Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-15
PROBE IOWA TRAIN SERVICE
Railway Commission Has Many Com
plants from All Over State.
ONE COMES FROM OMAHA
state Board Of Health IL showing
Great Interest in Investigation
Of New Disease of
PellnEru.
rrom a staff corrernondent.l

fore It so much Of business relating to train
service in Iowa as now. Almost every day
some new phase OF the train service ques-
ton comes TO the attention OF the commits
sion and cases are being disposed of with
rapidly. The reason for the activity Is
that the residents Of the small towns, espe-
cially along the lines of the branch roads,
have become keenly alive to the fact that
they have been neglected and misused in
the matter of train service. The initiative
in the work Of bolsterlng up the railroads
came from Des Moines, where the CONNER
cial club started a campaign over a year
ago to compel the roads to revise their
schedules and secure better connections all
through the state. The movement was en-
tirely selfish at the outset, but it was soon
found that train connections with Des
Molnes could not be bettered without at the
same time making conditions better all
over the state.
Within the last year the Des Moines in
]terests rave succeeded in securing very
much better train service into and out of
Des Moines, especially on the Burlington,
the Great Western and the Rock Island
roads, in the south part Of the state. All
southwestern Iowa has been, as 1t were,
annexed to the Des Moines trade territory
in this manner. Several entirely new trains
have been put on. others have been ex-
tended and better connections at junction
points have been made.
Never Saw Passenger Train.
One of the entirely new cases to come
before the State Railroad commission the
last week was that of residents Of towns
along what is known as the Cumberland
branch of the Burlington through Green
field. 1t is stated that for the last dozen
years not a regular passenger train has
been run on this branch except on Sun
days, and that the service has been main
tained by attaching a coach to the rear of
a freight train. A mass meeting of the
people interested has been called to meet
at Greenfield ard to consider what shall
be done. The railroad company has in
sisted that the business on the branch line
will not warrant any Improvement Of the
service, but 1t is believed this can be
shown to be an error. 1t is probable that
a provisional service will be established to
find out what can be done.
Complaint from Omaha.
Another similar complaint has been
lodged with the commission by f. L.
Canine of Omaha against the Burlington
railroad with regard to train service south
east from Omaha. This will be taken up
by the commission just as soon as a date
can be arranged for a hearing. The Com
mercial club Of Bedford has also taken up
with the commission the matter Of better
rail connections at Conway Junction. IS
a rule the companies nave shown readiness
to comply with requests as soon as a proper
showing is made as to the need of a
change.
A peculiar situation has developed in re-
gard to some changes in the train service
on the Burlington by which better connec-
lions for Des Moines are obtained through
Charlton. BY a change in the trains on
the Observation-Disclosures branch a large num-
Der of persons living in small towns along
the main line were accommodated, but
Ottumwa has now asked for further
changes, which, while they would accom-
modate Ottumwa residents would result in
breaking the connections for the residents
Of the small towns. This will also be
fought out before the commission.
Interest In PeIInEra Case.
The prompt action of the State Board of
Health in taking up the question of pei
lagra in Iowa has aroused a great deal
OF interest in the state. The board sent
DIR. Eiker to Columbia to attend the con-
ference of state boards there and he has
reported in such a way that 1t is now up
, to the doctors of the state to get busy
and find out II there is pellagra in Iowa.
ne also LHdheS II pam lndl IL is very
important to the people of the corn states
to find out whether it is true that the
, disease is caused by eating spoiled corn,
as commonly supposed, for If that is true
they must take steps to prevent use of
t any corn that is not perfect. The doctor
( reported that at the conference It was
agreed that the disease is most common
, among those poor classes of persons, white
I or black, who are most likely to have
, poor food and among whom a poor quality
; Of cornmeal is much used. This does not,
however, prove the connection between
! the cornmeal and the disease. He also
T makes 1t plain that while the disease has
3 been most heard from in the southern
countries and states It is not confined to
hot climates, but is found in northern
states. 1t appears it has long existed in
. Illinois, and he predicts that investigation
will show many cases In Iowa. There
, will be no quarantine Of the solitary case
found at Marengo. A second national con-
> ference is to be held at Peoria, ILL.,, next
June, by which time it is expected that
= a great deal of additional information
about the disease viii have been devel-
oped.
, Books by Iowa Writers.
The state historical department is en-.
gagged in adding to the collection Of books
by Iowa writer's. The original collection
was made for the purpose Of howinr
these books at the St. Louis exposition
after which the commission turned tn,
books over TO the state historical depart.
ment. But little has been done in recen.
years to add TO this list, but now ad
ditions are being made and It is the plar
to maintain this library of Iowa author
9 as a permanent and separate matter.
Clean Out Labor Agents.
= The arrest and conviction of Joe Pasco,
and Fritz Stavrun, employment agents O.
Sioux City, and the arrest Of Sam Col,
as a scalper, or man catcher" is tn,
q opening wedge In what State Labor Com
missioner Van Duyn promises will be
9 general cleanup OF the state from rive
. TO river and from Minnesota to Missouri
The time has come said COMMISSIONS
Van Duyn, FOR a general cleanup an,
these fellows who run employment agen
cies must obey the law to the last lette
n or way goes their license. find tina
there has been considerable complaint from
all the large cities Of the state and IN.
cause must stop"