The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1907-01-25
10 CHOP OFF SIX JUDGES
BILL TO CHANGE NEBRASKA DIS
TRIcT DIVISION.
WOULD AFFECT NORTH PORTION
Saving Of $4,000 to the State is Ar.
gued as Favorable Feature-Eiehth,
Ninth and Tenth Districts are to be
Shaken UP In the Shift.

gued as Favorable Feature-Eiehth,
Ninth and Tenth Districts are to be
Shaken up In the Shift.
Lincoln, Neb., Jan. Especial to
The News: A bill eliminating six of
the district judges of the state, thus
saving Nebraska about 100000, enough
to pay the expenses of the new railway
commission for two years, has been
introduced by Senator King of Polk
county. The district judges of the
state have numbered twenty-eight, and
according to the bill, twenty-five can
do the necessary work. This involves
essential changes in the judicial APP
portionment of the northeastern part
duction of one judge from the First
judicial district, one from the Third,
two from the Fourth, and one from the
Eleventh. and enough other districts
to make total of six.
The Seventh judicial district is en-
tirely changed, being made to consist
of the counties dropped from the
Fourth, Fifth and Sixth districts,
namely, Saunders, Dodge, Washington
and Burt counties.
The new Ninth judicial district Is
the same as the present Eighth, con
sisting of Cunning, Stanton, Dixon, Da-
kota, Cedar and Thurston counties.
Ninth to be Tenth.
The new Tenth judicial district is
the same as the present Ninth, con-
sisting of Wayne, Madison, Antelope,
Pierce and Knox counties.
The Sixteenth judicial district shall
consist of Holt, Boyd, Keya Paha,
Brown, Rock, Blaine, Loup and Gar
field counties.
The bill provides that there shall be
five judges Of the district court in the
Fourth district, two in the Third, and
one in each of the remaining districts,
the judges in the new districts to be
elected at the general election in No
vember, 1907, and every four years
thereafter. Provision is made that the
present judges shall hold their posi-
tons until the expiration of their
terms.
Railway Commission.
DR.. Winnett, who has been investi
eating the work of the Iowa railway
commission and Commissioner Will
liams, who has been doing the same
in regard to the Kansas commission
last night made reports before the
joint committee to draft railroad legis
lation.
DR.. Winnett reported that the Iowa
commission had acted on about SOC
complaints in 1906, settling them with
out hearing, the required conces
sions usually being made by the rail
roads He declared that the work OF
the Iowa commission has resulted in
a great saving to shippers, Though
the rates made in 1888 have not been
greatly changed, the classification OF
commodities has, and as a result the
charges on important commodities in
Iowa are in many instances much
probable that there will be lowering
of the rates in the near future. Little
has been done in Iowa with the pas
senger schedules, though there is {
general demand for a two-cent rate
The joint charges where two or three
roads haul are very high in Iowa, ant
the state commission is now wrestling
with that problem.
Rates have been considerably re
duced in Kansas, said Mr.. Williams
though the scope of powers of the
commission in that state is much mar
rover than that of the Iowa commits
sion. He expressed a belief that rat,
making powers of wider scope art
needed by commission to make tn,
work most effective. More power il
now being asked by the Kansas com
mission, the work of which has beef
confined chiefly to minor matters ant
settling the grievances between ship
pers and the roads.
2-Cent Fare Goes over.
The house railroad committee yes
terday recommended for postpone
ment the twOcent passenger fare bill
by Representative Whitman of John
son, and the flat two-cent passenge
rate seems to have few advocates
though perhaps n reduction to p
cents will be agreed upon. The queS
ton of whether the commissioner
shall be empowered to make rates il
the first instance or to regulate then
thereafter is one of the most import
ant before the committee Thes
problems will be taken up with vieN
to definite action at the next sessio
which will be held on Tuesday.