inadequate now in~a few
weeks there will be a hopeless tie-up
! OF the crops of the state.
The rush to ship now is due largely
to the pertinent fact that grain is
high. The market has about reached
the height of its annual crescendo.
There is more likelihood of decline
than of advance. And this eagerness
to profit by the market is fruitless
Relying upon the law enacted at its
suggestion last year, the Iowa Grain
Dealers association, representing ele.
vators with capacity of about 49,
900, 900 bushels, will probably have
formal complaint fled before the
board of railroad commissioners
shortly. Under. this new statute the
burden of proof is on the railroad to
SHOW Its equipment and why the dis.
trlbution Is not just. In addition the
commission has the authority to order
the railroad to increase its equip
ment to meet reasonable demands.
This power places them in absolute
control of the situation should they
choose to act.
1t is maintained by the railroads
that the car shortage so early in the
season is due largely to the shop
troubles general in this state. The
strike of the Great Western has Grip,
pied that roads service badly And
at the Rock Island yards at Valley
junction there are nearly 400 cars
tied up. Most of them are there for
repairs, but some are loaded and
merely side-tacked for lack of motive
power. In one instance Fort Dodge
shipper traced a car and found it had
laid at Valley Junction for the better
part CT two weeks while the consumer
IN Nebraska kicked in vain. This
decentralization of the freight business
is abnormal. 1t is at this time that
all cars are needed in the grain.
states. The lack Of men to repair
them has put the several roads far
behind In their business when they
most need to have things in good
running order.
There are in the United States
close to 100000 freight cars. At
this time of the year it is usual to
have more than the states share of
cars drift this way to be in readiness
for moving the crops. Not only are
the cars not here, but those that are
are in poor condition, and under the
rules OF the interstate commerce com,
mission the cars must be in safe con,
dition before they may be used,
Inebriates Fear Knoxville Home.
Not only is the institution curing
more than half of the patients com.
nitted to it, but in at least fifty
counties of the state the work be,
ing done at the Knoxville hospital
for inebriates ia having deterrent
eject upon the persons eligible to
commitment in that Institution.
These statistics have been gathered
by Superintendent Osborn of the in,
stftution. who sent out a letter re,
Gently to the clerks in the eight-nine
counties which have patients in the
hospital, making this inquiry:
st HIn ynur Oninion hoe fbo bocr;%o1
eferted deterrent : influence over
those not actually committed?"
6ixty-Qine of the eighty-nine coun,
ty clerks replied. Of the sixty.ntne.
fifty clerks answered the inquiry In
the Affirmative. But four answered
IN the negative. Fifteen were silent
on the question.
Superintendent Osborn also has re,
ceived reports from these siyty-nina
county clerks of the state in regard
to the conduct of parallel and escaped
patients fFem those counties for the
year ending June 80. 1907, sshowing
that Of 231 patients paroled last year
1T have become total abstainera and
81 improved. Requests for reports
were sent to eighty.nine counties hay,
Inf patients In the hospital, but no
response was received from twenty,
Teachers Wages Going Up In iowa.
Substantial increase in the wages
OF Iowa teachers is shown by the re.
ports from more than sixty county
superintendent to State Superintend,
ent Riggs in response to series on
Inquiries recently promulgated by
him. =. + :
A very large majority of the eaun,
tieG report that IN most Of their dis.
tricts the average rate al wages paid
TO teachers has been advanced.
fhe reports of the county superin,
tendents also show that there is not
such shortage of the supply of
teachers as the people have thought,
Probably it is larger than, in FORMER.
years, but not suhstah,iaEy. greater.
OH Yaust ~ Suit.
As the result Of a deeisien made
by Judge Miller a $4,000 damage
quit against the Standard OIL com;
pany Will be tried in district cour,
seme time this term.
r, s, Dunshee. assignee of the
Crystal Oil Company, brought suit
against the Standard for damages.
claiming that the trust had driven
the smaller concern out Of business
The Standards atterheys moved thai
the case he dismissed, claiming tina,
IT was barred by the statute a limi
tations, but Judge Miller oyerrulee
the motion.
Primary Will Decide IL.