The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-18
BHE COMMISSION WANTS MORE
POWER.


| The feature of the annual report of the
! Interstate Commerce Commission is the
/ commissions complaint that it has nc
power to fix rates for the railroads. II
| was not intended by Congress that II
should have such power, and the courts
have uniformly refused TO construe the
| law so as to permit It to exercise that
| power in the slightest degree.
The commission says: "Nine-tenths OF
the people know that any railroad can
charge for its services whatever it pleases,
and as much as it pleases, without any
real power in this commission or any other
tribunal or court to limit the amount of
such charges for the future when com
plant is made by an aggrieved shipper"
The commission of course refers entirely
to interstate railways. State commissions
in some, if not all, of the states in which
there are railroad commissions, have the
power to raise or lower rates.
IT Is "A question whether it would not be
better for the railroads and the shippers
to give the railroads the right to pool
their earnings and the commission power
10 fix the rates. In that way the railroads
would be protected against rate cutting
and the shippers would have uniform
rates Shippers particularly desire stable
rates The small shippers want the
rates which are given TO large shippers.
1t is often the case that there is a dis
elimination against small shippers, and it
is by such discrimination that small en-
terprises and businesses are ruined. The
big shippers are in a position to force
railroads to make concessions to them. 1t
is charged that the big shippers are
against granting TO railroads the privilege
of pooling their earnings, because they
know that with such a privilege there
would be no more Determinations in their
favor
If the power to make rates were given
to the commission experts would have to
be appointed to advise it, because it is
hardly probable that It has the knowledge
! necessary 20 make rates. Railroads could
afford to lower rates if they were pro-
tected against rate cutting. although rates
in this country are lower than in any
other. In fact the railroads are contin-
| ually lowering rates, which are only a
fraction of what they were twenty years
ago. and 1t is probable that they are even
lower than they were five years ago on
the great majority of articles
The trouble which railroads have to con-
tend with all the time Is rate cutting
One great reason why railroads are being
| consolidated so rapidly is 10 prevent the
cutting of rates. The general public does
not get the benefit of rate cutting Only
the favored big shippers get it, and the
result of it is 10 drive the small shippers
out of business.
1t is doubtful If Congress is yet ready
TO give the commission the power to fix
rates. The power is too great without
placing certain limitations upon it. 1t is
evident, however, that If something is not
done soon to stop rate cutting there will
not be more than two or three great rail-
| road systems in the country. Even with
in the last few days there have beer
rumors of the purchase by the Vanderbilt
| and the Pennsylvania systems of the con-
troll of certain other great railroad proper
| ties. Assuming that these purchases have
| been made it is safe to say that the only
| purpose in view in making them was to
| put a check on ruinous rate cutting.