Omaha daily bee., 1912-03-24
POWELL CHECKS CAR WEIGHT
Nebraska Expert Finds Marks on
Sides to Be Wrong.
TRAFFIC SCALES ALSO DIFFER
Road In Many Instances Lose by
i Error and Cheat Themselves
Out of Large sums of
Money.
From a Staff CORRESPONDENT

ness down to an exact science as is
often asserted. but figures compiled by
L. 6. Powell, expert rate man for the
Nebraska railway commission. would not
indicate il. He has been digging up some
facts concerning weights to present to
the Interstate Commerce commission at
Chicago
The custom of the roads Is to mark
on cars the weight of the cars which
marks are permanent. When a loaded
Tar is weighed this amount is taken
from the total TO get at the contents.
out Of l.l00 cars weighed by the COM
mission on tested scales 4o2 showed a
variation for correct weight from 400 to
1900 pounds, the others varying in lesser
amounts. The one which was off 800
was a Northwestern car and the STEM
cilled weight was that much less than
its real weight. the company thereby
cheating itself out Of that much on
zach carload II ii weighed up TO the
maximum.
In others the stencllled weights were too
great. the whole showing there was no
LtSE-u III lliB lhttIIStk NtlEulSs
In reweighlng 800 cars OF coal four diff
rcISIt scales were used and differences
in scales amounting 10 as high as 1900
bounds were discovered in one instance.
Cambridge Files Complaint.
The city of Cambridge has filed com
plant against the Burlington road in
which the allegation is made that the
toad discriminates against the town and
eives smaller and less important places
Meter train service and better accommo-
cations for passengers. The complaint
lets out that Cambridge is the largest
and most important place on the Denver
Inc Of the Burlington between Holdrege
and McCook and on the st. Louis line
between McCook and Red Cloud: that II
has a population of l.5o0, has beautiful
natural lake and a fine park which Is the
pleasure resort of southwestern Ne
braska. that II is the home of many
RraveinG men and of the judge Of the
district court and the common meeting
place for many conventions and public
gatherings. II is set out that the fast
through trains of the road do not stop
much smaller place. 1t is also asserted
That the Cambridge depot is old, dilapl-
hated and entirely too small for the pur-
bose, is poorly lighted, poorly supplied
with drinking water and that the freight
loom Is so small that crates Of butter.
eggs, fruit sometimes decayedD, poultry
and other things are piled In the waiting
room and that the company refuses TO
Give better facilities, while Alma has a
fine brick depot and other places on the
line are favored with adequate facilities.
The Commercial club. which files the
complaint. wants the board to order all
trains stopped at Cambridge and new
and adequate depot provided. The COM
hlaint will be referred 10 the company
and time granted to file an answer.
after which date will be set for a
hearing in case the company and the
residents of Cambridge cannot get to-
tether on a solution Of the trouble.
More than half the state banks have
sent in their reports In response to the
recent call which the banking depart
Inent considers good record, espe-
TALLY II the remaining ones will
hurry up.
bethany Complaint Heard.
The hearing on the Bethany complaint
on street railway charges, after being on
Ill day yesterday and about an hour
this morning was postponed TO date
rot yet fixed to make for a hearing on
Rock Island switching charges, which
was set for Friday. The company wants
a switching tariff abolished so far as
Il relates 10 certain parties not on the
line of its tracks and where it relates
10 handling ears brought in by other
companies. The company asserts that
the business handled under that tariff
Is all interstate and beyond the jurlsdic-
lion of the state commission. and further
that it Is general rule among roads
hot To switch ears brought In by other
roads TO wagon tracks of a competitor
and that no other road In Lincoln has
tuch rate as the one this company seeks
10 have abrogated.
Religious Census Figures.
Figures taken from the religious census
fecentIy made show that one man out
IT each six in Lincoln and its suburbs
Is employed by the railroads, or total
pf 2,4i2 OF this number the Burlington
employs $50. The Roman Catholic
church claims by far the largest MEM
bership OF any denomination, with the
Lutherans rext. Eight per cent OF the
employees OF the headquarters own their
bwn homes. the comparatively small
humber as related to other classes being
attributed to the fact the percentage Of
single men is greater In the headquarters.
Of the engineers and conductors 50 per
tent are home owners, - per cent OF the
tuundhouse men, % per cent of the truck
hen, 70 per cent of the switchmen. 5
Der cent Of the yard officers. 10 per cent
bI the roundhOuse officers. Is per cent OF
the signalmen, brakemen and baggage
men.
Books for Teachers.
At the meeting Of the Nebraska State
Teachers reading circle board held in
Lincoln Friday. March .. the following
books were adopted for the year 1872
ISIS. .l-
McMurry's How to Study and Teach
ing How to study published By Hough-
lon MiTflin Company, and MckenHy S
The Personality Of tee Teacher pub
lshed By Row, Peterson q Co. for
teachers in city schools tsubdiyision s
and lil.
tsognt's American Rural School" pub
iished by the Macmillan Company, ard
Achsnuy's Tine Personality OF the
feacner, published by Row. Peterson &
10, Eor teachers in rdral and village
LcnoOIs tsuDdIEIsi0n y.
These looks represent three lines Of
WORK: how to study and Teaching How
10 study" pedagogical: The Personality
pf the Teacher, " iAsPfrational or cultural.
"Amsr7caa Kura! Schools. vocational
training.