Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-10-17
The COMMISSION.
A 5TuPENpous MASS OF RAIL
ROAD STATISTICS.
Some Swearing al Both Ends Of The Line
Dry slulcss From The yais oil Supposed
knowledge Seeing Witnesses.
Jpcoial oorrespondence.
Ausrfs, Tx, Oct. Is, 1892.

Ausrfs, Tx, Oct 10, 1897.
AS NAV be easily believed the rail
road commission Of Texas, under the
very peculiar conditions In which It
finds itself continues TO be n subject OF
critical observation, and every item OF
news enanatine from its busy quarters
in the big capitol in this city Is received
with an interest which'grows with the
approach of the time which shall see
the issue between the commission aud
the railroads brought TO trial in the
courts.
One OF the most recent results Of COM
mission labor is a bulky report which
has just been submitted TO the attorney
general, under the requirements OF tho
law by which the commission itself was
created.
As Commissioner Mclean graphi-
cally expresses IL, this report Is as big
as Webster's dictionary and gives a
world Of valuable Information. In It
is embraced all on certain railroad
subjects which the state comptroller
has heretofore compiled each year, and
much more In the same line that IL has
been impossible for him 10 get.
The chief object oil the report has
been to find out the amount Of money
expended in the construction and
equipment per mile OF every inch Of
railway IN tho state. This is q stu
pendous task, but the commission at
tackled it boldly a long tlme ago, as
sisted by liberal provisions in the
commission law.
They set about the task determined
10 tear the secret from the heart Of
even the most uucommunicative corpor-
fs
seem they have not done much tearing
In that direction, and the information
given on the desired subject does not
inform to any great extent.
Blanks were carefully prepared with
the aid OF competent skilled assistants,
and fired into the various railroad
Offices In the state. The answers to
the questions embraced in these blanks
were required TO be sworn 10 and re-
turned 70 the commission within thirty
days.
There was no tronble about the
swearing possibly at both ends OF the
line. Some people can never bring
themselves TO look upon II as anything
but impertuence for others TO make
such searching inquiries into the condit-
Ion of their haukaccounts, stocksin trade,
first cost, etc, even when the inquiry Is
authorized by such an erudite docu-
ment "a the ToNas railroad commission
law, backed up by a provision that fail
IRE Or refusal 10 answer tho question
prOpOunded shall be looked upon as a
inisdemeanOr, punishable by fine Of
$500 for each day he shall continue his
silence.
All the machinery embodied IN the
law was put In motion; all the pressure
possible was eNerted, and the result
is big run OF information on various
subjects, but dry sluices from the vat
which was expected 70 slop over with
facts and figures relative to the
prime cost OF Texas railroad oonstruc-
tion and equipment.
There Is much information, how
ever, on present values, salaries, eX-
penses, bonds, debentures, indebted
ness, bondholders, credits, judicial
salos, etc, BY rare and most com
mendable foresight the law re-
qulres that duplicate of this
report shall be filed with
the comptroller, and thus that
department is given an amount Of
information IL has hitherto worked up
itself, and the not uncommon necessity
Of two departments performing the
hille WOrk Is prevented.
The report will not DO printed or
given to the general public The infor-
nation embraced IN II. however, will
be embodied In the regular annual re-
port Of the commission TO be- printed
some time later.
-
The commission Is making compre-
hensiye preparations for the resump-
ton Of the taking Of testimony In their
case at Dallas next Monday.
They are carefully arranging every
detail, and propose 10 have mountain
weight OF testimony. Commissioner
Foster has gone out into various parts
Of the state, for the purpose of consult
ing witnesses with q view TO having
them summoned 20 tell what they know
that Will help the commissions sidu OF
the case.
There Is no way Of telling yet Just
what character Of testimony VIII he
brought ont but there u every evidence
there will be great iuass, aud II will
take hard work to get it ready by the
time court meets in February
ROM. j. BROWN.