Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-03-29
THE RAILROAD COMMISSIONER
BILL.
Full Text of tho Law.

|
duties and term of office.
SECTION |. BE 4 enacted By the Gen
eral assembly of the S.ote of Iowa, Tha
Chapter 68 of the Acts of the Fifteenth
General Assembly. excepting Sections
|, 2 and Z thereof, be and the same il
hereby repealed, and the following b,
enacted:
Sec. 2. The Governor, with the ad
vice and consent Of the Executive Coun
Gil, shall, before the first day of Apri
next, appoint three competent persons
one Of whom shall be civil engineer
who shall constitute Board of Rail
road Commissioners, and who shall hole
their office from the date of their re
spective appointments, for the term OF
one, two and three years respectivel,
from the first day of April next. The
Governor shall in like manner, before
the first day of April in each year there
after, appoint a Commissioner, to con
tinue in Office for the term of three
years from said day; and in case any
vacancy occurs in the said board. by
resignation or otherwise. shall, in the
same manner, appoint Commissioner
for the residue of the term, and may re.
move such Commissioners, and appoint
others to fill their vacancy, at any time
in the discretion of the Governor and
Executive Council. No person owning
any bonds, stock or property in any rail
road company, or who is in the employ
ment OF, or who is in any way or manner
pecuniarily interested in any railroad
corporation, shall be eligible to the Of
fee of Railroad Commissioner. Said
Commissioners shall be qualified cleo
tors OF this State. The Commissioners
shall, as nearly as practicable, be select
ed one from the eastern, one from the
central and one from the western Dor
ton Of the State.
SEc.3. Said commissioners shall have
the general supervision of all railroads
in the State operated by steam, and
shall inquire into any neglect or viola
ton of the laws of this State by any
railroad corporation doing business there
in, or by the officers, agents or employees
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 refer
ence to the public safety and conven-
ience; and for the purpose of keeping
the several railroad companies advised
as to the safety of their bridges, shall
make semi annual examination of the
same and report their condition to the
said companies. And if any bridge
shall be deemed unsafe by the commits
sioners, they shall notify the railroad
company Immediately, and it shall be
the duty of said company to repair and
put In good order, within ten days after
receiving said notice, said bridge, and in
default thereof said commissioners are
hereby authorized and empowered to
stop and prevent said railroad company
from running or passing its trains over
said bridge while in its unsafe condition.
Whenever in the judgment of the Rail
road Commissioners it shall appear that
any railroad corporation fails in any re-
spect or particular to comply with the
terms OF its charter, or the laws of the
State, or whenever in their Judgment
any repairs are necessary upon it's road,
or any addition to its rolling stock. or
any addition to, or change Of its stations
or station houses, or any change in it's
rates OF fare for Transporting freight or
passengers, or any change in the mode
of operating its road and conducting it's
business, is reasonable and expedient in
order to promote the security, conven-
ience and accommodation of the public,
said Observation-Disclosures shall inform
such railroad corporation of the i'm
provements and changes which they ad-
judge to be proper, by notice thereof
in writing to be served by leaving a copy
thereof certified by the Commissioner
clerk with any station agent, clerk,
treasurer or any director of said corpor-
alton, and a report Of the proceedings
shall be included in the annual report of
the Commissioners to the Legislature.
Nothing in this section shall be con-
strued as relieving any railroad compa-
ny from their present responsibility or
liability for damage to person or pro-
perty.
Sec. 4. The said Railroad Commits
sioners shall, on or before the first Mon
day in December. in each year, make
report to the Governor of their doings
for the preceding year containing such
facts, statements and explanations as
will disclose the workings of the system
of railroad transportation in this State,
and It's relation to the general business
and prosperity OF the citizens of the
State, and such suggestions and recon-
mendations in respect thereto as may to
them seem appropriate. Said report
shall contain as to every railroad cor
poration doing business in this State:
!. The amount of it's capital stock
2. The amount of it's preferred stock,
it any, and the conditions of it's prefer
ment.
3. The amount of its funded debts,
and the rate of interest.
4. The amount of it's floating debts.
5. The cost and actual present cash
value OF it's road and equipment, includ-
ing permanent way, buildings and rolling
stock, all real estate used exclusively in
operating the road and all fixtures and
conveniences for transacting it's bust
ness.
6. The estimated value of all other
property owned by such corporation,
with a schedule of the same, not includ-
ing lands granted in aid of it's construc-
tion.
Z. The number Of acres originally
granted in aid of construction of it's
road by the United States or by this
State.
8. Number of acres of such land re-
naming unsold.
9. A list Of it's officers and directors,
with their respective places of resi-
dence
10. Such statistics of the road and of
its transportation business for the year
as may In the judgment of the Commits
sioners be necessary and proper for the
information of the General Assembly.
or as may be required by the Governor.
Such report shall exhibit and refer to
the condition of such corporation on the
first day of July of each year, and the
details Of it's transportation business
during the year ending June 30th.
IL. The average amount of tonnage
that can be carried over each road in
the State with an engine of given
power
SEC 5. TO enable said Commissioners
to make such a report. the president or
managing officer of each railroad corpor-
alton doing business in this State shall
annually make to the said Commission
ers, on the 18th day of the month of
September, such returns, in the form
which they may prescribe, as will afford
the information required for their said
official ranort. such rnturnS choll no