IOWA. 



r,ir, 



tho charges of tho Granger law. For long liauls 

 in 1 1 1 e State less than Granger rates are charged ; 

 and as the through or inter-State rates have been 

 from time to time reduced since the enactment 

 of tin- law of 1874, it is evident that the new 

 tariff ia a close approximation in the average to 

 tin- repealed Granger rutes. It was estimated 

 that the reduction which the Commissioners 

 had succeeded in accomplishing would save to 

 the producers and shippers of tho State hun- 

 dreds of thousands of dollars annually. 



The railroads of tho State are assessed by tho 

 Executive Council. Their aggregate assessed 

 value for the year 1879 amounted to $22,540,- 

 904. This is nearly a million dollars above the 

 assessment of 1878. The amount of the tax to 

 be paid by them is nearly $150 per mile. 



The capital stock of the railroads in Iowa 

 amounts to $90,612,451, being an increase of 

 one million and three quarters since last year. 

 The aggregate debt of all tho railroads in the 

 State is estimated at $70,243,795, an increase 

 of over three millions. Altogether fifteen roads 

 have increased their indebtedness, while six 

 have reduced. The stock and debt aggregate 

 $160,856,246, or $36,612 per mile. The en- 

 tire earnings of the roads for the year are : 



Passengers, mall and express I5.3-S5.177 86 



Freight and miscellaneous 16,005,689 08 



Total, year ending June 80, 1879. $21,840,700 44 

 Total last year 20,714,496 07 



Increase of present year $626,218 87 



The total operating expenses as returned are 

 $12,904,420, leaving $8,436,288.52 to represent 

 the net earnings, an increase over last year of 

 $287,742.78. The lines which charge the low- 

 est average rates earn the most money, owing 

 to the large business done. The railroads of 

 the State paid last year in taxes $584,169.79, 

 or 11 per cent, of their net earnings after de- 

 ducting operating expenses, interest, and taxes. 

 Of the roads in the State 3,399 miles are owned 

 by the companies operating them ; 997 miles 

 are leased by foreign corporations. There are 

 1,219 miles of steel rail in the State, or 27$ per 

 cent, of the whole trackage. There are 743 sta- 

 tions, or one to every six miles of road. Tho 

 total number of locomotives in use is 1,036, of 

 which 660 weigh 30 tons and upward each. 

 There are 578 passenger cars, 275 express and 

 baggage cars, 17,940 box freight cars, 2,512 

 stock cars, 7,693 platform cars, 561 cabooses, 

 and 1,682 other cars 31,584 in all. Besides 

 these a large number of fast freight-lino cars 

 are in use in the busier seasons, and at these 

 times the roads are frequently unable to supply 

 all the cars that are needed. The report shows 

 the classification of tonnage, the total being 

 8,650,881, and the percentage as follows : 

 Grain, 31 per cent. ; flour, 4 per cent. ; provis- 

 ions, 3 per cent. ; animals, 10 per cent. ; other 

 agricultural products, 1 per cent. ; lumber and 

 forest products, 15 per cent. ; coal, 11 per cent; 

 salt, lime, and plaster, 1 per cent. ; iron and 

 steel, 3 per cent. ; stone and brick, 3 per cent. ; 



manufactures, 2 per cent. ; merchandise, etc^ 

 16 per cent. 



At the biennial session of tho Legislature in 

 1877 a law was passed creating a Hoard of Kail- 

 road Commissioners. In their report tho Corn- 

 mi loners thus describe the operation of the 

 law: 



Before this system was enacted suite at law were tho 

 sole remedy for unjust charges upon shipper*. Thaw 

 suite, conducted at vast exjtenso m the aggregate, were 

 the source alike of exasperating delays and serious an- 

 noyance to both complainant* and defendant*. Often- 

 cr than otherwise these suits were contested through 

 all tho grades of our courts, and when at last the end 

 was reached, it was an end of each several case only, 

 others of like character and involving like principles 

 following upon ite heels. It might be an interesting, 

 as it certainly would be a startling exhibit, could the 

 aggregate annual expenditure from both public trea- 

 sury and private purse, on account of these suite, be 

 spread before the public. To the Commissioners any 

 and all persons aggrieved apply for redress, no matter 

 how small the amount involved, confident of prompt 

 hearing and without expense to themselves. The Com- 

 missioners are simply a court of arbitration, ite ex- 

 penses being borne by assessments upon the railroads. 

 Not one suit at law, arising from alleged unjust or dis- 

 criminative charges, so far as the Commissioners have 

 knowledge, has been prosecuted against any railroad 

 company in Iowa since tho Commissioner system was 

 adopted. All grievances of this character nave been 

 referred to this Board, and by it investigated and ad- 

 judged, the result in every case, with perhaps a single 

 exception, being accepted as final. Moreover, the Com- 

 missioners arc not aware of an instance where any rail- 

 road company has persisted in charges that have been 

 complained of after such rates have been held to be un- 

 just or discriminative by the Board. ... It seems to 

 vastly simplify the relations between the railroads and 

 the public, and to cheapen the cost of adjusting what- 

 ever differences or grievances may from time to time 

 be complained of. 



In a case brought to recover damages for in- 

 jury to a valuable cow while in transportation, 

 caused by the collision of a car in switching it, 

 the Burlington Railroad denied any negligence 

 on their part, and showed that in the contract 

 of shipment it was stipulated that they " were 

 released from all liability above the value of 

 common stock." They also pleaded that it was 

 the universal custom of defendant, as well as 

 all other roads, to receive fancy or blooded 

 stock only on these conditions ; that such prac- 

 tice was general and uniform, and well known 

 to stock-shippers generally. They also pleaded 

 that the plaintiff was guilty of negligence in 

 shipping a cow in tho condition of that one. 

 Tho Judges in Johnson County held that the 

 release in tho shipping contract was void, as 

 against public policy. As to the second ground 

 of defense, the Court ruled that it was the duty 

 of the company to receive and ship blooded as 

 well as other stock, and that no custom could 

 be shown authorizing the making of any con- 

 tract which would exempt common carriers 

 from liability for gross negligence. It was 

 urged with much earnestness that the defen- 

 dant was not a common carrier of blooded or 

 fancy stock, though it was of common stock ; 

 but tho Court held otherwise. The Judge in- 

 structed the jury that the measure of damages 

 was the difference between the value of the 



