Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1907-01-27
LEGISLATIVE GOSSIP
(By Staff Correspondent

road fare of two cents per mile on all | roads more than S5 miles in length, .pon the state books of Arkansas with in the next few days. The Senate committee on railroads closed the ! hearing on the Ross two-cent rate bill yesterday afternoon and decided | to return the measure to the Senate i with the recommendation that it do | pass, with two amendments which l were indorsed by the committee. One | of these amendments provides that the l maximum fare of two cents shall ap- ply to all roads more than S5 miles i in length, instead of 75 miles, as in the original bill. The other amend ment provides that fraction of mile may be regarded as a mile. The decision to return the bill with la favorable recommendation was reached after the attorneys for the trunk lines operating in Arkansas had appeared before the committee and declared that the passage of such a bill would result in an enormous defi- cit in the passenger earnings of the roads. T. M. Mehaffy, general attor- l ney for the Iron Mountain, stated l that last year the passenger earnings of the road were $14O,0OO but that un- der a two-cent rate there would be deficit next year of $372,272, accord ing to the estimates furnished him. J. T. Hicks, general attorney for the Rock Island, stated that the passen- ger business of that system was con- ducted at a loss in this state. He said that in 1906 the company lost 12-100 of one per cent on all it's pas lsenger traffic in the state He declar- ed that the road run the passenger trains for advertising and to make friends
 Wm. Driver appeared in behalf of the Jonesboro, Lake City and Eastern railroad. He declared that the road was built by home capital and would be seriously affected by the two-cent law. The road has recently been ex- tended, he said, and is now S2 miles long, just long enough to bring it within the provisions of the Ross bill
 The amendment making the bill ap- ply to roads more than S5 miles long was offered by Senator Milan, and it's purpose it understood to be to relieve the Jonesboro, Lake City and Eastern from the provisions of the bill. When it was suggested that this might be regarded as class legislation, it was contended that the amendment did not apply to this one road but would apply to all roads above the specified length.
 The bill, as amended, will permit roads from one to fifteen miles in length to charge five cents a mile, roads from fifteen to eighty-five miles in length, three cents per mile, and all roads more than eighty-five miles long two cents per mile.
 Amendments to permit the roads to charge four cents per mile if fare is paid on the train, were voted down by the committee.
 The Ross bill was railroaded through the House on the day after the reorganization of that body and it iy expected to pass the Senate by an Mlmost unanimous vote.
 I To Disinfect Chambers.
 The senate and house took the first lengthy recess of the present session today, when both branches of the legislature adjourned at noon until Monday morning.
 1 It is unusual for the house to adjourn on Friday until Monday and this action today was due to deter imitation upon the part of the mem- bers to have the hall in which the i sessions are held thoroughly cleaned. A resolution was introduced by MT. Rice, declaring that inasmuch as the hall of the house of representatives is in an unhealthy and unsanitary condition, impairing and endanger- ing the health and life of members, it was the sense of the house that the hall, lobby and stairway should
 be thoroughly cleaned and disin-
 fected. In order to have this work done, it was provided that the house should adjourn at noon today unlll Monday morning. The old senate
 rouse is in a bad condition and both the senate chamber and the hall of the house of representatives show the need of a thorough cleaning.
 To Restore Rosters.
 l A bill making an appropriation of
 s.D.oOO for the purpose of restor-
 ing the Confederate rosters, was in-