The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1900-01-20
IS URGED
10 AMEND THE Law
Vital Defects ininterstate Commerce
Act Pointed Out by the
Commission.
NECESSITY FOR SPEEDY ACTION
Developments OF the Past Year
Show the Imperative Need Of
a Regulating statute
That ls Effective.

Washington, Jan. 17.-The inter-
state commerce commission today
made public its thirteenth annual re-
port The feature of the report is u
plen that congress uphold the hands
of the commission by amendments
making the interstate commerce law
more effective. The report says the
commission a yenr ago called atten-
ltion to the fact that in vital respects
the present law had proved defective
md inadequate, and that until fur
Their legislation was provided the best
efforts ut regulation must be feeble
and Disappointing. The requests of
the commission for nccdful amend
ments have been supported by petit
tions and memorials from agricul-
tural, manufacturing and commercial
interests throughout the country, yet
none of the burdensome conditions
which call for relief have been re-
moved or modified. The existing sit
uation and the developments of the
past year. it is added. render moro inn
perative than ever before the ncccs-
sity for speedy and suitable legisla-
ton.
The general public dissatisfaction
has been frequently expressed in reso-
lutions of various national organiza-
tions and at a conference i'll Chicago
last November attended by representa-
tives from a number of national asso-
Citations of manufacturers, merchants
and others a bill embracing the more
important amendments recommended
by the commission was approved as n
measure which would best meet the
requirements of business and
cial interests. This bill Senator Gull
lom introduced and the report signiti-
cantly suggests whether the con-
tinued failure to perfect a regulating
statute on reasonable lines will not
Q result in an irresistible stand for
most radical and drastic legislation.
Continuing it adds:
st is a matter of common knowl-
edge that vast schemes Of railway con-
troll are now in process OF consumma-
ton and that the competition of rival
lines is restrained by these %colnbinu-
tons. While this movement has not
yet found full expression in the actual
consolidation of railroad corporations,
enough has transpired to disclose the
~unification of financial interests which
will dominate the management and
harmonic the operations of lines
heretofore independent and competi-
tive. This is today the most notice.
able and important feature OF the rail-
way situation. If the plans already
foreshadowed are brought to effective
results and others Of similar cope
are carried to execution, there will b
n vast Capitalization of railroad prop
critics with all the power involved in
such far-reaching combinations, vet
uncontrolled by any public authority
which can be efficiently eNerted. The
restraints of competition upon excess
i've and unjust rates will i'll this way
be avoided, and whatever evils may
result will be remedilcss under exist
ing laws. C%oincident with these
schemes of unified control, and while
the exceptional movement of traffic
continues. carriers operating through
out an extensive and important terri
tory recently made substantial and in
many cases q very large increase in
their scale of charges. These advances
in rates have been mainly effected by
concerted agreed changes in classiti-
cation of freight articles. 1t is not in
tended. to intimate that these advanced
rates are unlawful, and no opinion is
expressed as to their actual or rela-
tive reasonableness. but the fact that
such extensive increases in railroad
charges have been brought, about by
the method described must be of sig
uificant import and furnish a wcighty
argument in favor of measures which
will be effective to cur compliance
with the primary requirements of the
act ~