Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1888-12-05
THE INTERSTATE LAW.

835
-.
the iNTER.SrArE# AN 81 48 z5s
ss 49, 81 = g =
The f,nyn M s.in ns chs sd -It1, -. 49,
s.
-. 8, IS. 80. - u m
:. 49, o' ..'...
80 = =. 1sA ~ "R-Com-
ment y Jon the Proposed Railway Trust.
w AsHINGTON. Dec, 1.-The report OF the n.
ter.State Commerce Com mission, which
Will be ready for distribution in few
days. estimates the railroad mileage Of the
country on June 70. 1883, at 152. 76l miles. OF
winch S,3l2 We're completed within the pre-
ceutns Blk montns' me number OF cor
porations represented IN the mileage Is
',Sol. put py reason OF leases, etc.,
nany corporat'ohs operate roaus owned Dy
otner corporations and the whole num-
Der making reports OF operation was s. OF
the lO1 cases subm tied to the commission so
have been decided. "a withdrawn or settled, 10
suspended by request and "a are st IL pending.
no ,opulS oeyr .MeIo navo oeen lew cases IN
uer tuo lous auu suoie.ndul CLAUSE ~ tne teIll-
10y " ease u tno Mississippl ana norIn OF Inc
on at iivel.
win some exceptions resulting from ocean
competlt1on, the RUE OF Inc shorl-haul provis-
Ion OF the law mas Deen put IN force upon the
transcontinental roads, where its op 'rations
ana effect can be observed under what now
appear to be favorable conditions. In the
ulhern and Southwestern STATES the COM
u1'oo'Vn A"S Adu ItaSun W tn1nk tne carriers
were NOV ng more slowly In bring ng their
.ar'ns mo conformity Win Inc general stat
utoiy law nan IN other sections. An lnvesti-
~ ~ -1'0'> .'
' ~" ~ III Possess'on VI no esl-
uenco SHOWING tnat the operation OF the law
nus ueen nalm'u, 10 me carriers and is fully
p!'n ."a' me enect has been nenencai:
na"'oa" BUSINESS our'h4 the year mas sunered
severe losses, out tnese are not traceable to
1ne act 10 regulate commerce.
With reference to the rate wars in the North
west and among the trunk lines during the
year the report says: 1.-THE war Of rates pro-
ceeds without possibility OF external authority
interposinR to bring it to an end. The legal
right OF the carers to reduce their general
scale OF rates to any extent under the law as it
now STANDS Is believed to be unQuesttonable;
tney nave ooHe SO, ana whether with any ulti-
mate benefit to themselves is at least very
questionable" .,7r
The making OF unreasonably low rates, the
report intimates, is often for stock-jobbing
purp) ses or to compel the pur, base of the
road by competing lines. Persons having con-
troll of railroads may deliberately make in
sufficient rates in the expectation of
profits to be indirectly and improperly
derived therefrOm. Every case of rate war
may be regarded as one of this character.
Present profits are sacrificed on calculat on
that by GRIPPING rival or forcing an agree
ment or compromise on some matter OF con.
tention the loss will in time be more than made
up. In the majority of such cases the losses
exceed the gains.
The statute has mot conferred unor tho cor,.
mission apv ROVER tn order a,v increaea ~
rates which il can see a-e not remunerative
In general therefore. It NAV he said that rail-
the Increases not onlv of their rivals Int ~
their own stockhoIders. Good service
and unreasonably low rates are antagouistic
ideas. The danger OF committing the rate
max ng power to subordinates whose training
and experiences have not generally fitted them
to deal with matters that involve quest ons of
policy s also touched upon.
The report saws that the tendency among
railroads seems likely to be in the direction Of
consolidation as the onlv means to prevent
rate wars, now. that pooling is forbidden. and
adds:
But any thing equivalent to a creation of
what is now technically denominated as trust
could hardly be supposed possible even if the
parties were at liberty to form 1t at pleasure. II
the parties could come into harmony on the sub
1ect an arrangement OF the sort would be so
powerful in its control over the business inter
ests OF the country, and so susceptible to uses
TOT mlsch1eVous purposes, that pubic policy
could not Tor moment sanction 1t, at least I'M
less by statute it were held in close legal re-
stralnts and under public control. Like arrange
ments IN other lines OF business are already
sumcently threatening to the public in>
terest, ana the most ardent advocate Of
the con sentration OF "a lroad authority can not
reasonably expect that any thing OF the sort
10 control the transportation Of the country
will be provided TOR by legislation. Lacking
concentration OF authority, railroads can do
much toward better relations with the public.
and do better service By first establishing bet
ter relations among themselves"
While the commission is not at this time
prepared to recommend general LEGISLATION
toward the establishments and promotion of re-
latons between the carriers that shall tier
subserve the public interest than those which
are now common it must, neverthr less, look
forward to the possib!l ty OF something Of that
nature becoming at some time imperat We un-
less great improvement in the exist.ng con-
tons is voluntarily inaugurated.
The report next considers the subject Of the
effect of the law upon cities, showing that the
act has in some cases benefited consuming in
ter or CIT es aud 'n1uriously Affected d1stribut-
Ing points formerly 1aVored IN rates. The com
MISSION oelleyes uniformity in classification
as 1ast as possible without serious mischief is
desirable.
nic->o MT frap r$o<;o Sc