Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-03-25
hAiLRoAD COMMISSION RULES
ON DlsPuTEo POINT At
BURLINGTON.
SrREET CAR COMPANY
IN vlADucr CONTROVERSY
Line Runs Between City and Suburban
Tswn and Commission Will Hold
Company Must Pay Part Of Cost Of
Construction q Bridge Over Steam
Railread Tracks. ~ sHS
Special to rimes-Republic,a.tr,,.

siOner John "A. Guiher, OF the state
faiiroad commission. who has been
studying the viaduct situation in Bur-
Eiihgton where the street railway COM
pany Is trying to avoid paying any
share in the expense Of constructing a
viaduct over the Burlington tracks
across Dankwardts lane. will probably
within few days recommend to the
commission that the company should
stand some of the expense for the
building OF the viaduct. He will do this
on the grounds that the street railway
as operated between Burlington and
West Burlington Is In reality an inter
urban, or comes under that definition
in the statute, because it operates be-
tween two Incorporated towns, and
that being IN interurban the state
railroad commission has a right to
make an order in the matter.
There hiss been considerable contro-
versy over the construction OF this via
Duct. The railroad is ready to build 1t
but IL the street car company Is to
use Il the viaduct must be built twen-
ty-eight fee wide instead of twenty
fee wide. The street car company is
fighting any move to require it to pay
any Of the expense.
In this state the state railroad COM
mission is not given any jurisdiction
over street railway company but has
Jurisdiction over an interurban. AS the
statute defines an interurban line on
which cars are operated between two
incorporated towns and as West Bur-
lington is an Incorporated town the
commission claims it has jurisdiction.
Under another statute however which
sets forth that municipalities shall
have jurisdiction over railways oper-
ating In their limits the street railway
claims II ID exempt from Interference
on the part OF the state commission.
This question has bothered the COM
mission before. 1t Is probable that az
the next session Of the general assem-
bly, a bill will be presented widening
the powers OF the state railroad COM
mission to include jurisdiction over all
public utilities, such as telephone, tele-
graph, gaS, electric light plants. trans
mission liDe4 water companies and
street railway companies-in fact all
the big public service companies.
This Ii the law in Kansas and in
other states and 1t is claimed that
these big public service corporations
are much better regulated where sucA
power II vested In a commission.
ss oGpSrvisSrs Negligent. h"'s'
J. i. Wall. chief Of the county ac-
counting department has Just returned
from trip out over the state, having
visited boards Of supervisors In sew
erai counties where Irregularities have
been found In the work Of county Of
flcials. The state now has eight exam
fners who are kept busy checking up
the work Of the county officials.
Mr.. Wall declares he Is experiencing
much difficulty in getting boards Of
supervisors to act when county OFF,
ciasl have been found bracticing irreg
ularities. The members Of many Of
the boards say the offending official is
: tASir neiShbor and friend and they do
not like to start any official action
against him. Frequently they put 1t
up to the state to take the Initiative in
the prosecution-if the case requires
prosecution in order to get a Settle
ment. z- a.. =. -. - sss- ~
Election Muddiss in Towns.
The attorney generals Office yester-
day was kept busy answering calls
from towns out over the state as to the
preparation Of the city ticket for the
coming city election to be held in many
cities Monday. In many places the
csDdidates failed to file their names in
time to get on the ticket as the law
requires they hle within fifteen days OF
the election instead Of ten as formerly.
The attorney generals Office yesterday
advised that In those cases where the
names were not on the ticket to leave
blank spaces for the writing in Of the
names OF the candidates. They can be
written IN with pencil, the attorney
generals office says.
Word was received by the attorney
generals office yesterday that Judge
A. N. Hobson. Of West Union, has been
assigned by the. supreme court to hear
7 the custer proceedings case against
Sheriff G. G. Cremer, Of Wapello
county.