Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-01-19
LAWNS OUT
YARDS AND ROADS
House Orders South Omaha
Exchange and Stock Yards
Officials to an Open
Meeting.
DECLARE RATES ARE HIGH
Railroads Also Come Under
Scope of Many Motions
of Inquiry.
SWANSON ON CAR SHORTAG

Lincoln, Jan. l8.-(Special. Leg
islative antagonism to alleged excess
sive charges made by live stock COM
mission merchants at South Omaha is
expressed in motion, which the
house adopted today, calling on the
Union Stock Yards company and
the South Omaha Live Stock ex-
change, to appear before the commit
tee on live stock and grazing, at an
open session to be held in the house
chamber and give their reasons i'll
defense of the practices which are
the subject of complaint
The motion was made by Anderson
OF Boyd, farmer, and live stock ship
per. Some of the grievances it re-
cited were as follows:
In addition to regular commission
charges of 90 cents per head for cat
tie, 80 cents for calves, Zoe for hogs
and 20 cents for sheep, the rules of
the South Omaha exchange fix
charges of $40 for single deck and
SIS for double deck cars of hogs
or sheep, and $l2 per car for cattle.
In Case of Two Shippers.
Where two shippers consign their
animals in the same car, an extra,
charge running up as high as 81 is
made for selling them under two ac-
counts.
Over and above all other charges,
there have lately beenadded 10 cents
a carload for insurance and 5 cents
for protection"
This scale of charges is pro-
nounced "extravagant, unfair and ex-
orbitant," but before any legislative
action is taken the house will hear
what the stock yards people and the
commission merchants have to say for
themselves. The chief clerk was in
structed to notify them to appear, the
time not being fixed.
Railroads the Goat.
There is every indication that the
railroads arc in for the job of being
the goat" for it is an exceptional
day when some member does not
introduce resolution or a bill or
make some remark aimed at the car
riers because of the so-called car
shortage situation.
A bill introduced by Representative
III. A. Swanson of Clay county,
known as H. R. No. 20, goes into the
car shortage matter from two angles
The first provides that the carriers
may make demurrage charge of ST
per day per car for the second day
after the Car has been delivered by
the road, s., for the third day, the
same for the fourth S. for the fifth
day, 81 for the sixth day and IS for
each day thereafter.
Roads Penalized.
The other provision is that at shall
be the duty of the railroad company
to furnish care when ordered by ship
pers. In case of refusal or failure to
furnish cars when ordered the rail-
road company shall forfeit or pay to
the shipper, after five days have
elapsed from the specified time set for
the loading of the car or cars, 81 per
car per day for each of the first five
days and 81 per Car per day for each
and every day thereafter until the
cars ordered have been furnished the
shipper. Provided that the railroad
company shall have five days to fur
nish the car or cars"
Must Furnish Cars.
The bill forces the roads to furnish
the cars whether they them or not or
pay the charges.
In 1907 there was a shortage of
cads for shipping grain. but the short
age OF cars for shipping grain, but
the shortage did not continue for a
long period and not at all like the
present. An investigation of the rec
ords in the Office of the State Railway
show that on last Satur-
day there were 1852 box cars in
Nebraska not on moving trains. 1t
is estimated that it would require
from 10000 to 10000 cars to relieve
the present congested condition,