Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-08-06
RAIL COMMISSION KEEPS BUSY
Members Give Out Statement Showing
Their Activities.
VALUATIONS TAKE MUCH WORK
Important Part of Their Duties Has
to DO with Determining These
FIRures-At work on New
Freight Classification.
dFrom a STAFF correspondent

AEEVih u STAR ShAANNfNhNNN'S
LINCOLN. Neb., Aug. 5.-(Special)-
Though the railway commission has been
in existence since January /, 1905, the inn
portance of that department TO the state
is Just beginning to be felt, and though the
physical valuation department Of the state
Railway commission has been in existence
shorter time there are many Of the citi-
zens out over Nebraska, who still fail to
see therein value received for money spent
by the state to maintain that branch Of
the commission.
Some of the things, which are now con-
fronting the commission and some of the
things it hopes to see through, to the end
that the people of the state may be much
benefited thereby, are denoted in pros
pectus. which was today given out by the
commission. This says In part:
The values in detail, as reported by the
engineering department of the railway
commission OF all the railroads in Ne
commission for several months, during
which time a careful and exhaustive study
has been made by the commissioners OF
these reports. and the elements, when 80
to make up the values of the physical
properties of the several railroad The
final hearing and the adoption of these
valuations will be taken up by the COM
mission on September s.
The magnitude OF this undertaking may
be appreciated, when it is considered that
there are seventeen Independent carriers
of freight and passengers within Nebrtska
with property agsregaung IN value OF more
than 100000.
Railroads Are Objecting.
The Importance of this work may, in a
measure, be realized, when II Is remem,
bered that the railroads recently appeared
before the state board OF assessment, and
insisted upon a much lower valuation be
ing placed upon their property for the
rNtavf ~ 60
to have adopted by the railway commission
as a basis of ate-making. Before the
state board Of assessment, the railroads as
serted, for instance, that their right-ot-
way should be assessed no higher than
abutting property, but in the determine
ton of the value of this branch of their
property, before the railway commission,
they are asking that for the purpose Of
assessing rates, they be given valuation
of three times the fair market value OF
adjoining lands.
The commission is Just now entering upon
the work of valuing the property Of street
railways express companies, telephone
and telegraph companies and sleeping car
companies. When this work is completed
it will be one of the leading factors In
determining the reasonableness OF rates OF
common carriers, as well as being OF IN
estmable value as q basis of assessment
and taxation.
New Freight Classification.
The commission is also preparing new
classification covering freight shipments IN
roads to make their current classification
tariffs applicable to Nebraska territory.
The conditions with reference to the move e.
widely different from those obtaining east
of the Missouri river where the western
matter Of minima. that it would be hard
ship upon the shippers Of this state TO
adopt the western classification on the
sole ground of uniformity. Carload freight
from manufacturers into the 1obbing points
along the Missouri river should and ought
to move under much greater minimum
weight than is made applicable to the
territory served by the jobbing or dis
tributing centers
The commission heretofore adopted class
ification No. "A to apply to Nebraska ter
ritory. while the railroads are urging class
ification No 30 as a proper basis for as
90 as compared with No. a. contains at
least ten advances where there is one re-
duction and. out of total Of 1900 minimum
carload weights classification No. so con-
tains an increase over No. "A on 800 Items
Complaint on Coal Rates.
Following a conference with the retail
coal dealers of southwestern Nebraska,
recently held in Hastings complaint has
been filed before the Interstate Commerce
commission asking for reduction OF rates
on coal from the Colorado fields into the
South Platte territory west OF aurora ana
to meet a reduction heretofore secured
affecting the territory west of Grand Is
land on the Union Pacific. The rates now
in force. in the opinion of the commission,
should be reduced from % to 50 cents per
ton.
The question of shortage in weights of
coal entering Nebraska in carload lots is
receiving the careful attention OF the com
mission.
TyvO-Cent Fare Law.
The 2-cent PASSENGER fare law and the
cases Involving the validity of the reduc-
tons in freight and express rates in Ne
braska are pending in the federal court.
A vast amount OF data showing the earn
ings and operating expenses of the car
riers as well as other factors which must
ultimately determine the reasonaoleness
sented in the hope that the legislative
enactmeTlts bringing about these reductions