Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-04-01

office. Then Senator Jones remarked
that It was the same old fight over
again that was threshed out on that
commission. Mr.. Jones was one OF the
commission. So was State Auditor
Bleakley. And the secretary was Mr..
Byrkit present head of the insurance
department. Mr.. Jones limited that an
effort was made by the insurance peo-
pie to get the commission to denounce
the anti-compact law. Whether that
was the cause or not, the commission
divided sharply and had several very
hot sessions the details Of which never
came out. But anyway the bill has
finally passed the senate and there Is,
to say the least, some disagreement
as to whether 1t would have the effect
of completely multiplying the anticom-
pact law. But now the insurance COM
| panies, who alone wanted the bill,
| have discovered that it goes too far.
| It would require that they should file
with the state auditor not general
schedules Of rates on risks, but spe-
cific ratings on every individual risk
that they have 1t in mind at any time
to touch One insurance man the other
day said it would cost each company
hundred thousand dollars to make
out and file such schedules. It is an
impossible task unless it is all done by
the filing of common schedule pre-
pared by some rating bureau-and as
the bill now stands they question
whether it would be safe to accept any
such arrangement in its entirety. For
years the insurance companies have
been fighting for the bill. Somebody
has maintained lobby here In several
sessions and has spent good deal of
money working up sentiment and dab
bling in politics. Now it Is found that
the bill won't do at all and the word
has gone forth to kill the bill.
Utilities Bill PIeases.
The amended and modified bill for
public utilities commission as 1t was
finally voted on by the senate is so far
in advance of the original committee
draft Of the bill that it was practically
accepted by the representatives of the
Iowa municipalities and the friends OF
the telephone companies and the
champions Of the corporations Among
the votes cast for the bill were those
Of several senators who represent i'm
portant cities owning their own utili-
ties; but also among the senators VINO
withheld their votes from the bill there
was NUMBER WHO nave Clllco a. llotiAS
protesting against the state taking
over control Of their local affairs The
bill got a number Of votes by reason OF
the very important amendments made
in the floor without which it is doubt
full If it would have been passed at all.
The bill was put through the senate
by the group Of senators who made
determined fight for it. BY common
consent they gathered about the seat
w 06 11n
edlv carried on the fight, sometimes
fighting amendments to the end and
sometimes yielding gracefully, more
often carrying their point Of opposition
to success. There were more amend
ments proposed than were accepted.
This group in charge Of the bill con-
sisted of Francis. Crist, DeWolf, and
Cowles: Important amendments were
secured by Kimball, Sullivan and AL
len. The Kimball amendments related
to the question of home rule and pre-
serving to the people Of the cities the
control of their municipality owned
plants The Sullivan amendments were
those prepared by Mayor Hanna, At
torney Byers and others on behalf Of
Des Moines. s.... I'LL. .'"
Is Much Amended.
The most important amendment. to
t.! bill was that by Allen which makes
OF the commission, AFTER year, also an
assessing board for all the utilities, in
Guiding the railroads and interurbans,
telegraph and express companies, and
in this respect supplanting the state
executive council. The commission will,
Of necessity, secure very much fuller
information as to the value Of all these
properties than has ever been secured
by the council, hence will be in much
better position to fix actual values for
taxation. In the matter Of rate making
the companies will make a showing Of
value Of the plants, which it may be
assumed will be fairly accurate, and
the commission will be able to take
this as a basis for taxation If it Is
deemed high enough. This Is labor
which would have been given the state
tax commission if created.
OF equal Importance is the various
amendments which preserve to the
cities the CONTROL in general way, of
their municipality owned utilities; and
others which give decided encourage
ment to the movement toward munici-
pal ownership. 1t was freely charged
that the bill had been framed to dis
courage and finally to destroy municipal
ownership and to that extent the bill
was branded as a corporation measure
and hurtful to very healthful move
ment. Amendments adopted changed
the character of the bill in this regard,
though not to the extent desired by
some, and representatives of some Of
the cities doubt very much If anything
would be gained by its acceptance.
The house bill embraces many Of the
features which have been at the finish