The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-12-18
TENDENCY TO COMBINE
SIGNIFICANT FEATURE OF RAIL
 WAY DEVELOPMENT.
Competition Which Formerly Existed Has Been Largely Suppressed, Says Report of the Interstate
 Commerce Commission.

Washington, Dec H.-The tendency to combine continues the most significant feature of railway development, accord ing to the annual report of the Inter- State Commerce Commission, issued to- day. The report says:
 Tt Is not open to question that the competition between railroad carriers which formerly prevailed has been large ly suppressed, or at least brought to the condition of effective restraint. The progress of consolidation in one form or another, will at no distant day confine this competition within narrow and un- important limits, because the control of most railway properties will be merged in a few individuals whose common in- terests compel them to act in concert. While this will insure, as probably noth- isg else can in equal degree, the ohserv- ance of published tariffs, and so meas ureably remove some of the evils which the act was designed to prevent. the re- sulting situation involves consequences to the public which claim the most seri- ous attention. A law which might have answered the purpose when competition was relied upon to secure reasonable rates is demonstrably inadequate when that competition is displaced by the most far-reachin gand powerful combinations. So great a change in conditions call for corresponding change in the regulating statute"
 The commission reafirms its recom- mendations for amending the Interstate Commerce law and urges the grave neces- sity for legislation.
 The report says that the fact that no convictions have yet been obtained nof indictments found in the cases of the roads which were shown by an investi- Ina xrfvakn kO hA rtxyfxs ak rates to grain shippers, emphasizes the fact that criminal provisions of the pres- ent interstate law are practically dead letters
 The commission says that the effect of issuing injunctions to compel roads to observe published tariffs has been to ma terially advance on the commodities the rate actually received by the carrier, and actually paid by the shipper, and that their operation as applied to the present condition of railroad ownership enables advances in rates which might not oth- erwise be made and maintained.
 While the pro iucer of grains will un- doubtedly pay from now on from to I cents, in some instances 10 cents per 100 pounds, more to transport that grain from the field to destination than he had paid for some time before these injunc- tons took effect, this is not to be re- garded as an argument against the in- functions. There ought to be some power which cannot only compel these carriers to maintain the published rate, but which can compel them to publish a fair and reasonable rate. Thirty-eight formal proceedings double the number brought in the preceding year and involving rates and practices of three hundred railroads were instituted during the year.
 Tn nrom0te more Renaral l with the spirit of the safety appliance l law in the United States of air-brakes 1 the committee recommended the pas. sage of an act forbidding the running oi l trains in which less than one-half of tho
 cars are equipped with power brakes ant | empowering the commission to issu, general orders to that effect.