Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1897-04-23
RAILROAD RATES IN \. D.
The New Law Will Soon be
Put in Operation.
It Vests Extraordinary Powers in
the Commission and Reduces
Their Salaries

the Commission and Reduces
Their Salaries.
Bismarck, N. D.. April l8.-The
State of North Dakota will soon be-
gin its experience with the raih Dad
law which was passed at the last ses-
sion of the legislature. The law is the
first even on the statute books of the
state. whose object was the regulation
of the common carriers of the state.
There have been other measures passed
purporting to control the traffic of
the roads, but all of them have been
admittedly dead letters, SO far as any
power to fix rates was concerned, and
the commissioners of railroads have
been q set of officials, with certain
duties to perform and no power under
the law to perform them. except in a
perfunctory fashion. There has never
been any attempt in the state to fix II
maximum charge for any, common
carrier, or to see that any charge SO
fixed was lived up to by the carriers.
There has been, therefore, much agi-
tation in the state for either the aboli-
tiOn of the railroad commission Or the
passage of Il law that would give them
some authority in the control of the
roads. The state legislature decided
to try the latter expedient-and passed
a law giving them largely increased
powers, at the same time providing
that the salaries of the next commits
sioners should be reduced from 81 600
to 81. 200 a year-another of those
strange contradictions of legislation
as she is sometimes egislated.
The commissioners of railroads will
hold q meeting some time the latter
part of the present month to fix
schedules of maximum rates and pro-
j lnulgate them to the road and it's
patrons. The law as it now stands
makes it their duty to fix schedules of
rates which shall be reasonable and
to serve copies of the rates upon the
roads and publish them in a news.
paper in each judicial district. These
schedules shall include the classifica-
tion of all freight. and are to be taken
in all courts of the state as prima
facie evidence that the rates so fixed
are just and reasonable. Any person,
firm or corporation. may complain
to the commission IN case of a VIOLA
tion of these schedules, and the com
mission is directed by the law to in
vestigate the complaint and if found
not trivial a hearing is to be called
and all of the evidence bearing upon
the complaint is to be taken. The
commissioners are to render u de-
cision after a due consideration. and
the railroad company has then to COM
ply with the terms of the decision or
apply to the courts for relief. District
!, courts are to be always open and in
session for the hearing of such APP
peals from the decision of the commits
sioners. and the decisions of the COM
missioners may be enforced by proper
DEGREES, injunctions or orders of the
court. The penalty for a violation OF
such an order of the court is fine OF
: ST 600 for each offense. The penalty
for unjust discrimination is like fine,
and penalties of equal severity arc
provided for the violation of any oi
the sections of the law. Any order OF
court enforcing decree of the com.
missioners is to remain in force unit
the decree is modified or vacated by
the commission, which may change
schedules OF rates from time to time
= but not oftener than once in siz
months, except to comply with some
order of the court. Proceedings in
district court may be appealed to the
supreme court, whose decree is final
The law also provides that any city
or township that may feel itself ag'
grieved through some violation of the
law may bring the same to the atten.
tion of the commission, and they shall
proceed to a hearing of the case, anG
render decision as above. Their
there are numerous other provisions
l for the regulation of the carriers,
whose enforcement will make the office
of railroad commissioner by NO
means sinecure. AS there are nu.
merous persons in the state who feel
) that the rates of the railroads are at
all times excessive, and who will not
hesitate to bring matters to the atten.
: tion of the commission, that body will
be kept busy and as it is also proba.
? BILE that the commission and the roads
may see things in different light al
) various times, the courts of the state
will be kept busy determining what
rates are reasonable and what are