The Legal Important Litigation The government suit to dissolve the alleged anthracite trust is likely to come to trial in the United States Circuit Court at Phila delphia this fall. The New Jersey Central, the Reading Company and the Erie are named as defendants. Judge McAllister Campbell in the federal court at McAlester, Okla., issued a temporary order, Sept. 27, restraining the state officials from interfering with the piping of gas out of Oklahoma. This decision was rendered in spite of the anti-trust law of Oklahoma, which prohibits foreign corporations from engaging in this business within the state. After two years of agitation against race track gambling in New York State marked by the passage of the drastic anti-betting bill, generally called the Hart-Agnew law, the Kings county (Brooklyn) grand jury handed up indictments Oct. 4 against the two big Kings county race tracks, three police officials, five private detectives and twenty-five bookmakers. The defendants will raise the question of the constitutionality of the law. The Irish land bill, a measure of vast im portance, passed through its final stage in the House of Commons Sept. 17 by a vote of 174 to 51. All estates and untenanted lands of Ireland were put into the power of a body of commissioners who may fix the price for their sale. Under this bill loans for Irish land pur chases amounted to $915,000,000. The Lords passed the bill to its third reading Oct. 26, with some important amendments which there was doubt of the Commons accepting. The case of the United States in the New foundland fishery arbitration between Great Britain and this government was sent Oct. 4 to the British embassy, and the case of Great Britain was forwarded to the American embassy in London by the British foreign office. This is the first step in the arbitration of the New foundland fishery dispute. It is the first case between the United States and Great Britain to be referred to the Hague Court for arbi tration under the general arbitration treaty of April 4, 1908. After an extended discussion of the terms of settlement in the $30,000,000 suit brought in New York by the Pennsylvania Sugar Refining Company against the American Sugar Refining Company, Judges Willspn and Audenreid in the Common Pleas Court at Philadelphia agreed Sept. 24, to act as arbi trators and determine finally whether the compromise offered by the American Sugar Refining Company should be accepted. The
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indications in October were that there would be an amicable settlement of the case by the acceptance of the terms offered by the so-called "trust" when the case was on trial in New York several months ago. A suit against the United States for $61,287,800 probably will be tried this winter. This suit was instituted by the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad Company, one of the land grant railroads, by the filing of a petition in the United States Court of Claims, in which it was alleged that by acts of Con gress the United States had agreed to convey to it the fee simple title to every alternate section of land to the extent of ten sections per mile on each side of its line through the Indian Territory and Kansas, and that sub sequently many of these lands had been deeded to the Indians in severalty and had otherwise been disposed of to the great loss of the railroad company. Important Legislation It is the consensus of opinion in the Ameri can Bankers' Association, which held its thirty-fifth annual convention in September, in Chicago, that "the bill of lading question, one of the greatest commercial problems of the day, will soon be settled to the satisfaction of bankers, carriers and shippers." The cry of the bankers has long been for a bill of lading which will make the carrier issuing it respon sible so that it will be a safe negotiable in strument. The Interstate Commerce Commission is said to be in favor of President Taft's proposal to recommend to Congress the estab lishment of a federal court with exclusive jurisdiction over appeals from the decisions and rulings of the commission. This agree ment with the President follows the conference on interstate matters held not long ago in New York, at which the President, many of his Cabinet, and Commissioners Knapp and Prouty were present. Such a court would strengthen and consolidate the powers of the commission rather than weaken them, accord ing to the belief of the commissioners. The province of Alberta, Canada, after consultation with Judge Ben B. Lindsey, Judge George S. Addams of Cleveland and J. J. Kelso of Ontario, has passed a new chil dren's act. Alberta now proposes to hold the cruel or negligent parent accountable for the proper care of the child, and its officials can fine or imprison offenders. In cities of over 10,000 there is to be a refuge for temporary detention of children that are held for trial, or are neglected; probation officers look out for children's interests, children's courts are
