Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-12-20

DEFINITION OF SERVICE
LEFT RATHER OBSCURE
RalIrsads Restrict Definition and Insist
Legislature Did What Il Did Not In.
tend 70 Do-Law Works 70 pisad.
vantage Of Al Manufacturing Gen.
terp.
pecial to rimes-Republican.

Oeo MOllcSy OeC. EV.-DlQ Lnc leSlS-
lature mean what it said in regard to a
switching service? Who put the joker
into the new law intended to give re-
lief to manufacturers at industrial CEN
tiers of the state?
These are questions the railroad COM
mission 10 trying to solve. For a small
matter the attorneys have found It
possible to do great deal of arguing
on this new law which defines switch
ing service to be "the shifting of loaded
or empty cars from one main line or
siding to another main line or siding
etc. Now what does that mean?
The railroad companies contend that
1t means ever and always service rs
between separate lines, and never be-
tween parts of any one system. The
shippers contend that it may mean
transfer of cars not alone between the
tracks Of different companies but also
between the tracks Of one company,
either from main line to siding or
from one siding to another A half
dozen high priced lawyers spent all
day yesterday arguing the pros and
cons Of that little question, which Is
one Of grammar and common sense
rather than of legal Interpretation.
II the contention of the railroads is
right then hereafter what Is to be
known as Switching service in Iowa
Is to be much restricted from its COM
mon and ordinary meaning, and the
legislature instead Of doing what it
wanted to do has done just the oppo-
site.
But If that Is really what 1t means,
then somebody worked off on the leg
islature the worst kind of Joker. The
bill was originally introduced by Sem
ator Hunter, Of Sioux City, and was
designed to give force to the effort OF
the commission to settle a switching
controversy at Sioux City. But as in
troduced by Mr.. Hunter the bill was
quite a different affair. It was held
UP in the senate until the bill substan-
TALLY as finally adopted, especially with
reference to this clause, was intro
duced In the house by Mr.. Harding and
passed. then was held UP until the sift-
ing committee Of the senate reported
In favor Of the Harding bill as sub
stitute and 1t was passed. Senator
Hunter at first contemplated refusing
to accept the substitute, but as the
time was short finally made no objec-
ton. Who wrote the substitute and
why?
The railroad commission will take
it, time to decide the case? II Il up-
holds the contention Of the railroads
there IL nothing else to be done than
to define an industrial vicinity or zone
and fix charges, but the commission
will have nothing to do with defining
what IL or is not switching service.
An illustration of the Importance Of
the issue was given by Thomas Lam
bert of the finance committee Of the
state board Of education, in regard to
the hauling Of stone to the college at
Ames. For haul of two miles the
charge is s14 where as II 1t was 4
switching service it probably would be
81 or 50. A similar situation prevails
at Cedar Falls in regard to coal.
80
DR.. Rogers. superintendent Of the in
stitution for feeble minded at Fari-
bault. Mimi, in addressing the quarter
ly conference Of heads of state insti-
Minnesota II ahead Of Iowa in at least
Of the great students of the problem
Of sub-normal intellects and hered-
ity as related to insanity. imbecility
and such things. and in Minnesota they
are carrying on q great work of inves-
tiEation into the problems thus re-
ferred to. The state has state agents
for the insane hospitals and feeble
minded institute and q system Of fol-
lowing up all cases is being worked
out 20 that the state will have posses
sion Of facts on which to base steps
for lessening the danger Of defective
classes.
DR.. Rogers IL an Iowa man, going
to Minnesota from DEBORAH. and hav-
in9 had training at Glenwood.
At all the institutions of Iowa there
10 study being made Of these questions
related to the mental condition Of the
| people. but there has been no special
state aid given in Iowa. This will
probably be asked Of the next legisla-
ture.
| The next number Of the Iowa board
Of health bulletin will be devoted to
germs and how to catch 'em, or words
TO that effect. DR.. Sumner will devote
the space to the problem Of preventing
disease. I'VE have learned a great deal
about germs" he says. and It is very
important to know all about what