The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-03-16
OKLAHOMA WANTS TO OWN
RAILROADS..

A movement is on foot in the
Oklahoma legislature to give that
state a chance to try government
ownership of the railroads. TWO
bills have been introduced to that
effect. The Oklahoma correspon-
dent for the Kansas City Star says:
''The scheme is appealing especially
to farmers. Numerous petitions
and letters are coming to members
of the legislature favoring state
railroad amendment to the constl-
tuition which would permit author
king state bonds by special cleo
ton. Under the constitution bond
issue may be voted only at general
election, which would not come un-
till 1912. The amount of bonds
needed is Is million dollars. 10
promote the undertaking one bill
appropriates the sum of $4,000 for
1911 and $4,000 each for the years
1912 and 1918, for the use of the
utilities road. The people OF Okla
homa are to be asked to provide tor
the building of not only state
railroad, but for an eight-inch Oil
pipeline from Kansas to Texas,
where connection would: be made
with q desirable market. A bill OF
the kind has been drawn by Repre-
sentative S. w. L. Jeffords, OF Chel-
sea. 1t is intended to protect the oil
producers against the Standard Oil
company, as the state railroads is to
rive the people restraint on priv
ately ow2er railroads. The Jeffords
bill would appropriate fifteen million
dollars without vote by the people,
The work of construction would be
entrusted to a superintendent whose
salary would be $4,000 year. One
bill creates a state board OF public
utilities, to be composed OF the
governor and four other members
appointed by him, to control the ex-
penditure of all funds in building
the railroad and the earnings ac-
cruing from it's operation. This bill
also provides for benefit districts
to be composed of any number OF
counties, which, upon petition OF
3 per cent of the taxpayers. may
call an election to find if the people
wish to build railroad. The Sec
ond bill creates the first railroad
benefit district of the counties of
McCurtain, Choctaw, Bryan, Atoka,
Coal, Pontotoc. Seminole, McClain,
Pottawatomie, Cleveland, Oklahoma,
Canadian, Kingisher, Blaine, Dewey,
Woodward, Harper, Beaver, Texas
and Cimarron. The route would
give railroad connection between the
extreme northwestern and the ex-
IRENE southwestern part of the state.
The state railroad would be operated
by the utilities board as if its men,
hers were the directors of private
corporation and all it's moneys de-
posted in the state treasury. Should
any privately owned railroad offer
to sell to the state, the governor is
authorized by the bill to call spec
ial election in the counties through
which the line runs to learn If the
taxpayers wish to issue bonds for
the purchase. The board is author
lied to lease railroads whenever it
is more expedient than owning them.
No tax shall be levied in any dis
trict except to meet deficiency be-
tween the net earnings of the rail-
road and the amount of money re-
quired annually for payment of in
terest on bonds and a sinking fund
to extinguish the Indebtedness I'M
twenty-five years. A county paying
such tax shall be reimbursed from
the net earnings of the railroad,
whenever the earnings are in excess
If the exDenses"