The Springdale news., 1888-12-07
INTER STATE COMMERCE.
Annual Report of the Interstate Com- merce Commission-The Railroad Miie- of the Country.

'
 age of the Country.
 WASHINGTON, Dec. 1.-The annual re- port of the Interstate Commerce Con- mission places the railroad mileage of the country on the Both day of June, 1sss at 1a2, 1s1. of which. 2.3l2 miles had been completed and brought into operation within the six months preceding that day. The railway construction in 1886 was S.411 miles, in 1SS1 it was 12,GSS miles. The number of corporations represented in the mileage is 1,25l. but by reason of leases CT other contract arrangements, many corporations hold control of and i operate one or more roads owned by other corporations. and the whole number mak- ing reports of operations on the day named was GG75. 4 summary of the formal complaints brought before the commission during the year is as fol- lows:
 Cases heard and decided. ...... 50 Cases heard, not yet decided. $ Cases. hearing not completed ......=..=..=.. Cases withdrawn CT settled g Cases suspended bY request.... ............. 10 Cases assigned for hearing. .......... 9
 1otal ........... ...... lVI
 Upon the subject of the operation of the law the commission says:
 70 What extent. II at al. lUe uQHln1SIFallOU of the act has teen harmful to the carriers is subject upon which the views of railroad man. agers have from time to time been publicly ex- pressed, sometimes to the effect that the dam- age has been very considerable. The commis- sion is possessed of no evidence showing that Ihe general result has been otherwise than beneficial UnQues tionably the railroad busi- ness of the country has suffered many and very severe losses during the past year. But these have not been due to the act to regulate com mere.
 Discussing railr cad trusts, the commits sion say:
 Any thing equivalent to consolidation of all the roads of the country under single head or even those Of a cons derable section. whether by merger or by the formation of a confedera- ton which should have powers of legal control, or by the formation Of what is now technically deaominated trust, could hardly be supposed possible, even if the part es were at liberty to form at pleasure. If the parties could come into harmony on the subject.an arrangement Of the sort would be so oovershadowing. so powerful in its control over the business interests of the country, and so susceptible Of being used for miSeheVous purposes m many ways, that pub- lie policy could not for moment sanction it. at least unless by statEte it were held in close legal res traints and under efectual public su- pervision and control The voluntary arrangc- ments of the kind in other lines of business are already sufficiently threatening public inter- est, and the most ardent advocate of the con- centration of railroad authority can not rea- sonablY expect that any thing of the sort to control the transportation of the country will be provided for by lepislafton Without less- laton 10 favor il, little can be done beyond 1he formation ef consult n r and adyiso- " associations, and the work of these is not only necessarily defective, but it is also limit ed to eircumscrihed territory. Tn the absence Of any such concentration Of authority. the T t1v., much toward establishing better relations tn the public at large, and toward performing bet ter service for the pubic by first establishing better relations among themselves. The need Of this is very imperative. The first requisite to the establishment Of better relations among the carriers by rail would seem to be q recogni- tion on their part of The fact that they seem to the public to constitute class, with, to some extent, at least, common interests. and likely to be eontroed by the same motives.
 The commission sums up it's conclusions on the subject of uniform classification by saying:
 Uniformity in classification. as last an d as far as II can be accomplished without serious mischef, is desirable There IS gratifying progress in the direction of unlication. aad 1t has been very marked within the last year. So long as the carriers appear to be labOrlng towards unihcation with reasonable diligence and Tn good faith, II IS better that they should be encouraged and stimulated to continue their efforts, than that the work should te taken out of thelr hands. The commiss on recommends: That some place of greater ca- paclty than Castle Garden be provided for the reception Of immigrants, located somewhere upon New York Harbor. that all regular mes ot interior transportation be allowed to have agents at the place provided who may sell tickets under regulations prescribed to secure equal privileges To all, and prevent abuses; that the payment of commissions for the rout- ing of immigrants, and for procuring the ship ment Of immigrants from foreign countries, be declared illegal and be made punishable, and that the commission be authorized to prescribe fares for the transportation Of this class of passengers.