Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1909-03-12

resentatives said, because they did
not want to deal fairly with the people
Of Winnipeg junction, but because Of
the farreaching consequences of.recog:
nizing the principle involved in the
bill
The railroad contention was. and it
appeared to be a reasonable one, that
1t is the location of the road in any
particular place that gives value to
property. Manufactures are .estab.
lished near it to have convenient
trackage and this adds to the value
OF adjacent lots. It frequently hap
pens. as it has happened with regard
to tracks near the state university
and at other points in Minneapolis,
that it is considered in the interest OF
the public or in the interest of the
road to change the location of the
track, either for the purpose of avoid
Ing curves, lowering the grade, or, as
is the case with the university tracks
to prevent interference with the order
~ management of the affairs of a
great public institution But if the
principle is recognized that the loca-
ton of line of road vests in adj
!acent property owners the right to
collect damages in case the track is
moved the railroads will be required
to assume burden which would eff.
fectively prevent them from making
change which might be demanded
II irfo &c
Representatives of the railroads con.
tended, for instance, that proposed
changes in Minneapolis alone, recog
ni7cd to be in the interest of the pub.
lie, would involve the payment of mil
lions Of money in damages to those
who would be deprived of railroad ia.
c1lities they now enjoy and in pros.
pectfve damages to property now va.
cant which might at some time, il
the location of the railroad were not
changed, be used for factory sites. On
the ether hand, the removal of tracks,
as In the case of Winnipeg Junction,
unQuestionably involves great hard.
ship or persons who had made their
homes and established their business
in village whose existence without
railroad facilities is impossible. The
problem presented is very serious
one and I anticipate that some diff.
Guilty will be experienced in reaching
solution of it that will be at once
fair to the railroads and just to the
people.
X !. i.
The attempt to pass the law to re-
qUirc all railroads to use electric
headlights has been abandoned. This
law was favored by trainmen, but op.
posed by the railroads. Recently Ger.
tain experiments conducted in Mime
apolis seemed to Indicate that the use
Of such lights made the trainmen
color blind, though in actual practice
where electric headlights are used
they do not appear to have this effect.
At all events the railroad companies
and the trainmen have got together
and the proposed legislation will, at
their suggestion, be abandoned.
:. :: !.
Another bill which involves a dis
pute between railroad officials and
railroad trainmen is one designed to
prevent the use or railroads of what
are known as ''dinky" cabooses. These
are not 1T general use anywhere ex
cept on the iron range railroads, al
though some other roads use a few of
them. These dinky cabooses are short
cars without springs and without any
toilet facilities. The axles do not
swing as on other cars, so that when
they strike curve going at any high
rate Of speed, being rigid, they are
very liable to jump the track and one
Of the trainmen present at the hear.
ing, besides representing that they
were in the last degree uncomfortable,
showed list of accidents resulting
from the use of these dinky cabooses.
1t was pointed out. too, that these
cabooses are provided with but three
hunks for the men to sleep in and
when they are sidetracked, as they
sometimes are at places where there
are no hotels for hours at a stretch,
some Of the men must perforce be de-
prived of the means Of getting needed
rest. 1t appears that the other roads
are willing to abandon the use of
these dinky cabooses, but the iron
range roads insist on their retention
Considering that this is perhaps the
best paying railroad property in the
United States it is to be regretted
that its management does not see the
propriety of making such arrange.
rents as will insure the safety and
comfort of its trainhands.
:. = !.
In his address before the legislature
Mr.. Hill made an argument against
the proposition to reduce the rate on
iron ore on the range roads, which is
admitted on all hands to be excessive
This reduction is proposed in the in
terest Of the owners of independent
mines. Mr.. Hill commended, first, that
the traffic was interstate and it was
not in the power of the legislature to
modify the rate. and, second, that to
reduce the rate would be to reduce
the gross earnings of the ore carry
ing roads and c0nseurent1v the tax m