Omaha daily bee., 1907-04-26
RAILROADS FILING RATES
Union Pacific Dumps . Packing Gaze Full
in Railway Commission Office.
SECOND OF ROADS TO FILE SCHEDULES
state Omcia1s Talk of Testing Ruling
NJ 20 whether ola Appropriation
Lapse March 31-FunernI of
Mrs. sheldon.
From a stan Correspondent

From a stan Correspondent
LINCOLN, April 25.-(special.)-A mass OF
documents filling a dry goods box nearly to
the brim was carted into the office of the
State Railway commission today and de-
livered over to the custody Of that body.
The papers represented the freight and
passenger tariff schedules in force on the
Union Pacific railroad, both for state and
interstate business. e. b. Slosson general
agent of the Union Pacific in Lincoln made
the delivery with the aid Of a van.
Agent Slosson's action was in conform
ance with the law enacted by the recent
legislature requiring all railroad companies
transactlng business in Nebraska to file
their schedules with the commission. The
Union Pacific is the second railroad to
recognize the law the Northwestern being
the first. The statute specifies that all
schedules shall be on file not later than
April "a of each year. The Burlington,
Missouri Pacific, Rock Island and the
others are expected to make their deliveries
tomorrow.
The commission is also flooded with rate
schedules sent in by upward Of 100 indie
pendent telephone companies, which also
are required by the law to file copies of
their rate charges with the commission.
With the schedules coming from the rail-
roads, express companies, street car COM
panies. interurban lines. telephone com
panies and telegraph companies, the office
Of the commission bids fair to be over
crowded with documents taxing both the
office force and the capacity OF the com
missions headquarters in the capital. It
will be n new deal in Nebraska to witness
the subservience OF the various public serv-
Ice corporations to the law OF the state,
but all Of them are expected to fall into
line and respect the statute.
In the two weeks time since the rail-
way commission organized it's correspond
ence has grown to a point where the Office
force is fairly swamped in taking care of
1t. From fifty to a hundred letters are
coming in every day, and a large proper
ton Of them require answers. In addition,
it is necessary to notify the railroads and
other carriers Of grievances coming before
the commission II this condition keeps
up for any length of time It will become
! necessary to provide more stenographical
| help. Something over $1,000 still remains
| In the $4,000 fund allowed by the legisla-
! ture, for salaries of the commission and it's
| assistants, after deductng what the six
persons now at work there will receive for
their services during the biennium. This is
enough to employ an additional stenogra-
| pher and still have few hundred dollars
! left.
Corporations Becoming Alarmed.
Secretary of State Junlkin and his as
sistants have their hands full just at
present answering kilograms and letters
OF inquiry in regard to s. F. No. 1853 and
fling reports in conformity with that act.
This is Kings bill requiring all foreign
corporations doing business in the state
to file with the secretary of state and with
-,
they have their principal offlces in Ne
braska, a statement as TO their principal
place of business. the location of their
branch ONCE in this state and the name
OF the person In charge. They are also
required to appoint the state auditor their
agent, upon whom service may be had
in all suits and other matters. The bill
carried the emergency clause and gave
the corporations twenty days in which
to comply with its provisions, the time
being up today. Failure to comply with
the law subjects a corporation to a fine
of $1,000 and only a small percentage OF
them have thus far complied. II Is stated
that the time allowed is altogether too
short and that many Of the companies
do not yet know OF the passage of the
act. Others have just been informed ant
are rushing in the papers as quickly as
possible. Secretary of State Junkin states
that though he regards the main provisions
of the law as meritorious. It will be {
money loser for his office The fees re-
quired are only 30 cents. which is no
enough to pay for sending out the blanks
keeping the records and doing the othe
things required. The county officer Wit
records the reports required. Is allowed
nothing for the work.
Want Lapsed Appropriations.
It is probable that mandamus suit will
soon be begun in the supreme court to de
termine whether appropriations made b,
the 1906 legislature lapsed March 81 OF thu
current year. as is contended by the at
torney general Food Commissioner Red
fern. who had about 1880 left over from
the last biennium, will In all lkelIhoo,
bring the suit. It was his intention to us
the money to equip his office with labora
tory paraphernalls such as will be re
quired under the more amplified food drul
and dairy law. but by reason OF the at
torney generals opinion. the auditor ha
refused to draw warrants against the oil
appropriation. The state constitution say
that the legislature shall make appropria
lions 20 run until the end OF the FRS
fiscal quarter after the next legislativ
session. Thus appropriations made by tn
1905 Legislature would be available unit
July / of this year. The appropriation
- made by the 1905 legislature. however
we're made with the provision that the
, should cease March 81, 1907 1t is deeme
questionable whether the legislature ha
the power to make any such limitation 4
the face of the provision OF the constitu
ton. and this is what the court will b
asked to pass upon. The board OF publ
l. - a. -