Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1910-12-16

I Followed to IL logical conciusien this
means that the simplest and most In
SS sss s%nlo sslu sna e.. e s sss Rs1ssssp is. 10s
s smpfSys y s sav INA. f sr1nnfsms aaiary 2 =
rate OF interest from the governrpent, to
purchase an adequate annuity Tor him
on retirement. this accumulation to be
the service before reaching the retire
ment age, or by his heirs In case Of his
death. h is the principle upon which
The Gillett bill, however, goes further
and provides that the government shall
contribute to the pension fund OF those
employees who are now 30 advanced IN
age that their personal contributions will
not be sufficient to create their ~annuities
before reaching the retirement age. In
my Judgment this provision should be
amended so that the annuities OF those
employees shall be paid out OF the salaries
appropriated for the positions vacated by
retirement. and that the difference be-
salaries may be used for the employment
or efficient clerks at the w grades.
IL the bin can be thus amended ] recon-
mend its passage, as It will initiate a vail
liable system and ultimately result In a
great saving In the public expenditures.
Interstate Commerce Commission.
There has not been time to test the
benefit and utility of the amendments to
the interstate law contained In
the act approved June is, 1910. The law
as enacted did not contain all the fea-
lures which / recommended. IL did not
specifically denonnca as ani. --s.. ta.o PaT-
chase by one OF the two parallel and COM
peting roads OF the stock of the other.
Nor did 1t subject TO the restraining innu-
cnce OF the Interstate Commerce commits
sion the power or corporations engaged In
operating interstate railroads to issue new
stock and bonds. nor did II authorize the
making OF temporary agreements between
railroads, limited to 30 days, fixing the
same rates for traffic between the same
places.
/ do not press the consideration OF any
OF these objects upon congress ut this ses-
sion. The object OF the first provision Is
probably generally covered by the anti
trust law. TIL second provision was in
the act fereffed to the consideration of a
commission to be appointed by the execu-
tive and to report upon the matter to con-
gress. That commission has been appoint
ed and is engaged in the investigation and
consideration OF the question submitted
under the law, IL consists Of President
Arthur !: Hadley of Yale university as
LEX N. Judson,, Prof. E. II. Meyer, and
Walter l.. Fisher, with William II. s.
Griswold as secretary.
The third purpose led to so much mis-
construction OF It's OBJECT as being that OF
weakening the effectiveness Of the anti
trust law that / am disposed to press It
for further consideration. II was intend
ed to permit railroad companies to avoid
useless rate cutting by O mere temporary
acquiescence In the same rates for the
sane service over competing railroads.
wtth no obligation whatever TO maintain
those rates for any time.
Safety Appliances.
The protection OF railroad employees from
personal injury Is a subject OF the high
est Importance and demands continuing
attention. There nav been two measures
vision OF boilers and the other for the en-
largement OF dangerous clearances. Ger
tainiy some measures ought to be adopt
ed looking to q prevention OF accidents
from these causes. IT seems TO me that
with respect to boilers a bin might well
5s drawn requiring and enforcing by PEN
atty a proper system of inspection by the
railway companies themselves which
would accomplish our purpose The en-
tire removal of outside clearances would
be attended by such enormous expense
that some ether remedy must be adopted.
BY act OF May 6, 1910, the Interstate Com
merce commission is authorized and di-
rected to investigate accidents. to report
their causes and it's recommendations. I
suggest that the commission be requested
10 make q special report as to INJURIES
from outside c~learances and the best
method of reducing them.
Valuation Of Railroads.
The Interstate Commerce commission
has recommended appropriations for the
%ppa attlR&Se Of e ali glina raIlrsa i 70 s Thia b upon = val,
been within the jurisdiction OF the COM
mission, but the requisite funds rave been
wanting. Statistics OF the value OF each
railroad wouiu pe vniuania for many par-
poses, especially if we ultimately enact
any limitations upon the power OF the In
t~erstate railroads to issue stocks and
Genus, as 1 nope we may. i think. there
fore, that In order to permit a correct I'M
Outstanding of the facts, II would be wise
70 make a reasonable appropriation to en-
able the Interstate Commerce commission
to proceed with due dispatch to the valu-
alton OF all railroads. I rave no doubt that
railroad companies themselves can and
will greatly facilitate this valuation and
make IL much less costly in time and
money than has been supposed.
Anti Trust Law.
i do not now recommend any amendment
to the anti-trust law. In other words. II
seems to me that the existing legislation
with reference to the regulation OF corpor-
atoms and the restraint OF their business
has reached a point where we can stop
for q while and witness the effect 81 Inc
vigorous execution OF the laws on the
statute books In restraining the abuses
which certainly did exist and which
reused the public to demand reform. IL
this test develops a need for further Leg
~islation, well and good, but until then let
US execute what we have. Due to the re-
form movements OF the present decade,
there has undoubtedly been q great Inn
provement In business methods and stand
ards and IN the earnestness Of effort on
the part of business men to comply with
the law. They are now seeking to know
the exact limitations upon business meth
DDS imposed by the law, and these win
doubtless be made clearer by the decisions
of the aii,rama court e cases pending be-
fore IL.
I believe II to be In the interest of all
the people of the country that for the time
being the activities OF government, in addi-
ton TO enforcing the existing law, be d.
rected toward the economy OF admins
tration and the enlargement OF o%pportuni-
ties for foreign trade, the conservation and
Improvement of agricultural lands, the
building up OF home industries, and the
strengthening OF confidence OF capital In
domestic investment.