Omaha daily bee., 1908-02-09
WORK ON DISTANCE TARIFF
Commission Busy Collecting Informa.
ton for the Hearing.
REVIEWS MINNESOTA HEARING
Governor sheldon Determined to
Break UP the Use of Morphine ana
other Drugs by Prisoners in
the state PenItentiary.
(From a Staff Correspondent }


LINCOLN, Feb S.--(SpeclaI) THE State
Railway commission is looking up facts
and Investigating the work of the COM
missions of other states preparatory to the
hearing to be granted z. A. Caldwell on
his application for the PRONUNCIATION of
distance tariff rate. The commission has
secured complete copy of the proceedings
Of the Minnesota commission. which had
the matter under consideration from May,
a5, to September. 1906, before 1t finally
issued an order, in the meantime having
neld several hearings at which testimony
was given both by the railroads and the
shippers. The investigation was made as
= result of a legislative resolution, the leg
stature providing an appropriation for the
purpose. The matter of Importance to the
Nebraska commission is that part of the
final order which reads. This order does
not prevent the charging of lower rate
than that provided by exhibit A, but in
case a less rate is charged on one class all
classes must be reduced so as to preserve
the relative relations between the classes
fixed in exhibit A."
September Z, 1906. a protest was received
by the Minnesota commission from the job
bers and wholesale manufacturers against
the adoption of the rates, claiming 1t would
work a hardship on the city OF Duluth.
The protest was overrued on the ground
that the rates made were maximum rates
and in it's opinion sufficiently liberal to
warrant the railroad companies I'm pre-
serving the relative conditions which then
existed between the different terminals Of
the state" The commissions order pro-
Vided a maximum rate for all terminal or
distributing stations, but permitted the
railroads to charge a maximum rate per
cent higher for stations other than those
mentioned and not denying the railroads
the right to charge lower rates in order
to prevent a change in the system then in
vogue.
stock shippers Complain.
r. w. Ralston has complained to the
State Railway commission about the way
stock shippers are treated by the Union
Pacific at Grand Island, referring par
ticularly to the through shippers. He wrote
that .he through stock trains are stopped
two miles from the depot. and the yards
are not lighted. That II the shipper had
20 go TO the town for something to eat
he frequently returned TO find the train
gone. and he always has TO run the risk
of being injured by burlington trains,
having 70 cross the Burlington tracks 10
get 10 the town. The commission will take
the matter up with the company. .
war on ''DOpe" Habit.
Governor Sheldon is going TO stop the
'dope" habit at the state penitentiary. He
is soing to prevent prisoners from securing
morphine or other drugs, even II ne mas
TO deny visitors admittance to the institu-
tion, including workers In the broom tae-
tory At his suggestion DIR. Giffin' the
prison physician. has just made an IN
vestigation OF the institution with view
to finding out how many prisoners are
dope" users. His report says the peni-
tentiary Is not a reformatory. but dope
house. He gave the names of twelve prison
ers who are habitual dope" fiends. but