The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-02-06
THE INTERSTATE ACT.
Some New and important
Amendments Proposed.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5.-lSpeclalJ-
Senator Cullom, chairman of the COM
mittee on interstate commerce, has re-
ported to the Senate n bill proposing
various important amendments to tho
interstate commerce law. Section 3,
which makes it unlawful for common
carriers to give undue or unreasonable
preference or advantage to any particu-
lar person, company, locality, ETC., is
extended in scope so as to make its pro-
visions apply to ANY shipper or con-
signee of freight over shippers, or con-
signoes Of like or directly competitive
freight by unjust discrimination in tho
use of cars or vehicles of carriage, or in
the payment of mileage or componsa-
ton for the uso Of cars or vehicles of
carriage, or in charges of hauling them,
empty, or by any other device or con-
trivance, or to subject any firm or To-
cality or any particular description of
traffic to any undue or unreasonable
prejudice or disadvantage in any re-
spcct,
A clause is also added to tho samo
section providing that tho facilities to
DO afforded should include tho due and
reasonable receiving, forwarding and
delivering of every common carrier, at
the request OF any other common car
rier or shipper or consignee of through
traffic at through rates of fares.
Section prohibiting the pooling of
freights or earnings) is amended by the
addition of proviso that competing
common carriers may, with the approval
OF tho commission, enter into contracts
or agreements with respect to traffic
when, in tho opinion of the commission,
tho general public interests and the
general welfare will be thereby sub
served. Such contracts and agreements,
when duly subscribed to by the carriers
and filed with and approved by the COM
mission, shall be binding between the
parties thereto; subject, however, to
tho authority hereby conferred upon
the commission TO anNul any such CON-
tract or agreement whenever. in it's
Judgment, the public interests may re-
quire it. This provision IL not to be
constructed to permit the diversion OF
traffic routed or consigned by shipper
over any specified route. Proper penal
ties arc provided for q failure. neglect
or refusal of u party to any such CON
tract or agreement to abide by it's terms.
An amendment is made to section ten
SO as to prohibit and d, clare unlawful
the wilful false billing, false classified
ton, false weighing, false representa-
ton of the contents of package, false
report OF weight of any property de-
livered for transportation to, or trans
ported by common carriers, or any other
device or means for obtaining or for fur
nishing transportation at less than the
regular rates in force on the line OF the
common carrier. The penalty clauses
OF section ten are also cngthened.
Other amendments provide that tho
commission may require reports from
common carriers at any time, and that
nothing in the act is to he SO construed
IA to prevent the free carriage to their
homes or places Of treatment by railroad
companies of persons injured in railroad
accidents, or of their bodies for burial
III case OF death, or of physicians or
nurses for attendance upon them, or for
the transportation, free or at reduced
rates, OF the actual resident members OF
families of employees.