The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1888-12-06
INTER.sTATGcOaMERcE REPORT.

A Summary Of Formal Complaints-A Short Ser
mon on Trusts and Pooling.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Nov. 30.-The
annual report of the Interstate Com
merce Commission is now in type and
the completed volume will be ready for
distribution In a few days. The fol-
lowing summary of its contents is CIV
en- from the best information now avail
able: The railroad mileage of the
country on the 3Oth day of June, 1888,
is estimated at 152, 7Si; of which 9, Sl2
miles had been completed and brought
into operation within the six months;
preceding that day, the number of
corporations represented Is l,25l,
but by d reason on OF O1a,,ac cases oo0 OF
corporations hold control of and operate
one or more roads owned by oLher cor
porations and the whole number max
ing reports of operated at the time
named was 665.
A summary of the formal complaints
is as follows: OF total of 107 cases
submitted, the record is, heard and
decided so, not yet decided 8. hearing
not completed ., withdrawn or settled
%, suspended by request 10, assigned
for hearing 8.
The report gives notice that on
December Is, the commission will give
an examination of the existing rate
sheets of the roads in the southern and
southwestern states as there is reason to
believe that there is need of remedy.
The commission deploreS the rate
wars and thinks that these evils are
magnified by the custom of allowing
SubOrdinateS to make rates. On the
subject of pooling and trusts the report
says: It is reasonable to expect car
riers of the country will, where practi-
cable, make such joint arrangements
| SO that the public shall find an arrange
ment with one adequate for the pur-
poses of any single transaction. There
| should be some means of enforcing
| among carriers the obligations moral
or legal, that would grow out of such
arrangements. The only effectual
means by which good faith could bt
enforced was the pooling OF
| freight or earnings, but pool
| ing is now out of their power, being
forbidden by law. The tendency among
railroads seems likely to be in the direc
ton of consideration as the only means
of protection against rate wars, but
of what is now technically
denominated as trust could
hardly be supposed possible
even if the parties were at liberty tC
form it at pleasure. If the parties
could come into harmony on the sub
ject an arrangement of the sort would
be SO powerful in its control ovel
the business interests OF the coun
try and SO susceptible to usa
ges for mischievious purposes
that public policy could not for mo
ment sanction it, at least, unless by
statute it were held in close legal re
straints and under public control. Lik'
arrangements in other lines of bust
ness are already sufficiently threaten
ing to the public interest ant
the most ardent advocate of tn
concentration of railroad authority cal
hardly expect that it will control tn
transportation of the country; lacking
concentration of authority railroad
can do much towards the better rela
lions with the public and the establish
ment of better relations among them
selves; the need of this is very impers
tive. In all the cutting c
rates the party beginning it make
insinuations against its competitor;
, Carriers cutting rates have proclalme
that the reduced rates were all tina
, could be justly demanded and whe
persons having experience knew tia
8 persistence in such rates would lea
directly to bankruptcy. An impartls
! observer is compelled to say that sue
methods do not belong t
. the present age. To NAL
; the adversary feel and fear the powe
+ to infllct injury is often the first an
principal thought. and rate is CT
, | when in a ruder age, IL would hay
been a threat. The motive is to o.
| tain q right, or eXtort privilege, {
punish a wrong and irrespective of an
question whether there are not leg;
O remedies which are adequate for d
: purposes of substantial justice.
n While this commission is not at thi
y time prepared to recommend gener
legislation towards the establishmeI
E and promotion of relations betwee
o the carriers that shall better sui
: serve the public interest tina
= | those which are now common
+ but must, never the less, look forwaI
a to the possibility of something of ths
. nature becoming imperative, unless
great Improvement in the existing col
ditions is voluntarily inaugurated. In
!. migrant transportation is next consiC
: cred. and various facts state
I which were developed upo
: two Investigations held
\ New York City and in view of all I'll
. circumstances the commission recon
: mends a reception place larger tina
Castle Garden from which those n,
q legitimately connected with the imm
!, grant transportation shall be excludes
: Interior lines should have agents the
!. on equal footing, Payment of con
missions for routing immigrants ar
i for procuring the shipment OF imm
q grants from foreign countries shoul
be declared illegal and made punish
a BILE. The commission should hay
= power to fix immigrant fares. Thei
objects cannot be fully aceomplishe
: except by the federal government la
: ing complete control Of the whole SUI
; ject. The subject of the payment I
commissions is treated eXtensivel
the commission believes that the evi
of the system eXcelled it's advantage
The subject is brought to the atteI
tiOn nf eOnOr0sS