Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-12-22
RAILROAD COMMISSIONERS REPORT

Advance sheets of the forthcoming re-
port of the board of railway commission
ers, were received from the state printer
today. The main statistics relating to
the railroads of the state contained in
the report have been published from time
to time, but the recommendations and
much other matter contained in the re-
port will be read with interest,"
The recommendations of the board are
as follows:
"The orders, decisions and recon-
mendations of the board, upon the va
rious matters which have come before
it the past year, have in nearly all in
stances been complied with and car
ried out by the railroad companies at
fected by such decisions OF order.
In one instance, however, the compa-
ny affected by a decision of this
board has demurred, and so far, we
have been advised, has refused to COM
ply with its requirements. As one or
more similar cases are quite certain to
arise upon the same company's line Zone
is now pending before Us which probably
involves the same question:, lit seems
both necessary and important to here
are, that the people of Eagle township,
Sedgwick county, upon the solicitation
of the Midland Railway company, voted
bonds of the township to the amount of
$4,000 to aid the construction of the
Midland railroad, subscribed to the stock
of the company in the same amount and
issued said bonds in payment therefor.
One of the conditions upon which said
bonds were voted and issued was that
the company should build and maintain
a depot near the center of the township.
A depot was built, as provided for, but
no provision has been made to operate it,
or transact business therein, and the peo-
pie are as destitute of depot facilities as
though they had never stipulated for
them. or paid large consideration to
secure them.
1.-The Midland railroad is now operated
by the ST. Louis & San Francisco railway
company. The board decided that the
people were entitled to depot facilities,
and that it was the duty of the company
now operating the road to supply them.
The decision and subsequent cores
pondence with the company is elsewhere
reported in this report.
Gases of similar import have arisen
during the year upon other new lines, in
all of which our decisions have been the
same as in the case noted above; and
those decisions have been complied
with.
at is respectfully recommended that
provision be made by statute for the en-
forcement, by appropriate remedy, in
courts having jurisdiction, of the decis-
ions and orders OF the board.
1--WE think that legislation might be
usefully invoked in respect to another
matter the nature of which we will pro-
coed to state. Over several railroads of
the state, joint freight traffics exist from
Kansas City to points in Kansas. where
such points are reached over two con-
Meeting roads, the joint tariff being equal
to one tariff between the initial and the
point of destination. There are other
instances in which points in Kansas are
reached from Kansas City over one road
alone, while the same station can only
be reached from city in Kansas having
the same line of freight for transporta
ton over TWO roads. In the latter case
the freight originating in Kansas pays
two local rates, the sum of which is
greater than either the single or joint
tariff rate. This puts the business orig
mating in Kansas at a disadvantage
compared with the like business origina-
ting outside of the state. In all such
cases, business in this state. whether it
consists in wholesaling or manufacture
ing. should be placed, in SO far as trans |
portation charges are concerned, upon
an equal footing with the like business
existing in a neighboring state.
TO accomplish this purpose it is re-
commended that power be conferred
upon the board by law to require the
adoption of joint tariffs whenever the
same are necessary to equalize these