CHARACTERISTICS OF ROAD IN IOWA-CONTINUED, BRIDGES: Truss bridges TRESTLES: 18 one-bent 12-foot span culverts, feet 21 one-bent 14-foot span culverts, feet 70 consisting of more than one bent, feet Aggregate length, feet... GAUGE OF TRACK: Four feet eight and one half inches. TELEGRAPH: Operated by Western Union Telegraph Company. 86 miles of line. QUESTIONS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION. 3 216 294 8.015 8,525 Name all the associations to which this road is a party, whose object is the regulation or control of passenger or freight traffic: Western Freight Association. Name all the companies commonly called fast freight lines, of which this road is a member, or which operate over the line of this road: This company is a member of no fast freight lines, but hauls any lines' cars. The cost and actual present cash value of road and equipment, including permanent way, buildings and rolling stock, all real estate used exclusively in operating the road and all fixtures and conveniences for transacting its business: Cost from November 20, 1886, $57,371.09. The average amount of tonnage that can be carried on your road in the State by an engine of given weight: A 39-ton engine can haul 360 tons between Fort Dodge and Mason City, and 225 tons between Fort Dodge and Lehigh, including dead weight. Section 4, chapter 77 of the laws of the Seventeenth General Assembly, says that the Railroad Commissioners shall, on the first Monday of December, make a report to the Governor, etc. The tenth clause of the section says the report shall contain such statistics of the road and its transportion business for the year as may, in the judgment of the Commissioners, be necessary and proper for the information of the General Assembly, or AS MAY BE REQUIRED BY THE GOVERNOR. Under the provisions of this clause, the Governor has submitted questions contained in the following letter, which you will please answer: STATE OF IOWA, EXECUTIVE OFFICE, DES MOINES, August 5, 1889. To the Honorable, the Board of Railroad Commissioners. Des Moines, Iowa: GENTLEMEN-I must again request that you obtain and incorporate into your next annual report the following information as to every railroad company doing business in this State, viz.: 1. The names of all persons who were stockholders on the 30th day of June, 1889; their place of residence, and the amount of stock owned by each. 2. The salary paid to its general officers, as President, Vice-president, Secretary, Treasurer, Auditor, General Manager and Assistants, Traffic Manager, General Freight Agent, General Solicitor, and Division Superintendents. 3. The average daily wages paid to its employes, as station agents, conductors, brakemen, engineers, firemen, flagmen, section men, etc. 4. The names of its regular attorneys in this State, the salary and other compensation of each; also the names of all other attorneys in the State retained by the road during the past year, and the retaining fee, per diem, or other compensation or emolument whatsoever received by each. 5. The number and total mileage of so-called one and two thousand mile tickets issued to persons in this State for other than cash compensations; also, whether the cash value of all mileage tickets is included in its report of gross receipts. This information is of importance to the State as well as of great interest to the public. More publicity in the management of corporation affairs is necessary. It is a wise law that compels national banks to post up at their places of business a list of their stockholders; and there is certainly no good reason why the State and the public should not know who the owners of the railroads are that avail themselves of the State's franchises, do business under its laws and rely upon it for protection. It is also essential that the mileage tickets issued by the various companies to editors, to its attorneys and to its employes, în lieu of other compensation, be reported to the State. There is reason to believe that it is the practice of some companies not to include the value of such mileage in their reports of total earnings, upon which the classification of railroads for the purpose of regulating their tariff is based. You will please direct the attention of the various companies to the provisions of section 5, chapter 77, laws of the Seventeenth General Assembly; and should any of them fail to furnish the information required, I shall thank you to promptly report to me the names of such delinquents. Yours truly. WM. LARRABEE. MASON CITY & FT. DODGE RAILROAD CO., W. W. AINSWORTH, ESQ., Sec'y State Board R. R. Com., Des Moines, Iowa: DEAR SIR-Replying to your favor of October 12th, calling attention to our omission in answering first question of Governor Larrabee's letter, I give below the information requested, viz., list of stockholders, June 30, 1889: ATTORNEYS IN IOWA. No regular attorneys employed. Jno. F. Duncombe, Ft. Dodge, retained during year. A. N. Botsford, Ft. Dodge; James Martin, Lehigh; Nagle & Birdsall. Clarion; W. E. Bullard, Belmond. Transportation is the only retaining fee paid them. We, the undersigned, Chas. C. Burdick, Gen'l Manager, and Rob't W. Eager, Auditor and Cashier. of the Mason City & Ft. Dodge Railroad Company, on our oath do severally say, that the foregoing return has been prepared, under our direction, from the original books, papers, and records of said company; that we have carefully examined the same, and declare the same to be a complete and correct statement of the business and affairs of said company in respect to each and every matter and thing therein set forth, to the best of our knowledge, information, and belief; and we further say that no deductions were made before stating the gross earnings or receipts herein set forth, except those shown in the foregoing accounts; and that the accounts and figures contained in the foregoing return embrace all of the financial operations of said company during the period for which said return is made. (Signed) CHAS. C. BURDICK, General Manager. R. W. EAGER. Auditor and Cashier. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 13th day of September, 1889. [SEAL.] C. H. MCNIDER, Notary Public. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER RAILROAD & TOLL BRIDGE CO., TO THE BOARD OF RAILROAD COMMISSIONERS OF THE STATE OF IOWA, FOR THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1889. HISTORY. Name of common carrier making this report: Mississippi River Railroad & Toll Bridge Company. Date of organization: Incorporated, Illinois, November 9, 1886. Under laws of what government, State or Territory organized? If more than one, name all; give reference to each statute and all amendments thereof: Under an act of Congress entitled "An act to organize the construction of a bridge and to establish the same as a post road," approved May 25, 1872, and has authority from the States of Iowa and Illinois to build such a bridge. What carrier operates the bridge of this company: Total number of stockholders at date of last election: Date of last meeting of stockholders for election of directors: Give post-office address of general office: Chicago, Illinois. Give post-office address of operating office. |