Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-12-17
DIES MONIES BOOSTER CLUB
MEMBERS SOMEWHAT
INCONSISTENT.
ONE SENDS LAUNDRY
TO OUTSIDE TOWN
New Coliseum Built of St. Louis Brick
by a Non Resident contractor-Fat
Boosting" Jobs Given to Outsiders
Kansas investigating Iowa Express
Charges and Regulations.
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican,
Des Moines, Dec 17.-Des Moines
people who know about it are chuck
ing over a recent disclosure as to the
personal attitude of the Des Moines
boosters toward local industries 1t
was found that one OF the members
OF the Greater Des Moines commit
tee sends his laundry to Chicago or
ELSEWHERE, paying express charges both
ways, in order to have it done in a
style TO suit his fastidious tastes. The
culprit, SO it is related. is c H. Dem
man, manager of the waterworks. con-
/ spicuous in both boosting nd boasting
/ everything for Des Moines. There was
/ some feeling that when the committee
! sought man to fill the $4,000 salaried
JOB OF official advertiser of Des Moines'
greatness II made a mis- lake in sending
on TO some other state. and later when
II hlred man for another $4,000 JOB
! II might nave done as well to have got
an Iowa man. Then it was not over
/ booked that when it adopted button,
1t was designed and made elsewhere
/ When the new Coliseum was built
everyone approved Of letting the con-
tract TO the lowest bidder even if he did
live in another state, but 10 haul the
| bricks from ST. Louis was not relished
by the makers of the best bricks in
the world. The laundry incident is re-
garded. however, as Gaping the climax.
Robert Stone, an attorney of Topeka,
is spending some time at the state
house on behalf of the railroad COM
mission Of Kansas looking into what
Iowa has been doing to regulate ex-
press rates and reduce the charges. He
finds that there mas been much activity
in Iowa in recent months. but il has
! largely been in the direction of evening
up rates.
We are going to try to force a re-
duction of express rates in Kansas" he
said. The rates there are about 5
per cent higher than in Iowa, but we
want a reduction of about IS per cent
which We think is right. There is gen.
eral complaint about express rates be-
ing too high. The express companies
say they are performing the service as
cheaply as they can. but one company
recently increased its capital several
millions out Of profits earned and ali
are making big profits and paying
handsome dividends We want to know
what Iowa is doing as a guide to oul
work in Kansas. Nearly all the west.
ern states are becoming active in tn.
matter"
80
70 IL: No.
somewhat circulated in the state the
/ dered any decision as to whether or moi
there is any law TO empower a city tc
regulate phone rates where a company
has charter which does not expressly
4 provide for it. The question has no.
been taken up by the legal department
l of the state; but lawyers who have in
! vestigated call attention to the fac
4 that the various bills which We're before
4 the legislature al the last session would
4 hardly have been considered but fo
the fact that there is now no regula-
ton Of phone rates in Iowa. In Thu
connection there is much interest in tn.
4 negotiations reported from variou
places indicating that there are big
! things doing among the Independent
phone companies. It appears that tn
4 Morgans have bought up Independent
1 lines in. Michigan. Ohfo and Indiana
and there is fear that this is beinl
Il done with view to turning them owe
i to the Bell company. The big Cont
q mental company, which is backing
z fight on the Bell in the middle west
q has not shown its hand in Iowa. but i
q it expected to DO so at an early date a
= already some feelers have been pu
a out as to how it would be received.
The defeat of the Iowa hotel lay
bill in the local court will cause n
change. in the program of the stat
: labor department with regard to tn
requirement of safety devices on hotel
according to Commissioner Van Duyl
I'VE will go on with the inspection
hotels and insisting on fire escapes jus
as before" he said. THE law whic
gives US this duty does not contemplat
going into the kitchens and investiga1
ing the sanitary conditions, which we
sought in the law placing the matte
in the hands of the state board
health. But as far as the old law got
we are seeing to 1t that the hotels a,
properly equipped"
Henry Wallace calls attention to
matter which might well have SON
consideration from bodies of Iowa PEI
8 pie interested in the back-to- the-far
movement. 1t appears that in the we
and especially at Seattle there is il
sistent demand made for congress
have printed the report of the coun
i life commission, of which Mr. Walla
was member. and this is likely to |
done the coming winter. But Mr.. Wa
lace makes the suggestion that
would be vastly more valuable to ha
printed, after tabulaion and prop
arrangement. the mass of informant,
which the Roosevelt country life cor
mission secured and upon which 1
lreport was based. This is said to
the most valuable collection of info
nation ON various phases of rural Ii
ever got together.
Ill SCHOLARS WILL BE HAULED.