Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-05-20
INTERSTATE COMMERCE.

INTERSTATE COMMERCE.
provisions of the Interstate Commercs
Bill as 1t Passed the Senate-A Commits
sion Provided For-The Long and short
Haul Clause Entire-The Bill Now Goes
To the House.
WASHINGTON, May 13.-The Inter
State Commerce bill, as amended and
passed by the Senate yesterday, provides
for commission of five persons, to be
appointed by the President, by and with
the advice and consent of the Senate, to
carry out the purposes of the bill. Each
commissioner is to have a salary of ST.
800 year, and secretary, to be appoint
ed by che commission, is to have a salary
of $4,000 year. The principal Office of
the commission is to be at Washington,
while general sessions may be held else
where to suit public convenience, in
which the necessary expenses incurred
are to be paid from the Treasury. The
first commissioners appointed shall hold
office for term of two, three, four,
five and six years respectively,
the term of each to be
designated by the President; their success
sors, however, hold for SIX years each.
Not more than three of the five shall be
appointed from the same political party
All persons holding stock or bonds of
any common carrier, or holding official
relations to such corporations, are de-
clared ineligible for appointment The
commissioners must not engage in any
other business. The commission is given
authority to inquire into the business and
management of all common carriers sub
ject to the provisions of the bill, and to
obtain full and complete information as
to such business, may require the at
tendance and testimony of witnesses, and
the production of all books, papers,
agreements, tariffs and documents relat-
ing TO any matter under Investigation, and
may to that end invoke the aid of the
United States Courts. Persons having
complaints to make against any common
carrier (of Interstate commerce) shall
make complaint in writing to the COM
mission. The commission shall send the
complaint to the common carrier and re-
quire satisfaction of the complaint
or answer in writing within a reasonable
time specified. If reparation is not
made within the time stated, the commits
sion shall investigate the complaint. The
commission shall also investigate all
complaints forwarded to it by State COM
missions, and may institute inquiries on
its own motion. Complaints shall not be
damage to complainant.
Reports of the commission shall be in
writing and shall include the findings in
fact on which based, and a recommends
ton as to what reparation, if any, should
be made by common carriers to the in
jured party: and such findings shall be
deemed prima facie evidence in all ju-
dicial proceedings.
Whenever any common carrier shall
,-of,,
commission, it is made the duty of the
commission to apply to the United States
Circuit Court sitting in equity, alleging
violation; and the Court shall hear and
determine the matter on short notice and
without the formal proceedings of Ordi-
nary suits, but so as to do justice, and the
Court may in proper cases issue writS of
injunction or other process, mandatory
or otherwise, to restrain further violation
of orders of the commission on the part of
the common carrier offending. For such
purposes circuit courts shall be deemed
always in session.
The bill requires that all charges for
any service in transporting passengers
or freights Or storing goods by COM
mon carriers shall be reasonable; it pro-
hibits all rebates and drawbacks, and
all uni just discrimination; requiring
that all persons shall be charged and
treated alike for services rendered under
substantially similar circumstances and
conditions.
Every common carrier subject to the
bill SHALL within sixty days after it be-
comes law, file with the commission
copies of all it's tariffs of fares and
including its classifications and
terminal charges, and shall make them
public so far as the commission may
deem practicable. No advance on such
published rates shall be made without
ten days public notice.
The long and short haul clause, being
a section OF the bill, reads as follows:
That it shall be unlawful for any common
in the aggregate for the trans
portation of passengers, of like class ana
quality or property subject to the provi-
ger distance over the same line, in the same
direction and from the same original point
But this shall not be Construed rs authoriz.
ing any common carrier with the terms of
this act to charge and receive as great
for a shorter as for longer
provided, however, that upon APP
plication to the commission appointed under
carrier NAV. in special cases, be authorized
to charge less for longer than for shorter
distances for transportation of passengers
time to time, make general rules EXEMPT
ing such designated common carrier
In Sucn special cases from the opera
tons of this section of this act,
and when such exceptions shall have been
made and published they shall, until changed
by the commission, or by law. have like
force and effect as though the same had
been specified in this section. Any common
carrier who shall violate the provisions of
this section of this act snail be deemed guilty
of eXtortion. and shall be liable to the per-
son or persons against whom any such ex-
cessive charge was made for all damages
occasloned by such violation.
The bill now goes to the House for
The Killed and Injured BY the Kansas