Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-26
Other Branch Desires to Include All
Public Service Corporations.
CONFERENCE FINALLY ORDERED
Chances of Conference Committees
Getting Together Are Slight.
SOUTH OMAHA CHARTER PASSES
Lacks the Emergency Clause, How
ever. Rs Friends Could Not
Muster Enough Votes TO
Carry This Through.
urrom a staff Correspondent

LINCOLN, March 25.-(Special)--The
senate today refused TO concur in house
amendments to the physical valuation bill
and unless the house changes it's position
on this bill there promises TO be deadlock
of goodly proportions. A conference COM
mittee consisting OF Senators Oils, Miller
and Tanner was appointed on the bill and
as the latter two named men are the spon-
sors for the two charter bills which the
house mutilated and as Senator Oils is
introducer Of the physical valuation bill,
there is small chance of the senate reced-
ing from It's position on the measure anu
consenting to the Incorporation OF the Of
fensive stock yards and public service cor
poration amendments which the house at
tached to the measure.
The railroad committee today reported In
favor of nonconcurrence in the house
amendments to the bill and the senate
agreed by a vote OF 20 20 o. Senator Oils,
evidently afraid of fight over this matter.
prepared long report on the measure, In
which he gave its history showing It had
been introduced by himself. agreed to by
the joint committee of the house and senate
with the stock yards and street railway COM
panies eliminated and that in this form the
| senate had passed the bill Later the
house taking it up, Incorporated a grist OF
| amendments providing for physical valua-
tion of stock yards, street railways and
| all municipal companies furnishing cleo
| tricity, gas and water in addition TO the
| railroad companies. He said this was not
| for the best interests OF the measure mas
| much as the railway commission would
| have all II could do to ascertain the phys
ical valuation of railroads. telegraph. tele-
| phone and express companies, let alone
| taking in the other companies which the
| house sought to include. He said the bill
was patterned after the Wisconsin plan and
that the valuation In Wisconsin had stood
the test of the courts and was generally
recognized as being accurate. Tho law in
| that state had provided for valuation OF
railroads merely and had not included n
single other corporation. He believed the
bill as amended in the house would COM
plicate the work OF the commission and
congest the duties OF the board to such
degree the aim of the measure would be
| defeated by the amount of labor entalled
What It VIII Cost.
Senator Myers suggested that since the
state was practically furnishing an inven-
tory of railroad property the roads should
be made to bear a part of the expense.
Senator Oils said this had been considered
| and rejected The matter of expense was
important. The house in taking this up
had allowed $4,000 and had even thought
of allowing only $25OOO Senator Oils
thought these sums far too low and said
an allowance of between $4,000 and $lS5,OOO
was necessary to have the work done as IL
should be done.
Senator King referred to the manner in
| which the bill had been referred to the
railroad committee on its return from the
house, when, he sad the usual procedure
| would have been to take II up at once and
either concur or not concur and appoint
a conference committee, as was being done
at the present time. However. he declared.
he was opposed to loading down the COM
mission with a lot OF work that It would
not do and he favored taking out the
house amendments. However. the stock
yards owned thirty-five miles OF railroad
track and should be valued.
Senator Howell declared the stock yards
amendment had been gone over In tho
senate when the bill was first considered
and the senate had decided not to call
for the valuation OF these and similar
small and stub lines of track.
After a unanimous vote for non-concur-
renee the senate on motion Of Donohoe OF
| i1uN tlttltu OlliSI Nlllltl dHu lduntI dS
the conference committee, at which Senator
King demurred, declaring 1t an unusual
procedure to take the appointment OF these
committees out OF the hands of the chair.
The lieutenant governor was of the opinion
the carrying of this motion would take a
suspension Of the rules, but the senators
did not think so and the chair did not
insist
When the physical valuation bill came
back to the house from the senate without
the house amendments, the following con-
ference committee was appointed to meet
with the senate committees: Sink, Pilger
and Lawrence. Killen Of Gage moved to
instruct the committee to offer an amend
ment 20 provide that the railroads shall
pay one-half of the cost Of the investiga-
tion to determine the physical valuation
OF the roads. The motion by Killen was
promptly tabled.
More of the Kearney Matter.
Members Of the Board Of Education
who are familiar with the procedure at
the time the Kearney Normal school
: building was erected declare that c. H.
Gregg, who was referred to I'm yester-
days debate in the senate as a stock
holder Of the hardware firm which held
the contract for fixtures for the school
, building, did not become member OF the
company until several months after the
firm secured the contract for the sup
piles and that statements made by sena-
tors that he was In any way interested
were not with the full knowledge Of the
facts
1t was also stated that the patent which
DIR. Thomas made for manufacturing ce-
ment blocks was the outcome Of observa-
tions made while the school building was
being constructed and that DR. Thomas
had nothing whatever TO do with the
building Of the school As a matter Of
fact, II is said that Dr. Thomas having
invented an appliance for mixing OIL with