The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-11-20
National Oranges Suggestions
Respecting Transportation.
Complaints Against Carriers
and Middle Men Detailed.
REMEDIES PROPOSED.
to Interstate Com
merce Law Recommended.
Protection to Farm Products
Is Demanded.

Washington, Nov. 2O-The national
Grange after being in session for ten
days completed its work today. A very
elaborate report from the committee on
transportation was adopted. It detail
ed many of the complaints againSt car
rlers, among them elevator charges.
manipulation OF rates through milling
in transit privileges cutting of export
rates, so that the middle man can ship
from the interior to the sea board cheap
er than the producers; the unintelligi-
bll1ty of rate sheets, posted at railroad
stations, ETC.
The report recommended special
amendments to the Interstate com
merce law.
First-That the procedure to enforce
the orders of the commission should be
confined to the record made up of the
testimony taken before the commission,
and the order of the commission should
be enforced unless the court shall find
in such proceedings some material err
ror prejudicial to the carrier which
furnishes sufficient reason for refusing
to enforce it.
Second - That the commissioners
should have power to require after in
vestigation and inquiry, that the rates,
facilities or practices involved in the
case shall be changed, modified or cor
rected as specified in the order so that
when the commission has determined
what is unlawful, it shall be its duty to
prescribe what is lawful in respect to
such rates, facilities or practices.
Fhird-That uniform classif1cations of
freight articles should be esta blished
without delay and the commissioners
required to conform to such classical
lions.
Fourth-That the commission should
have power to require connecting car
rierS to esta blish through routes for
continuous carriage of freight and make
reasonable through rates for shipments
over such routes and in case of disa-
greement between carriers in regard to
division Of rates between them the
commission should have power to de-
termine the apportionment of through
rates between the several carriers.
Fifth-That the commission should
have authority to determine and pre-
scribe the form, contents and arrange
ment of the schedules and Joint tariffs
of ra ties required by the act to be pub
lished and filed and from time to time
to change such prescribed form, etc, as
may be found expedient.
SiXth-That the charge of higher
rates on domestic traffic than on like
service for through export traffic should
be distinctly prohibited.
SeVenth-That the commission should
have authority to require the prompt
fling of annual and monthly reports
by carriers
The reciprocity resolution discussed
yesterday was tabled because it trench
ed on politics.
The report of the committee on agri-
culture recited that the conditions con
fronting the farmers had not materially
changed during the year and that we
believe in that policy which viii stimu-
late home consumption to the extent Of
aTordlng an opportunity to earn fair
wages and thereby become a liberia
ton
Recent events. the report held. left no
room for doubt that protection is to be
the policy of the incoming administra-
ton and it is demanded that in the re-
vision Of the customs duties farm pro
ducts shall be as fully and amply pro
tected as those of other interests