Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-10-03
QUESTION OF RATES TO BE OPEN
ED WIDE At FoRThcoM-
I
ING HEARING.
BOTH SIDES PREPARE FOR
INTERESTING CONTEST
Companies May Find it Difficult to
Uphold Present Rates-All of Them
Making Money, Some AS High as
1000 Per cent-Bs Cash Balance in
State Treasury.
Special to Tlnes-Republican.

Special TO Times Republican.
Des Moines. Oct. S.-The hearing be-
fore the Iowa railway board in the
matter OF the proposed reduction in
express rates in Iowa is to be held oct.
II. 1t promises to be one of the most
important hearings ever held by t9s
commission. When Attorney Genera
Byers took up the matter on his o"A
motion few weeks ago il was because
of numerous complaints each one
seeming to be of no great consequence
but now that the case has been op=net
wide in its larger aspects OF the gen
eral business done by al the express
companies in ali the state il IS foua j
to be a very important subject.
When the commission last winter
took up the question Of adjustment Of a
few rates, which would have meant
some reduction the express companies
appeared and resisted, and in this they
were able TO sAow-every one Of them
that they were losing money on lo'fa
business A transcript Of this nearing
just made shows that local business IS
done at great loss. But further
, investigation showed. also, that The
companies have proved the same thing
in Oklahoma and Illinois and Ohio an
New Y ork, and presumably the experts
are prepared TO make an equally pas
showing in any and every state OF the
union.
A further investigation showed that,
from the standpoint OF the sharehold-
ers, the express companies were not
regarded as losing ventures ard thai
oil of fi,a In
fact il Was SHOWN, for instance that
the Northern Express Company Was
making well nigh loco per cent year
On its actual investment, not - Iowa
or Minnesota but az q whole. II was
shown that other companies were
making anywhere from % 70 100 per
cent on their investment
With these facts now for the first
time available il is anticipated that the
new hearing iaaugurated by At1orneN
General Byers viii take on an entirely
different form, ard that il viii not be
found so easy 10 uphold The present
rates The state manufacturers asso-
citation. thru Secretary W-ightman, :
asking for material and specific ceduc-
tions IN rates 70 the end that The VOL
ume of local business will De increased
so as to actually make ii profitable.
w TlS ll1S " " f.t,t4 O4l q -S-'--
plete schedule Of rates which ne pro-
poses and if adopted II would open the
express business to a vast amount Of
trade which now goes elsewhere.
Both the companies and the shippers
; are preparing for an interesting time
before the state commission.
The quarterly count OF the money IN
possession of the state treasurer %
.1owa last Friday showed a cash BAL
ance in the general fund Of s571 ,6s1 la.
Owing 10 the fact that the expenses Of
the colleges are light and little build
ing is being done there was also in the
special college funds college interest
and lake bed funds 100000 additional.
The amount actually OF deposits IN
Des Moines banks was sT4l ,o343 81. II
this connection state house officials
Were interested II an item IN Boston
paper stating that the state treasurer
OF Massachusetts, last week borrowed
81 .Ooo. 600 and that "the state has bor-
rowed ss.5ooooo so far this year but
/, will not be in the market again during
1910" The state treasurer Of Iowa
takes pride in the fact that his books
show not a dollar borrowed for more
than a dozen years and not q warrant
unpaid for lack Of funds.
The receipts Of the state fair this
year were about $4,000 and The ex-
penses about $4,000 less. SO that the
state will have about as much 70 put
into improvements the coming year as
the past a computation OF the invest
ments and expenditures in the past FIVE
or six years shows that the premiums
being paid amount % about three
times as much as formerly and the
steady Investment amounts . still
more. so that in fact in the past five
years the added premiums paid ard
permanent investment amounts % an
average of 100000 a year The state
does not conduct the fair as a money
making proposition Of course. but for
educational purposes. and every dollar
made goes back into the business.
Additional help IS needed for the
iowa state library in several depa,--
n,ents. as shown by the report Of the
librarian. The legislative reference
work which has been in charge Of Miss
Rosenond for the past two years has
been developed into a valuable depart
ment which will become more and
more important to the legislators as Il
is developed properly The stale IL
. brarian asks an increased appropria-
ton for the department. The plan Of
the work is to secure and have handy
for reference information as to new
iegislat ton and as to bills in other leg
islatures and reference books especially
In regard to leading topics that come
before a legislature.