Omaha daily bee., 1910-10-27
Traffic Manager Shows Omaha Ter
minal Lands Were Undervalued.
EDITOR WANTS RATES KEPT Low
Des Moines Man 1hcws the Conse-
quences Without Live Stock.
CITY NOT PREEEAH1D TO COUNTRY
Retired Farmer Goes to live In
Town Because Boys Have Growu
~ and Hc Must Hire
Labor.

CHICAGO. oct a-I;ebaung as prao-
tlced By the carriers and shippers prior 70
1905 and the passage of the Hepbur,l act.
was the principal theme Of discussion at
the afternoon session Of the western freight
hearing today before the Interstate Com
merce commission, Al one time the cross
examination, which in the morning had
beer concerned with the burden OF work
borne by farmer boys IN lows vecred
around to specific demand for the names
OF. railway officials and shippers cons
cerncd IN ROTATING before 1908. Of which
the witness. W. +. Irickett Of Minneapolis
said he had personal knowledge.
Attorneys for the shippers protested that
the desired information was not material
that the commission in number OF oases
was informed of the practice Of rebauns,
but the counsel for the railroads stuck to
his question. The tense situation was re-
Ileved when tho witness lodged the issue
BY declining 10 give the names
meVann Csiied to stand.
Shortly before adjournment, f. j. Nc
vann manager Of the traffic bureau Of
the Omaha Commercial club, was called
TO the stand. After detailing his railroad
experience, which began in 1885. Mr., Nc
vann said that he had heard the tesu-
mony OF r y. Ward. general manager Of
the Chicago. Burlington q Quincy rail-
road, who he said placed the reproduc-
tion Waite OF the lands owned by the rail-
road a. Sls0ooO0oo
Il paid particular attention to his tes-
umony relative to the reproduction value
OF the Omaha terminal lands OF the road
which he placed I think, at $4,000
said Mr. McVanu II have Investigated
and have found that the assessment OF
the Burlington road on the omaha ter
mimi lands this year was tsSi.2b."
The testimony OF Mr.. McVsnn stopped at
this point BY the adjournment OF the hear
ing until tomorrow morning, when he 10
expected 70 resume tlie stand
cause Of me labor of the farrners' chill
Itnrmcr Boys Bring Prosperity,
Iowa Is prosperous IN agriculture be-
dren." Vas the burden Of the testimony
given today before the Interstate Com
merce commission by Henry G. Wallace.
farmer and editor OF Des Moines in the
hearing OF the proposed freight rate ad-
vance
Drawing a striking picture OF the Iowa
farmer clad in cheap clothes. owning an
automobile and aided by the labor Of his
Offspring, MIR. Wallace detailed statistics
og tho grain vrops OF the state, concluding
with anpparent loss loss to the renter OF a
16O-aore Iowa farm of approximately sSOt
yearly.
The apparent loss, the witness explained
WAS overcome by the labor Of the farm
boys, who take the place OF a hired man
AZ soon as they are 16 years old On cross
examination he admitted that he had taken
no account OF tho live stock. cattle, horses
sheep and hogs nor OF milk nor eggs in his
tahulauon OF the return on Iowa farm
lands.
The morning session throughout WAS pun.
ctuated with coustant reference to I9wa'I
children, and toward the time OF adjourn
men Commissioner Clark observed. "ther
chldless farmer in Iowa would be
bankrupt"
Not exactly" replied Mr.. Wallace "bu
he would have to work mighty hard I,
Keep from IT,"
Live stock Not included.
on cross examination Mr.. Wallace do
clared that his Figures in grain include,
what was shipped and what was fed 1,
the live stock, ana said he had not sough
10 show that renting farmers operate thel
holdings a. e loss.
What was your purpose, then. IN givlnl
those fgires7 asked Attorney j. 4
Payne general counsel OF the Chcas
Great Western railroad.
Il wanted 70 show actual conditions an
what We might expect II live stock raising
was discouraged." replied the witness.
You have named wheat. corn and Othe
things produced by Iowa farmers" sal
Attorney Payne, did you ever hear @
Iowa farmers raising cattle. sheep hog,
eggs or milk1"
Yes" was the reply
Us there farmer in Iowa Who doe
not derive revenue from live stock an
of the stems omitted from your nstg"
No, they are gaining something froI
those things replied the witness addin
tiat his figures included the grain fe
well as that shipped and sold. The que'
lions then turned on the value OF land
lows and the witness said that he b,
hevsd the farmers were more prosperou
now thal ever before
Land values Increase,
AR Wallace also assented 70 the stat,
ment ahai money was now being ser
cast from Iowa Tor investment whereas
Formerly vas being borrowed by low
farmers. On the land valuation, Air. Wa
lace said.
a pace The land value az so an acl
Ia 1904, and IL has increased $40 an aol
fach year since and in isa9 was worth ;
an acre, accordins 10 iuy estimate"
commissioner Lane interposed, saying
% is undisputed here that the low
fsrmer Is setung along pretty WE'LL
40 what do you attribute the prOsperii
~ tht iarmersF' asked Attorney payn
Ills children have worked Tor him. ",
tho reply.
has Iowa a record as a child raiser
asAed The attorney.
-Nol exceptional" was the answer
COMMISSIONS Lane asked 4 a farm MAJ
ased a. & stock company would retm
ans gcayls Interest on stock or bonds az
81 Wailaoe repled that he ala not b
ieee H would
ltv uhu,sa sald that In his opinion u