Omaha daily bee., 1909-12-09
SUCCESS OF EXPRESS CUT
Railway Commission, in It's Report,
Comments on It's Course.
CONSERVATIVE ACTION WINS our
Next Legislature Asked 60 FIX Multi
lated Anti-Pasa Law, and Define
Authority over Car
rters.
rrrom a SOD correapondent)

IOHN = 80
LINCOLN, Dec. I-(speoial)~The annual
report Of the state Railway commission
flied with the governor today Is a COM
piete history Of the work of the commits
sion during the last year, showing the COM
plants filed and their disposition together
With recommendations to the legislature
and a financial statement
TIL report oells attention to the fact
that the sibley Law reducing express rates
q per cent Is being enforced and In this
connection It says;
1T may not be improper, at this time to
state that the commission and the attorney
general were urged In the beginning Of this
litigation, to institute a large number OF
prosecutions against the express companies
for Individual violations Of the law. and
they were bitterly criticised in certain
quarters for choosing what then seemed
to be a more conservative course II
should now be clear to every one that had
the othel plan been followed, It would
merely have resulted in the commissions
hands being tied by a federal injunction,
and It is exceedingly doubtful whether any
beneficial results would have been
achieved for the people Of the state for
many years. II ever. AS the matter stands
every shipper OF express between points
in Nebraska has enjoyed a = per cent re-
duotion in rates since April 10, 1908 and
the companies have been perpetually en-
Joined from increasing these rates until
authorised by the commission. Their only
recourse now lies with either the commits
sion or the United States supreme court.
Surely this result Is more satisfactory to
the average citizen than IN expensive
tangle of litigation. the only successful
result OF which would have been the
penalizing of the companies, thereby In
c~resslng their expenses and rendering more
difficult the task of proving their business
compensatory"
Record of the Year.
During the year there were sos Informal
complaints filed Of which 456 were disposed
Of. There were thirty-one formal COM
plants filed and there were thirty-two
formal complaints disposed of. At this
time there are 1853 informal and twenty
four formal complaints pending. TIL in
formal complaints covered a multitude
Of subjects and according to the report the
commission has become a clearance house
for all differences that exist between the
people and the common carriers.
The commission reviews in It's report the
recommendations II made to the late legis-
lature and urges that the next Legislature
shall specifically define it's authority over
common carriers other than railroads;
prohibit false billing Of freight; fix the
anti-pass law; providing for direct appeals
from orders Of the commission to the SUI
preme court except in rate cases; provide
for track connections for grain shippers,
Deputy Maupin's report.
In his report to the governor, Deputy
Labor Commissions Maupin speaks highly
of the assistance his department has been
given by the travelling men Of the state,
who have acted as deputy hotel inspect
ors without pay. This was necessary to
secure enforcement OF the law. the legis-
lature having failed to make other pro-
vision. Deputy Maupin says 1t has been
physically impossible for him to fully en-
force the law as to fire escapes, because
he cannot personally visit each Of the
cities and towns In the state, and has NO
other means for attending to the work.
So far as he has been able to do so, he
has endeavored to carry out the pro
visions Of the law. He urges a more lib
eral appropriation for the support of Als
office, and lists his duties under the aci
creating the bureau, and providing an APP
preparation OF wow Tor the pay OF the
deputy commissioner and one stenographer
as follows:
Hotel inspection. fire escape laws, child
labor law, female employment law, main.
tenance of free employment bureaus, gath.
ering and publishing crop statistics. gath,
ering and publishing acreage statistics
gathering and publishing manufacturing
statistics, gathering and publishing wage
statistics, gathering and publishing live
stock statistics, gathering and publishing
freight and express shipments OF products
gathering and publishing mortsage sta,
%tistics, arbitration and Cancellation.
I'm addition we are charged with tn,
duty OF cooperating with school anc
court officials in the enforcement OF tn,
compulsory education and juvenile de
l%inQuency laws.
w are required to issue numerous bull
letins. all OF which expense must be pai(
out Of our annual appropriation Of $500
an amount that is really no more than W,
should have for postage, All travelling
and office expenses must also be paid gu
Of the $500 provided"
KRbbaH AXE Wood Alcohol.
MistaknE wood alcohol for the les
harmful grain product. Ralph Kabbaz,
Syrian rugmaker, took enough to kill hin
today. He had been on a prolonged spres
HaI tOh RIR nE~ RA