The Saint Paul globe., 1897-05-28
AS TO IT'S PROVISIONS
REACHED BY THE SENATE
COMMITTEE,
AMENDMENTS.
IMPORTANT
LIMIT FIXED ON THE LIFE OF ANY
POOLING CONTRACTS
MADE. 49,
PUNISHMENT BY IMPRISONMENT
Act in Relation to FavoritisIi .''
in Rates.

WASHINGTON. May 27.-The senate
committee on interstate commerce
practically agreed today upon the final
amendm ents to the Foraker pooling
bill, which there will be an effort to
the committee, to be held a week from
today. The votes taken on amend
ments today leave little doubt that
the committees recommendation will
be favorable to the measure, when re-
ported. The bill has been perfected
and would have been reported today,
but for the opposition Of Senator
Chandler, who is antagonistic to the
pooling bill. He made a speech before
the committee denouncing railroad
pools as trusts.
The amendments agreed upon are
numerous and important. The first
of these is one limiting the existence
Of pooling contracts to four. Another
amendment relating to orders of dis
approval by the commission will read
as follows: "The effect Of any order
of disapproval, whether made upon the
investigation and consideration of any
such contract in the first instance, or
in any subsequent proceeding after the
render the contract to which such Or
der relates unlawful and non-enforci-
BILE after the date so fixed, except as
to any claims between the parties to
such contract arising prior to that
date"
There is also an important change
in the provisions relating to favoritism
in the way of rates, false billing.
classification, and weights. In the orig
inal bill, the offenders in either case
were made subject to punishment only
by fine Of $4,000, and for only one
offense. The action is amended so as
to provide fine of $4,000 for the first
offense, and 'for either fine Of $4,000
or imprisonment for one year for each
subsequent offense."
Section Is Of the existing law is
amended by the addition Of the follow
ing: ''That it shall be the duty Of the
commission, If there shall appear to
be sufficient grounds therefor, in any
case, to investigate all complaints In
writing, made and verified as provided
in section 13 Of this act, relating to
the rates, fares, charges, facilities or
practices Of any common carrier Or
carriers, subject to the provisions Of
this act; and whenever the commission,
after due notice to such carrier or car
riers and reasonable opportunity fol
them to be heard, shall find that any
such rates, fares, charges, facilities or
practices are in any respect excessive
or unreasonable or result in any unjust
discrimination as between individuals
localities or articles of traffic, or are
otherwise in contravention of any of
the provisions of this act, the COM
mission shall so report and shall there
upon issue an order requiring any such
rates, fares, facilities or practices to be
changed, modified or corrected so as
to make the same reasonable and just,
and it shall be the duty Of the carrier
or carriers affected thereby to comply
with such order within such reasonable
time as shall be fixed by the commits
sion, provided that the orders of the
commission shall be restricted to mat
ters involved in specific complaints In
writing made to said commission as
aforesaid"