The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1907-03-13
TRANSLATES VERY LITTLE
BUSINESS.
n
BILLS AFFECTING RAILROAD AND
TELEPHONE COMPANIES
INTRODUCED.


measures of Importance being intro
duced. The house was not in session
A bill introduced by Senator L. O..
Thorpe Of Willmar prohibits the sale
of intoxicating liquors within one mile
Of any United States military reserva-
ton within the state. The soldiers at
Fort Smelling now can get drink by
simply crossing the bridge at the en-
trance to the reservation, but under
this bill they will have to 60 a mile
for one.
A similar bill has been introduced
In the house.
All conveyances of real estate made
by separate deed of husband and wife
within the past five years are legalized
by bill introduced by Senator s. F.
Alderman of Brainerd. The convey
ances are declared legal and valid and
the records of such conveyances here
tofore made or within sixty days after
the passage of the bill, actually rec
corded, are declared to be In all re-
spects legal
TO Prohibit Discrimination.
A bill to prohibit discrimination by
telephone companies between persons
and localities in rates and telephone
rentals and incorporating the long and
short haul principle of railroad rates
as applied to telephone service was in
troduced by Senator H. E. Hanson of
Window. The bill makes it unlawful
for any company to establish any rate
or rates for the transmission of a
message over its line, or rentals there
of, which are unreasonably low or in
adequate, for the purpose and with
the intent to prevent any other person
or company from continuing in such
business or with intent to injure or
impair the business of any other COM
pany. 1t also prohibits giving, for the
purpose of injuring or impairing the
business of another company, any
preference or advantage in rates to
any town or locality, person or corpo-
ration, or to give in any manner to
any person or: company or locality
any rate not established or published
as a rate for the same message for the
same distance in any other locality, or
to charge telephone rental in any
locality greater than charged for the
same service In any other locality.
A bill substituting a petition to the
railroad and warehouse commission
for a petition to the district court by
railroads desiring to abandon a part
Of their lines, and making other
amendments to the present law relat-
ing to the abandonment or closing to
traffic of railroad lines, was introduced
by Senator Frank Clague of Lamber-
ton.
Amends Sections of the Code.
The bill amends the three sections
Of the 1905 code relating to this SUBJ
ject, the first of which is section 203S,
which provides that no railroad COM
pany shall cease operating line the
construction whereof has been helped
by public aid or local subscription ex-
cept as provided in section 2039. The
amendment covers all railroads and
specifically includes in its prohibition
against abandonment "any stdetrack,
siding, spur or other track Of any kind
which has once been opened and used
for business"
Section 2039 provides for petition
to the district court and Jury trial
on the petition in order to authorize a
company which has received such pub
lie aid to abandon part Of its line.
The amendment proposed in this bill
provides that any company desiring
to abandon cor close for traffic" any
portion of its line shall first make ap-
plication to the railroad and ware
house commission. The commission
shall fix a date for public hearing on
the question, and if satisfied that the
abandonment or closing Of the line or
siding will not result in any substan-
tial injury to the public, the commits
sion may allow the petition, otherwise
1t shall be denied or the commission
may grant it in modified form.
Shortens the Time.
Section 2O40 provides that when
any company shall have abandoned,
taken up or ceased to operate its lines
for sixty consecutive days without
having complied with the provisions
Of the preceding section, any town,
municipality or individual which has
issued bonds or given promissory
notes or other things of value to such
railroad may recover the same or its
value in an action in the district court
The bill amends this section by inolud-
ing the closing of any portion of the
line for thirty days within the causes
which will enable the recovery of the
amount of aid given the road, and
adds a provision that the aid must
have been given as an inducement or
in aid Of the construction of the line
ceased to be operated or closed for
traffic.
The joint Investigating committee,
Of which W. A. Nolan is chairman
heard testimony in behalf of lumber
manufacturers and also coal dealers.
The gist Of the testimony was to the
effect that there is no combine to
control prices of either coal or lumber.