The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-02-03
oua RAILWAY Commission


sion Just at this time. it Is not out Of
place, in a brief way. TO call the atten-
ton 10 what the commission has &C
complished since its organization
Governor Thomas NJ. Holt, in his
message to the general assembly, jan
uary ith, 1895, says:
Whatever nay have been at the
time OF the passage Of the act. the dif-
ferent views as 10 Its adSisaoilly
there is now but one opinion that It's
wise and conservative enforcement OF
the law has accomplished great good
II at the same time maintained a most
friendly relation with the corporations.
Il inc all proper complaints Tor
abuses for overcharges OF freights, uu-
der their juridiction, have been ad-
justed; better depot facilities have been
established at NAM points, and at
other points depots have been ordered
TO be erected; freight rates have been
reduced at a saving TO the shippers or
about TWO hundred and fifty thousand
dollars $3.50, 00o) per annum; passen-
ger rates about W hundred n twen-
~ thousand dollars (s220, 000) per an
num-; express business has been simpli-
fed, and rates reduced; telegraph bust
ness has been simplified, and rates re-
duced about fifty 600 per cent.
"On the establishment of the commits
sion the corporations were assessed for
axatio at 81. 32l. 7O4; by the commits
4O1 at f-Ns4 WV AN lac GA ASNNN~
Of s7,S20.056; making an increased rev.
enue TO the state and counties OF
about seventy-five thousand olla
C$75, 000). and indirectly the much larger
sum SAC, 600, as shown above, in the
saving of passenger freight and tele-
graph reduction"
Governor Elias Carr in his message
TO the general assembly Of 1895, says;
Public regulation of railways is not
only a public right, but a public duty
of great Importance, and the right and
duty of control is no longer an open
question. d.
The general assembly at its session
of 1891 passed an act establishing a
railroad commission.
Your attention is called to the re-
/ ports of the railroad commission. 1t is
! seen that many complaints from time
to time, covering a wide field, have
! been adjudicated. The railroad COM
mission is open to the humblest citizen.
His complaint, no matter how small,
| always has a careful consideration
and a thorough Investigation
In his message to the session OF 1897,
he says:
The establishment of the commits
! sion was regarded by many as a very
dangerous experiment, but the results
have proven the wisdom of the act.
The friction between the people and
the corporations has been greatly re-
moved since it has been ascertained
that any grievance, however trivial,
has a disinterested and fair court es-
tablished 70 investigate and correct
the abuses complained of without ex-
pense to the complainant.
when the commission was eStab-
lished two of the three largest systems
in the state paid no taxes and no pro-
portion of the burdens for the protec-
ton of it's property. BY it's action in
working up and prosecuting suits Wig
a,,r fIn 80 Wis xyA GnnninC
of property is placed upon the tax list
with the following results: Railroad
property in 1890, before the railroad
commission was established and made
a board of appairers for railroads.,
was only valued at $12, 424, $40; the val
uation in 1896 is placed at $26, SIG, 096, an
increase since the establishment of the
i commission of $14, Isl $50. Telegraph
rates have been reduced fifty percent,
! express rates reduced and simplified.
| At that time no steamboat line, ex-
| cept the one from Fayetteville to Will
! maid any taxes: in 1896 there
is a aluation of $27S, $50 placed on
them. Freight and passenger rates
have been greatly reduced, and a care
fully prepared tabular statement con-
. tanned in the report shows the tariffs
to BIZ as low as any in the union, and
! lower tina in ninety per cent. of he
states; and this Notwithstanding the
fact, which is admitted by all, that a
sparsely settled state like North Caro-
lima cannot expect or obtain the same
revenues as New York, Ohio, or other
densely settled New England or West
ern states. The affairs in this office
are managed in a most~perfect system,
and the business of railroad corpora
tons, heretofore not to be reached, can
all now be aScertained in a few min
utes without calling upon the corpora
ton.
THE fact hat there is a tribunal to
which the people can appeal from the
railroads, and to which the railroads
a appeal as against each other, often
prevents that wrong and injustice
which makes an appeal necessary.
Many new depots ana improved ia
cilitieS have been established along the
different roads of the state. The COM
missioners state that 1t was found, as
a rule, great inequality and differences
existed at non-competitive points in
freight rates; that excessive charges
were made for short hauls, and that
Determinations were made at almost
every Intermediate station. A standard
tariff of rates adjusting all these mat
ters upon a fair basis was made. This
led to a reduction and saving TO the
people upon freight charges of about
one-Quarter of a million dollars per an
mum; passengers over two hundred thou
sand dollars per annum- Express rates
have been modified. Telegraphing has
DStH SlIlpIlllcu anu the rates TeQuCe1
at least fifty per cent. The tax returns
in the auditors office upon the estab-
lishment of the commission show the
railroad property returned for taxa
ton to have been about S12, 600, 600; the
present value of the taxable property
is about SIS, 900, 000-more than doubled
The commission has been active in see
ing that every species of property liza
bic to taxation coming under it's juris-
dlctlon was placed upon the tax books.
Many steamboats, heretofore untaxed
and even the Pullman cars running
through the state are now taxed. Not
w~ithstanding these sweeping reductions
in rates and increased valu placed on
the property for taxation, the railozad
officials do not hesitate TO say the com
mission has dealt fairly with them.
THE people have enjoyed the adEan-
tage of lower rates, and were relieved
from the evils Of unjust discriraina-
tons; so the ours Of the commission
while highly beneficial to the people