| Show NEEDED explanation what the interstate commerce com wm r doble Is s doing and bopes 10 lo do bo Franl illik 1 lanei lane a 1 member of the interstate commerce orie pye out a prepared interview today designed to let the railroads and the public generally know what the commission wants in the way of further federal legislation to extend the unc lions of that body to the point nearest perfect usefulness to the country mr lane does not pretend to speak officially fici ally on behalf of the commission a as who lebut a poll of its individual members would reveal views practically I 1 identical with those held by him commissioner lane says that now that hat the commission has gained a really practical point of usefulness legislation is needed to cover the following points demanded to reach completion the commission wants the power to make rules governing such matters as the furnishing of cars to shippers it wants the power to control the movement of cars at a minimum rate after they are loaded it wants to have bave plenary power to control the matter of the capitalization of railroads it wants to be given power to prevent the watering of railroad stocks it wants increased powers respecting the regulation of all kinds of rates it wants more power governing the movement of freight to consignees consig nees these points in brief explained commissioner lane cover the most important features of railroading over which the commission desires to have comprehensive authority EXTENSION OF POWER it was held by the supreme court as is generally known lie he continued in beginning a review of the powers which has thus far been granted to the commission and what it still desires that prior to recent enactment the commission was without power to fix rates the decision was that the commissions functions were little more than advisory in character the hepburn bill however promptly granted this power to fix rates in a way that would mean relief to shippers this was the chief extension of power given the commission up to this time but under an act of the last congress express companies and nd sleeping car companies were brought under the jurisdiction of the commission and now the power to re regulate the rates of these companies is as absolute as the power to regulate freight and passenger rates gen 1 brally we have exercised this power on express ss companies continued commissioner lane and recently complaints have been filed with us respecting spec ting rates charged by the pullman company the commission was also given power under the hepburn act to institute a uniform accounting for all interstate carriers in the united states which are some 1200 in number and operating approximately miles of in the country this system of accounting has just been put into effect it requires detailed accounts affecting a large number of matter which heretofore have had no attention from the railroads this will in effect bring brig about a basis upon which the earnings of one railroad can be properly and intelligently compared with the earnings of another and upon which the operating expenses of 0 one road can be compared with those of another in a large number of ways too the public will be able to secure a more exact knowledge of important facts respecting the railroads particularly in regard to what sums the railroads are spending and what hat they are earning rebate discovery easy we also now have the power to examine the books of ill all the railroads and through a uniform system of accounting such as we now have it will be much easier to trace cases of rebates and the granting of special favors to shippers which of course are against the law you asked me what the commission has done what it has accomplished plis shed bed we have spent a considerable portion of our time during the past year in what may be termed preparatory work that Is to say in the preparation for the accomplishment of greater uniformity in the practice and methods of railroads throughout the country generally we are endeavoring to secure a uniform classification of all freight and a 1 uniform bill of lading and we are offering interpretation of the laws to all railroads for the sake of having baying railroad practice conform to the laws A very considerable part of our work has been in construing acts 0 of congress so that the railroads under all sorts of conditions and circumstances cum stances may know what is required of them this we have done without formal complaint but whenever the question has arisen and it has been indicated to us that the railroads showed any doubt whatever as to the proper interpretation of the law we have made a ruling upon the question involved so that the railroads might know precisely what the law was to were and are required to conform popular error corrected the theory of present legislation is that the commission is thoroughly a regulating body this is a point the general public understand the railroads have the right to fix a rate the commission does not fix a rate except upon complaint and if after a hearing we decide that the rate made by the railroad is excessive then we are authorized to reduce the tax upon the shipper or passenger the peo people ale also think quite generally that there is a power within the commissions jurisdiction to make such rules for the control and operation of railroads in certain other respects which it is well to offer an explanation about for instance I 1 have a letter on my desk from a man in california who says that he has had a shipment in transit for several months and he asks the commission to order the railroad to hurry that shipment to him and also to send him a copy ot of the rules governing such shipments of course we have no power to order a railroad to conform to that mans wishes in the transportation of his shipment and we have no power to make rules governing the movement of freight it would be well it if we had such powers but thus far congress has not seen fit it to grant them to the commission commis aion now continued commissioner Commis ioner lane the railroads h have are voluntarily made many reduction na fa in rates the the southern souther pacific the atchison Atch lson topeka and ana saute sante fe and the san pedro lines made a reduction ot of li 16 cents upon every one hundred pounds of oranges shipped out of southern california which brought to the orange growers on the basis ot of their crop last year a saving of in their freight payments of course railroads as a rule are no more charitable than any other class of corporation po ration and it Is a wise vise statute which gives to a body like the interstate commerce commission the right to readjust an exorbitant freight rate when a shipper complains stopped discrimination the work of 0 the commission has been largely devoted to the dupres slon sion of discriminations in favor of one locality imd and against another similarly situated so that the locality discriminated against labored under a handicap which brought upon it a great and dangerous loss we have practically stopped discriminations as between individuals the old rebating system is not nearly so pre alent as it was a year or two ago and the railroads are all coming to have a very wholesome respect tor for the law and as a rule they are trying to conduct their business in conformity with the laws the great purpose of all our railroad laws is to put all things and all bodies on an equal footing so that small manufacturing plants may have exactly the same privileges and be allowed the same rates on railroads as the big establishments lish ments and so that the small emall manufacturers may inay be able to do business in competition with the large manufacturers rs the abolishment of discriminatory railroad practices as affecting individuals and communities is an important work to which we have been devoting a great deal of time and that devotion of time has accomplished a world of good the reports of the commission of course do not show everything that we are doing and I 1 am therefore justified in saying that the thousands of cases where discrimination has been abolished monopoly crushed and competition made possible have been effected by the commis sion on must connect lines the commission now has the power to make joint rates and through routes so that it is not possible for a railroad to refuse an alliance with another and smaller road where there has never been a k through route continued mr lane in his summing up of conditions we have power also to require a railroad to permit a branch road to make connection with the main road the two roads being owned and operated by separate bands of capitalists so that the larger road Is not able to kill or even cripple the smaller road in other words our function in that respect makes it impossible for a powerful road to crush cripple or ruin a small road whose business life and existence is only possible by connection with the larger road the power of the commission thus gives the death knell to such a form of monopoly I 1 can cite a case where several men owned valuable coal lands in wyoming A railroad running nearby refused their transportation business eviden evi dentally tally because they were paid strong rates by an opposition coal company to discriminate against them but that railroad knew that we had the power to compel them to retrain refrain from discrimination and when the roads officers heard the case was to come before us on complaint they lost no time in surrendering to the wyoming men who had been the victims of an all unjust and unlawful d discrimination I 1 nation that concluded commissioner lane was a fine example of what the powers of the interstate commerce commission are accomplishing today As a geesin let me cite this as our functions we are ciu crushing shing monopoly we are putting all men and all business concerns dealing with wilh railroads roll roads upon a common level of privilege and we will not allow railroads to control industries by offering relates rebates to certain men and trying to murder smaller concerns that sums the situation m up according to our work of today |
