Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-11-18
Few States Of the Nation Have
Done Anything Toward Reg
ulation of Rates
lowA's COMMISSION TO ACT
Will Meet Tuesday to F'romuleate
Maximum Express Charges-Com
panes Charge What They Please in
Majority of States-Merchants Anx-
ious to Secure State Warrants.
Special to 1imes-Repuolican.

Special to mes-Republican.
Des Moines, Nov. 1S.-According to
information gathered by the state rail-
road commission the greater number OF
states Of the United States have done
nothing towards regulating express
rates and in most of them the express
companies are allowed to run riot and
charge whatever they place up to the
point Of what the traffic will bear"
The commission meets here Tuesday
to promulgate maximum express rates.
Nebraska has new railroad COM
mission which has not been able to do
much thus lar but the legislature or
dered reduction of % per cent in the
express rates and this law is now be-
ing tested III the courts. Wisconsin has
q law providing that the express com
/ panies must file their rates and the
Icommission has some little authority in
supervising them II there is a COM
plant against them
/ Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, North
Dakota, New York, Maryland, Della
4 ware, Massachusetts,, New Jersey, Ida
| no, South Dakota, Connecticut, KAN
sas, Washington, Oregon, California,
have no laws regulating express rates
in any way
Minnesota, Missouri. Georgia, Tex
as, North Carolina, West Virginia, IL
4 linois, Montana, Colorado, Arkansas,
| 1nX LAY irt ha far in
way or another. The Illinois railroad
and warehouse commission has never
taken advantage of it's laws to regulate
4 express rates. In Colorado the law Is
new and is constitutionality is now
being contested. In Montana the rail-
road commission is but a few months
old and it is just now undertaking the
express rate problem. The Virginia
rates are new and are in the hands of
the state printer there at this time. In
| Michigan the express companies are
allowed to make their own rates but
| the commission, has the power to revise
| them.
! The few which have their rates in
shape and published have sent them
| to the Iowa commission and these will
be considered when the commission
meets tomorrow.
The methods Of arriving at the ex-
press rates vary in the different states.
North Carolina has a provision that
the maximum rate for a minimum
| shipment shall be % cents. That is the
lowest express rate between any two
points in North Carolina for any ship
ment will be % cents. 1t also has a
maximum rate for shipments Of 100
pounds. In addition it has commodity
classification rates The value Of the
package also enters into the charge
and to get the 25 cent rate the package
must be worth not more than IS.
Merchants are just now very anx-
ious to secure state warrants. Up to
the last few weeks many merchants
on bills were very Indifferent as to
when they got their money, the knowl-
edge that it could be drawn any time
after the bill was allowed probably
having something to do with the in
difference. The state board of con-
control approved bills amounting to
$133, 112.6S for September and the
bills approved for October amounted
to $2175284.
A large number of merchants asked
the board to hurry their bills because
they wanted the money" A large
number of others took a subterfuge
and pretended that they wanted the
warrants so as to help out the banks
of Dies Moines. 1t was, pointed out to
them that the money was already on
deposit in the banks and that since
the banks Of Des Moines have all of
the state money the deposit Of the
state warrants wouldn't help them out
any
Merchants who have had bills hang
Ing for many months when money was
plentiful rushed in this month to the
board to get their bills thru the mill
so they could get their money.
The reports from the state insti-
buttons under the board Of control for
the month Of October show that there
are 800 inmates in the state reforma
tory at Anamosa and 43S in the peni-
Tertiary at Fort Madison. There are
1882 in the insane hospital, an in
crease of 100 since this time last year
and a decrease of "a over the month
preceding. In the Industrial schools
there are 614, a decrease of 80 for the
last Twelve months and decrease of
thirteen over the month preceding.
Commissioner Washburn, of the
pure food department of Missouri, was
in Des Moines few days ago and told
how he was able to interest Governor
Folk in the pure food department. The
governors attention was taken with
bigger game and milk inspection didn't
interest him. Commissioner Wash
burn had an analysis made Of milk de-
livered by the man who sold to the
executive mansion. Then he sought
an interview with the governor and
engineered the conversation so that the
governor inquired if he had ever tested
his milk mans milk. When told that
it was heavily embalmed with formal
dehyde Governor Folk got interested
in milk inspection and has ever since
had an attentive ear for the pure food