OCR Text |
Show Interstate Commerce Commission Reports Says Laws Are Inadequate to Meet Necessary Reforms Long Railroad Rail-road Casualty List. WASHINGTON, Dec. 19. The annual report of tho Intorstato Commerco commission com-mission was transmitted to Congress today. to-day. Reference Is ugaln mado to the two principal objects of tho act to regulate commerco, the publication and observance of tariff rates and tho correction, on complaint, com-plaint, of established tariff rates. Tho commission says In substanco that successful regulation of rates depends upon the cffcctlvo operation of both branches of regulation. The act, as amended by the Elklns law of February 19, 1903, and which deals with tho publication publica-tion and Invariable application of tariffs, appears to bo operating successfully as applied to carriers subject to its provisions, pro-visions, but It is belloved that these provisions pro-visions might be mado somewhat moro definite and oxionded to apply to other agencies connected with , transportation which may now bo used as a means of nffarding concessions to shippers which In effect reduces tho cost of moving their Are Inadequate. Tho commission calls attontlon to tho fact that there has been no amendatory legislation conferring power over this rate and making tho orders of the commission com-mission effective. In tho present state of law, after careful and often extended investigation, tho commission may find a rato complained against to bo unreasonable unreason-able and order tho carrier to desist from charging that rato for tho future, but It cannot, though the evidence may, and usually does Indlcato it, find and order tho reasonnblo rate to bo substituted for that .which has been found to bo unlawful unlaw-ful In two Instances during tho past year tho commission lias been asked by both shippers and carriers to adjudlcato controversies con-troversies between them according to tho adjustment of rates. Tho commission commis-sion thinks it probablo that tho cases now Dcndlng before it directly and indirectly indi-rectly affect almost everv locality and nearly all of the people in tho United Stales. Bealdcs disposing of a largo number of complaints through informal investigations investiga-tions and deciding numerous questions in relation to the publication and obaervanco of tariffs, tho commission has rendered during tho year twerity-soven decisions in roportu and opinions upon contested cases or investigations mado by tho commission on Its own motion. Increased List of Fatalities. Tho report shows that in railway accidents acci-dents thero wero 43.26G employees injured nnd 33G7 killed In 1901, ns compared with 33,711 injured and 251G killed in 1902, with which year comparison is made There wero S077 passengers Injured and 13) killed. Tho Increase In the number of deaths of paRjcngcra over 1903 Is G1V& por cent. There wero ten accidents during dur-ing tho year, and tho report saya that tho paramount requirement Is an cffcctlvo cffcc-tlvo measure for the provcntlon of collisions. col-lisions. Tho commission again urges tho adoption of tho block Bystem. For tho year ending Juno 30. 1901, tho preliminary report embraces returns for roads representing 209,002 miles of lino, or about 99 per cent of tho mllcago that will bo covered by tho final report. On tho mllcago stated the gross earnings earn-ings of tho railways wero $1.9W,633,82L Tho gross earnings for the previous year, on 205.313 miles, wero 51.9w.S46.DQ7. Tho operating expenses of the railways for the year amounted to $1,332,382,918, being equivalent to 56375 per mllo of lino, or $260 moro than for the year of 1903. Tho ratio of operating expenses to earnings was 67.75 per cent. |