The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-12-18
TENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
Work Done by Interstate CONNER roe
Commission.
SENT TO THE CONGRESS- YESTERDAY.
Decisions by the Supreme cour, A..
y "shed to Prominent Places
In the Documcnt-Notcs.

washington, December II. - Decisions
rendered during the year by Federal courts
involving features OF the act to rspu,,te
commerce are assigned n prominent place
Ill the tenth annual report of the interstate
commerce commission sent To congress 10
Jay During the year the sunrome court
mas rendered three decisions of special i'm :
portance In one case the law has been
upheld and fortified in a most lmportsn,
lartic'iltr. but the outcome of the otbers
mas either emphasized the defects OF thu
statute or left its further interpretatio., ca
uncertain as to Increase the difficulties of
cnlc'eht administration These cases we're
the import rate involving the question of
differences in charge for like serviea as
between foreign and domestic traffic: see
ohd, the social circle case, involving the
long and short haul clause of tn. net and
'hiru' the Brown case, concerning the
rlsht OF a person to refuse to testify on the
ground that 1T might crminatc himself. A
statement of civil cases pending in the
courts shows twenty-five cases TO enforce
regulating orders OF the commission aud
siNty-lour mandamus proceedings TO conoel
carriers TO file annual reports with the
commission.
forty-iNe cases calling for investisa, on
OF 529 carriers have been placed On The
uocket OF formal proceedings during the
year Inc general discomfort with pres
ont transportation conditions the reDorts
ahd. as shown by petitions from so many
sections for the enforcement Of the statute,
emphasizes the necessity of amending tho
laws so as TO give greater force and flLality
TO the decisions of the commission
considerable space is given TO the sub
1ect OF investigation by the commission Of
grain rates. but as the questions in
volved in the inquiry are now under consid-
Grafton by the commission, no opinion Is
expressed at this time of the methods and
practices disclosed by the investigation
In April last the commission requested
the carriers to show how far their pla9 of
equipment had been made to conform 20
the requirements of the safety appliance
act relating to couplers and train brakes,
which became effective January |. 1895
Replies were received from 1890 companies
Eighty and fifty three hundredths per cent
OF the On. S9s locomotives mentioned in these
replies have driving wheel brakes Of the
IS 1873 passenger cars reported in use a7.2
per cent have automatic coupers aud 1871
Ter cent are lifted with tram brakes
1.H7,02i freight cars are reported. of when
9.5S per cent have train brakes and 37.4l
per cent are equipped with automatic
couplers. The requirements OF this law for
standard height Of draw bars on freight
cars appears from inspection made ~ dif-
ferent points during the year to be fairly
we'll observed.
As TO ticket brokerage the report says:
This illegiiimate traffic has become
positive scandal. an decisive measures
should be taken 10 put an end TO these ilc-
gal transactions The commission recon-
mepds that il be made Il penal offense for
any person to engage In the business of
selling Interstate passenger tickets un|ess
he is an authorized agent Of the carrier,
duly constituted as such by written ap-
Under tho head Of free transportation Of
passengers the report says thft the prAc-
tice of giving PASSES or re lnccl passenger
rates to shippers or their employees. and OF
issuing complimentary" passes to rcrsons
on account Of the profession In which they
are engaged or the public duties they per-
form Is strongly condemned. the subject
is submitted to congress with tlH recon-
mondation that suitable prohibitcry legis
lation he enacted
A number of amendments 10 the law are
and they. the commission
saws are intended to make the substance
Of the law mean what II was supposed 'r
mean at the time of It's passirn.