Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-02-02
OUR STATE COMMERCE
A BILL INTENDED 10 GOVERN RAIL
Road TRANSPORTATION.
Principles Of the Interstate Law Applied
10 Virginia Corporations
Three Commissioners.

referred to them intendeT to apply 10
Virginia the principles Of the interstate
commerce Law. Having concluded their
labors they yesterday reported the hay
bill, modified to meet the situation as
they understand il.
THE MEASURE II QUESTION.
The bill as reported to the House reads
as follows:
|. BE il cnqctcd Gy the General As-
scDlJly Of Virginia, That the provisions
of this act shall apply to any common car
rier or carriers engaged in the transpor-
tation of passengers or property whclly
by railroad, or partly by railroad and
partly bv water. when both are used
under common coutrol, management,
or arrangement to express companies,
sleeping.car companies and parlor-car
companies and 70 all persons engaged
in transporting articles Of freight 10y rail
for a continuous carriage or shipment
from anv place in the State OF Virginia
10 any other place in The State OF Vir-
oinia. TIE term railroad, " rs used in
this act. shall include all bridges and
ferries used or operated in connec-
lion with any railroad, and also all the
road in use 10y any corporation operating
railroad whether owned or operated
under a contract agreement, or lease
and the term transportation shall IN
Glide all instmmentalities of shipment
or carriage, but the provisions Of this act
shall apply only to railroads operated by
steam. All charges made for any service
rendered or to be rendered IN the trans
portation Of passengers or property as
aforesaid, or iu connection Herewith, or
for the receiving. delivering, storage, or
handling of such property, shall be rea-
sonable and Just and every unjust and
unreasonable charge for such service IS
prohibited and declared to be unlawful.
DRAWBACKS.
.. That any common carrier subject
to the provisions OF this act shall direct
" or indirectly, by any special rate, re-
bate, drawback, or other device, charge,
demand. collect. or receive from any
person or persons a greater or less com
pensation for any service rendered or to
he rendered in the transportation OF
passengers or property, subject to the
provisions of this act, than 1t charges,
demands, collects, or receives from any
other person or persons for doing for
him or them like and contemporaneous
service in the transportation OF like
kind of traffic under substantially slmi-
lar circumstances and conditions, such
common carrier shall be deemed guilty
of unjust discrimination, which is
hereby prohibited and declared to be
unlawful.
DETERMINATIONS.
3. That II shall be unlawful for any
common carrier subject to the provisions
of this act to make or give any undue or
unreasonable preference or advantage 10
any particular person, company, firm,
corporation. or locality, or any partlcu-
lar description of traffic, in any respect
whatsoever, or to subject any particular
person. company, firm, corporation, or
locality, or any particular description OF
traffic, to any undue or unreasonable pre-
iudice or disadvantage in any respect
whatsoever. Every common carrier sub
iect to the provisions or this net shall.
according to their respective powers,
afford all reasonable, proper, and equal
facilities for the interchange OF traffic
between their respective lines, and for
the receiving, forwarding, and deliver
ing OF passengers and property to and
from their several lines and those con-
Meeting Herewith, and shall not discrim
mate in their rates and charges between
such connecting lines nor shall it be
lawful for any corporation, company, or
person subject to the provisions OF this
act to charge or receivea higher compen-
sation for the carriage OF passengers or
freight received from connecting line
than it charges or receives for like SER
vice in the carriage Of passengers or
freight not received from another line
but this shall not be construed rs re-
duiring any such common carrier TO give
the use OF Its tracks or terminal facilities
to another carrier engaged in Ike bust
ness.
LONG AND SHORT HAULs.
4. That it shall be unlawful for any
common carrier subject to the provisions
of this act to charge or receive any
greater compensation in the aggregate
for the transportation Of passengers or
OF like kind of property, under substan-
tally similar circumstances and condi-
tions, for a shorter than for n longer
distance over the same line, IN the same
direction, the shorter being included
within the longer distance ; but this
shall not be construed as authorizing
anv common carrier, within the terms
of this act to charge and receive as great
compensation for a shorter as for long
er distance nor shall it be lawful for any
corporation, company, or person subject
TO the provisions of this act to charge or
receive q higher compensationfor the car
rage of any passenger or freight from
anv point in this State to another point
/ in the same than is charged i'll the ag-
/ gregate for a like transportation from
any point beyond the limits of this
State to a point within the State, the
carriage being in the same direction
over the same line and the destination
being the same prOuided, hOWerer,
that upon application to the railroad
commission created by this act, such
common carrier may, in special cases,
after investigation by the commission,
be authorized to charge less for longer
than for shorter distances for the trans
portation Of passengers or property (;
and the commission may from time to
time prescribe the extent to which such
designated common carrier may be re-
leved from the operation of this section
of this act.
POOLING.
3. That it shall be unlawful for any
common carrier subject to the provisions
of this act to enter into any contract,
agreement, or combination with any
other common carrier or carriers for the
pooling of freights of different and com
peting railroads, or TO divide between
them the aggregate or net proceeds OF
the earnings of such railroads or any
portion thereof and in any case OF an
agreement for the pooling of freights as
Aforesaid each day of its continuance
shall be deemed separate offence.
MANY OTHER PROVISIONS.
Section 6 directs the publication OF
rates and changes in rates, forbids
charging more or less than published