The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1888-12-07
INTER STATE COMMERCE.
Annual Report of the Interstate Com
merce ComnissIOn-The Railroad Mile
age of the Country.

Annual Report of the Interstate Com
merce CommisslOn-The Railroad Mile
age of the Country.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1.-The annual re-
port of the Interstate Commerce Com
/ mission places the railroad miIeage@o9
the country on the 3Oth day of June, 1888,
at 152, 7S1, of which 2,312 miles had been
completed and brought into operation
within the six months preceding that day.
The railway construction in 1886 was SAT-
miles; in 1887 it was 12,6S8 miles. The
number of corporations represented in
the mileage is 1921, but by reason of
leases or other contract arrangements,
many corporations hold control of and
operate one or more roads owned by other
corporations, and the whole number MAX
ing reports of operations on the day
named was 6,675. A summary of the
formal complaints brought before the
commission during the year is as fol-
lows:
Cases heard and decided. ed...................... so
Cases heard, not yet decided. 6
Cases, hearing, not completed. ed................ 9
Cases withdrawn or settled. ................ %
Cases suspended by request t-................ 10
Cases assigned for hearing. 8
Total. 49,. 10Y
Upon the subject of the operation of the
law the commission says:
To what extent, if at all, the administration
of the act has Eeen harmful to the carriers, is a
subject upon which the views of railroad man
ayers have from time to time been publicly ex-
pressed; sometimes to the effect that the dam
age has been verv considerable. The commits
sion is possessed of no evidence showing that
tlEe general result has been otherwise than
beneficial Unquestionably 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
merce.
Discussing railroad trusts, the commits
sion say:
Any thing equivalent to consolidation OF all
the roads of the country under a single head, or
even those OF a considerable section, whether
by merger or by the formation of a cOnfedera-
tion which should have powers of legal control,
or by the formation of what is now technically
denominated trust, could hardly be supposed
possible, even if the parties were at liberty to
form at pleasure If the parties could come
into harmony the subjectan arrangement OF
the sort would be so overshadowing. 30 powerful
in its control over the business interests of the
country, and so susceptible of being used for
mischieVOus purposes IN many ways, that pub
lie policy could not for moment sanction it.
at least unless by statute it were held in close
legal restraints and under e6ectual public su-
pervision and control. The voluntary arrange
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-
control the transportation of the country will
be provided for by legislation. Without 1egis-
lation to favor it, little can be done
beyond the formation of consulting and advise
ry associations, and the work of these is not
only necessarily defective, but it is also limit
ed to circumscribed territory. In the absence
of any such concentration of authority, the
carriers by rail have it in their power to do very
much toward establishing better relations with
the public at large, and toward performing bet
ter service for the public 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 a recogni-
tion on their part of the fact that they seem to
the public to constitute q class, with, to some
extent, at least, common interests, and likely
to be controlled by the same motives.
The commission sums uD its conclusions
on the subject of uniform classification by
saying:
Uniformity in classification, as fast and as
far as it can be accomplished without serious
mischief, is desirable. There is gratifying
progress IN the direction of unlicaton, and it
has been very marked within the last year. So
long as the carriers appear to be laboring
towards uni6CatiOn with reasonable diligence
and in good faith, it is better that they should
be encouraged and stimulated to continue
their Efforts than that the work should be
taken out of their hands. The commission
recommends: That some place OF greater ca
pacity than Castle Garden be provided for the
reception of immigrants, located somewhere
upon New York Harbor, that all regular lines
of interior transportation be allowed to have
agents at the place so 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.