The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-12-19
THOSE REBATE CASES,
! casptef n Then IRON Ne Railroad c,m.
mlssIsn's Report.
FREIGHT RATES MADE BY COMMISSION
Four Original Tarims. rs,.~..-
emergency Rates and Many
massachusetts.

FSr ORIGINAL TarifYs. TAsrt~.,
emergency Rates and MANY
sAmenApients.
Austin. Texas December ls.-.Tbe so,,ox,r,
cAtracts from the railroad commissions for,n
SEEMING report will prove interesting At tht
..e' wnen the transportation question 4
paramount: :
mention was made In our sixth anuua, 70
port that previously to the last session O
tne legislature, while this commission va,
H'craiiy satisfied that most, II not ali. Of "a,
principal railroad companies Of this stat,
were violating the Texas statutes ana rexuIs
tons OF tho commission, by the sIlowanc.
and payment Of rebates on freight sh,pments
ana by unjust Determinations between shin.
pers, yet for want Of appropriations to defra,
the expenses Of the necessary investigation,
We We nag been unable to obtain proof ef suci
sppe aio1 rs ,h we also mentioned our earnes
Gaise influence OF Attorney General Crane
state Treasurer Workman ana the GOV crnor
vssr ~ an appropriation Of 5000 for one
q February. 1SsS-for the purpose OF enab;ins
tne commission 10 make the necessary IN.
seS =, as e such VIOLATIONS Of the law
W vUtutii AdClS WulCu WOulQ warrant OrO9-
ecMtions for such offenses.
We mentioned further that by aid Of that
appropriation. this commission had caused
aavessigations y be made which. showed that
g number OF the principal railroads Of this
state had violated the law. in the manner
stated great many times. We also stated
tnat un to the date OF our last report, out Of
general, the offenders had pleaded guilty ii,
ninety-fye cases and had paid d penally az
ssev IN each case, without litigation, the com
ern Pacific sytem having paid SIS, 900, the In
ternational and Great Northern Railroad COM
pany 10000 and the Missouri, Kansas and
Texas Railway Company Of Texas $i2,50o. II
IS proper to state that as to some of these
companies many more instances Of violation
were found than were thus settled for, but
tho remaining. cases have not been dismissed,
being merely held In allegiance subject to fur.
ther proceedings in the event that such COM
panfes again violate the laws. And 1t Is also
proper to state In this connection that this
arrangement had, at the time and now, the
full approval OF this commission.
The appropriations referred to in the fore
going. proving to be insufficient to retain, for
even one year, all Of the four employees which
we had engaged in these Investigations, we
were compelled to dispense with two of them
some months before the expiration OF tho APP
retain another one Of them after the 2sth Of
February, 1885, by encroaching on the appro.
priation for pay Of other experts necessary
to the work OF this commission, thus creating
a deficiency In this respect amounting to about
.---. dollars.
Since the date of our last report. investiga-
items Of the business OF the Gulf, Colorado
ST. Louis Southwestern HALLWAY Company Of
Texas have been made, resulting in the dis
coyery OF a considerable number OF discrilni-
nations made by them. which we're duly re-
ported to the attorney general, resulting in
each of these companies paying the sum OF
$4,000 to the State, being penalty of 5000
per case in twenty cases on each road, and
increasing the aggregate number OF cases set
tleu thus far to. 1876 and the aggregate amount
of penalties paid to s67,500.
The inspections In 1897 were made by two
employees who were appointed prior to that
examinations in 1888 were made by or OF
the commissioners, by an employe appointed
prior to 1897 and by an employee appointed In
1897.
From the foregoing 1t will be seen that the
railroad companies OF this State. by their
voluntary action and by violations of the law,
what they would have earned II they had ad-
hered to and collected the freight rates pre-
scribed by this commission.
The legislature two years ago was some some
asked for. and. in fact, as stated made 1t only
70" one year. notwithstanding we assured II
that for every dollar Y appropriated we would
put ten dollars back into the State treasury.
We have made COED this promise, and we be-
|ieye that the only way to enforce the law Is
10 make ample appropriations to enable the
lions and secure evidence Of violations to be
placed In the hands of the attorney general
Of the State for action thereon.
Therefore we respectfully urge that the APP,
Drcprations for the ensuing two years. asked
Tor by US In our estimate filed with the state
be granted without curtaiiment,
as we do, that 1t VIII result either
n the payment Of a much larger amount INTO
hc State treasury or in the Abandonment OF
he practice of rebating and discriminating py
he railroad companies. In either OF which
events 1t will be money we'll spent
We omitted to mention in our last report
he fact that during these Investigations the
proofs were being secured that several rail-
'oad companies operating in this State were
groring or TO q greater or less extent falling
o comply with our statutes relating 10 the
of general offices In this STATE
This work has been continued and reports
rave been made to the attorney general In the
ases of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Rail
way Company of Texas, the st. LOUIS SOUTH
Western Railway Company OF Texas, the
rexas Mexican Hallway company. the Texar-
,auf and Fort Smith Railway company ana
he Paris and Great Northern Railway COM
ANY. With the corporation OF the a a ,s
General, the result has been reached thai tne
rst two OF the above named companies nave
low in full operation In texas, genera ~.
ices In accord not only with the letler nut
hfee companies named, we are ADVISED, are
making rapid progress in that direction ~
re vet other companies In this State which,
n our opinion are derelict In TINS respect,
nd as to them we hope TO be able 70 ssser-
ain the exact amount of such dereiicton uur-
ug the next twelve months
FREIGHT RATES MADE BY COMMISSION. I
Since making our last annual repor. this
commission has adopted four original tarins
freight rates on commodities. which are
bcwn in their numerical order In Appendix
OF this report !
Commodity tariff No. 30. effective March y.
1913, Axes the freight rates on certain kinus
rough wooden blocks. logs. timber ana
ling: tariff No. 81. effective April ~, 1920
lplics on fruits. vegetables and melons, IN
arluads and less than carloads; tarin NO q,
ffcctiyc August 10, 1898. Axes the rait
AGRICULTURAL implements, saddlery, harness
nj saddlery hardware, less than earloaoe,
nd commodity tarif No. &c, which Mas !.
ave become effective November 2, 1898, puI
held in abeyaAce e present by rd .nv s eourt
Iovidcs generally for q reduction " me Isse
freight on cotton OF cents per 100 pounds; +
Id. as II contains a provision restricting the
,ijroad companies from paying more ihhn
.nfs per 100 pounds for comprising, wnLe
,ey had been paying 10 cents heretofore, lne
d. reduction 10 the railroad companies Was
II, cents per 100 pounds.
Turing The year we have amended several
the freight tariffs which had been adop'e1
, us prior to 1898, and we therefore present
Appendix A, not only the new tarins maas
IA wear but all tariffs that have been mhue
, ~ heretofore land not fully cancelled IN
,eir present state, all rates and proyisioss