The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1876-03-30
Published March l. fs7s.l

oranh comnan1es in the state Of wisconsin, y
anu to repeal other sections ano acts named
therein.
in senate and assembly, do nact as follows:
Section / Within ten days after the passage and
publication OF this act, tie governor py ana VIII
the cCnse ut of the senate, shall appoint rail
road comm ssioner, who shall hold his once lor
the term & two year. from the fifteenth day OF FeD.
ruary and until his successor is appointed and
qualified. Every two years thereafter, the govern
or by and with the advice and consent OF the SEN
ate, shall appoint a railroad commissioner, who
shall hold his Office for the term OF two ears, and
until his successor shall be appointed and qualified
and the nomination of railroad commissioners
shall hereafter be sent to the senate by the gov
ernor during the month of January immediate ~
preceding the beginning of such commissioners
Term of Office. The governor sh all have power to
remove such commissioner, and appoint announcer
to fill the ncy at any time, in his discretion
No person owning any bonds, stock, or property
in any abroad company, who is in the en- ploy-
ment of, or in any way or manner pecun1ar1ly in
teres ed in any railroad corporation shall be so ap-
pointed.
Section @ The railroad commissioner shall in :.
auire into any neglect violation of the laws OF
this state by any railroad corporation doing busl-
ness there u, or by the ofncers, agents. OF I'm: m
ployes thereof and shall, also, from time to time,
carefully examine and inspect the condition OF
each railroad in the state, and of its equipment,
and the manner of its conduct and management
with relation to the public safety and conve nienUe
he shall also examins and ascertain the pecun1ary
condition and the manner of financial management
Of each and every railroad corporation Ool4S Ousl-
ness in this 81 ate.
Section g. To enable said commissioner to make
the report and return required by section twelve
(12) of the act of which this is mandatory, the
president managing officer of each railroad cor
poration in the state shall annually make to the
railroad commits sioner, in the month of October,
such returns and in the form he may prescribe, as
will afford the information required for thelrsald
official report Such returns shall be verified by the
oath of the officer making them. and any railroad
corporation whose return shall not be made. as
ninth Of
shall be liable to penalty of one hundred dollars
(OO) for each and every day after the thlrty-hrst
day of October that such return VIII be WlHuly
delayed or refused.
Section a. No railroad corporation shall charge;
demand or receive from any person, company or
corporation, for the transportation OF persous or
propegt y a greater sum than it shall at the same
time charge, demand or receive from any o her
person or corporation, for ike service from he
same place. and no reiroad corporation shall charge
or receive larger sum per car load from one per-
son than any other shipping from the same place;
but this last provision shall not Apply to shipments
from connecting points.
Section o. No railroad corporation shall charge;
demand or receive from any person, company or
corporation, an unreasonable price for the trans
porEation of persons property, or Tor the hand-
ling or storage Of any freight or for the use OF It's
cars or for any privilege service afforded by 1t
in the transaction of its business as railroad cor
poration.
Section 6. 1t shall be the duty of any railroad
corporation, when within their power so to do,
and upon reasonable notice, to furnish suitable
cars to any and all persons who may apply there
for, or the transportation OF any and all usual
kinds of freight and to receive and transport such
freight with all reasonable dispatch, and to pro-
vide and keep suitable facilities for the receiyine
and handling the same at any depot on the line OF
its road.
Section T. Any railroad corporation who shall
violate any the provisions of this act as to ex-
tortion or unjust discrimination. or the provisions
hereof establishing rates, shall forfeit for each
and every such offense to the company, person or
corporation az grieved thereby, three times the
actual damage sustained, together with the costs
of suit, to be recovered in civil action therefor,
and I'll prosecutions shall be made at the expense
of the state, and it shall be the duty OF said rail-
road commissioner on receiving complaint In
writing from any citizen of this state, stating that
any railroad corporation has violated any of the
provisions of this act, and specifying the acts
complained of, to investigate such alleged VIC a.
ton and if en- such examination he shall ind
such complaint well founded, he may, in his dis
cretion report the facts to the attorney general,
and thereupon it shall be the duty of The attorney
general to prosecute said complaint at the ex
pense of the state for the benefit of the party ag-
grieved-
Section s. No railroad cor poration shall con-
solidate the stock, property or franchise OF such
CORPORATION with or lease or purchase the works
franchises Of III any way control any other rail
road corporation owning or having under its con-
troll parallel or competing line; nor shall any
officer of such railrt ad corporation, act as the
officer of any other railroad corporation, owning
or having the control of parallel or competing
lines, and the question whether such railroads are
by the complainant be decided by jury as in
other civil issues pTOUided, that the provisions CT
this section shall not apply to any contracts low
existing, here one corporation has become re-
sponsible for the liabilities of another either BY
advances heretofore made, or by the guarantee OF
bonds previous 10 the passage OF this aot nor shall
it apply to any railroad corporation which, prior
to the passage of this act, shall have been author
lied to purchase or hold stock in any o-her rail-
road corporation.
Section g. No president, director, officer, agent,
or employe of any railroad or transportation COM
pany, shall be interested directly or indirectly in
the furnishing of material or supplies to sucn
company or in the business of transi ortation
common carrier of freights passengers, over the
lines ed leased, controlled, or operated by
such company.
Section 10. In the construction of this act, the
phrase railroad shall be construed to include all
railroads and railways operated by steam, and
whether operated by the corporation owning
them, or by other corpe rations other wise.
The phrase $ railroad corporation" shall tie con-
strued to mean the corporation which constructs,
maintains, operates railroad operated by steam
power.
S, ction IL The Chicago. Milwaukee and st.
Paul Railway Company shall file with the railroad
commissioner before the day when this act shall
take effect the regular published schedule of their
tariff rates for the transpori alton OF persons and
property which was in force on their railroads on
the 18th day of June, D., 1872, duly verified by
the oath of the general freight agent OF said conf
Dany thereto attached, and that company, and the
Western Union Railroad Company, and The
Chicago and northwestern Railway Company small
ssatlon for the transportation OF persons and
property an is fixed in such schedule for corre-
spending distances This provision shall alse APP
ply to such lines Of railroads as have beeL built
and put into operation by either of said companies
and operated under lease otherwise, since the
date above mentioned; pr1Uided, that the Chicago,
Milwaukee and st. Paul Railway Company, and
the Western Union Railroad Company, and the
Chicago and Northwestern Railway Company shall
sell at all ticket stations on their respective lines
within this state, tickets for five hundred miles,
which shall be transferable; also round trip tick
cts good for first class passengers to and from any
station within this state, their respective lines
of road at a uniform rate Of three cents per mile;
and provided further, that no railroad corporation
shall be compelled to accept less than five cents
for the transportation of any passenger between
any points.
conferred on the board of railroad commissioners
by the acts which this act is aendatory, and not
herein repealed, are hereby conferred on the rail-
road commi sioner to be appointed under the pro-
Visions Of this act,
Section ID. Sections one two, three, four, five,
six, seven, eight thirteen and fourteen of chapter
273, of the laws of 1o74, of which this j. amenda
tory chapter 341, of the laws of 1874 entitled "