Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-04
Many Objections to Provisions Of
Second Draft.
FOR IRRIGATION WORK
Bill for Thirty Million Certificates
in House.
OMAHA RESOLUTIONS PUT IN
Congress Hears Appeal for Grub
stake Homestead Law ana Tor
Money to Stop ERcrOach-
meRt of Missouri,
tFrom a staff Correspondent

NAoIdlNNrlONt MhICh d,-NSpeClal Iole-
gram. )-lnterest in amended Burkett bill
providing for federal inspection of locomo-
tive boilers shown by a large number OF
persons present at today's hearing of the
subcommittee OF the Interstate commerce
committee over which Senator Cummins Of
Iowa presided. 1t Is possible that the new
bill introduced by Senator Burkett with the
advice of the attorney general may have
been responsible for the large attendance
but railroad officials and their attorneys
were there in large numbers and the way
these attorneys went after things indicated
that they didn't like the new bill any more
than they did the first measure, which
Senator Burkett introduced.
The time was too short for finishing
statements Of the subcommittee by various
railroads and the hearing was continued
until tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock. The
railroads in their statement followed the
same general line Of argument as to suf-
ficiency of inspection already given the
locomotives by their inspectors and urged
again that there was no necessity for
federal inspection.
Vice President Kendrick of the Santa Fe
railway was on the stand the great part Of
the time, and later representative of the
Missouri Pacific railroad testified as to the
inspection followedon their lines. Some OF
his statements were rather sharply criti-
cized by members Of the subcommittee, one
admission In particular, that their boilers
were often inspected only after flues had
blown out.
In all testimony given there was a gem
eral tone of criticism as to the present
draft Of the bill. After the hearing was
over one OF the senators had a little i'm
promptu conference with the railroad Off
cials and urged them to draw bill that
did SATISFY them IL they were not entirely
pleased with the present measure. 1t was
gathered from this conference however,
that no bill providing for federal inspec-
tion Of boilers would be entirely satlsfac-
tory to the railroads.
They are opposed to federal inspection,
though they admitted that in all probabn.
ity they would have to submit to it.
Irrigation Bill Under Way.
The bill providing for an issuance of
$50, COO bonds, chargable to the irrigation
fund, to carry to completion various pro-
jects which have been started by the
reclamation service and not yet completed
will this week be taken up before the
ways and means committee to whom the
bill was referred today by committee Of
fifteen, headed by Representative Mondell
of Wyoming. This committee is composed
of one representative In the house OF rep
resentatives from each of fifteen states
where irrigation or reclamation projects
have been started and where successful
completion Of such projects is sought
There will be a preliminary meeting of
this committee in few days to frame up
a mode Of procedure as to the most ef-
fective methods to be adopted to convince
the ways and means committee that the
proposed bond issue Is a good and whole
some thing. From a preliminary canvass
of the situation. Representative Klnkaid
of Nebraska today said he believed OBJ
jeotons which some members OF the ways
and means committee have openly avowed
to the bond issue for reclamation projects
win be overcome.
Cost of Drainage.
Senator Brown from the committee on
Indian affairs today reported favorably a
bill Of Senator Burkett increasing the cost
of drainage of lands In drainage district
No. l, Thurston county, Nebraska from
81 to $3.50 per acre. This drainage district
was created four years ago through the
efforts of Mr. Burkctt and Includes land
in the Sac and Fox tribe OF Indians in
Richardson county, provision being made
that the cost OF drainage should be as
sessed against the lands benefited
1t was found that the original bill which
provided for 81 an acre assessment would
not quite cover the amount necessary for
proper execution of the project, and II was
therefore found necessary to increase the
cost to $3.50 per acre. In his report Senator
Brown referred to letter Of recommends
tion from the secretary Of the interior fa-
voring the increased cost. The secretary
stated that It will be highly important to
the Indians as we'll as to their white neigh
bors that this drainage proiec should be
constructed at an early date and that the
department believed that Indians should
pay their fair proportion OF the cost. He
recommended passage Of the bill
Senator Burkctt said he expected to have
the bill passed within day or two.
Grub stake HOmesteads.
Senator Burkett filed resolutions this
from Central Labor unions OF
Omaha and Lincoln urging the passage Of
the 'grub-stake homestead" bin which the
senator introduced last week. Great inter-
est Is taken in this measure by various
abor organizations OF the country and they
are sending petitions to senators and con-
gressmen from all parts OF the United
States favoring It's passage.
The senators filed also resolutions from
he Leather Workers union OF Fremont
Neb., asking that the eight hour law be
to include all work on govern
nent contracts. II is stated in the reso-
utions that some contractors or sub-con-
tractors who have government contracts,
'equire twelve and in some instances four
cen hours a day from their employees en-
ragged on government contracts. and the
'asage OF the senate bill is urged TO en-
orce the eight hour regulation for all
government work
The settlers on government land in the
North Platte reclamation project have witt.
en- to Senator Burkett that they favor
proposed $8OO0OCO bond issue 20 complete
he irrigation project under way, and ask
ng also that they be granted patents after