The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-12-02
RAILROAD NEWS.
Santa Fe VIII Fight the State
of Texas.
Refuses to Obey Orders of Rail-
way Commissioners.
RAILWAY REPRESSERS
That Is What "RailWay Age"
Calls the Board.
Scathing Comment on Its Re-
cent Annual Report.


The Santa Fe and Southern Pacific
roads propose to fight the Texas rail-
road commission regarding its require
ment that they shall deliver loaded OIL
tank cars to connecting lines. The roads
claim that inaSmueh as they are the
two largest owners of tank cars capable
Of transporting the oil product 1t IS
ma nifestly unfair for the commission to
require them to turn over their cars for
the use of connecting lines who have not
sufficient equipment of their own to
handle the Beaumont and other oil dis
tricts product
As the matter now stands the roads
are being sued in the sum OF $4,000 each
Tor violation of the commissions order.
The railway magazines take consider
able satisfaction in roasting the Texas
railway commissioners for the remark
able orders and rulings which that body
promulgates from time to time. The
Texas laws are terrific when IL comes TO
regulating railways, and the power of
the railway commissioners is a pretty
good imitation of the Russian mon
archy, according to the railroads.
The last issue of the Railway Age
comments as follows on the annual re-
port of what it calls The Texas Board
of Railway Represents" The eleventh
annual report of the Texas railroad com
mission Just issued, reads like the
proclamation of any army commander
rehearsing his victories over a danger
GUS foe; or like the bulletin of a cam
paign committee seeking to impress
upon the constituents the beneficent
work accomplished against the evil
machinatiOns of the opposing party. 1t
opens with q record of battles and con-
quests, the railways being the scarcely
resisting victim Reduction in freight
rates has been the war cry, and in that
sign see what has been accomplished
." We have promulgated a general
tariff Of class r2Jes: seven commodity
tariffs covering articles OF commodities
not previously covered by commodity
tariffs issued by the commission: we
have Cancelled several old commodity
tariffs and issued new ones in their
stead which provided lower rates. More
thar 500 amendments TO tariffs promui
gated by the commission have been is
sued nearly all of which provided for
more or less reduction in rates; several
hundred rate adjustments by special
authorities, and also some very import
ant ones by rate rulings and general
orders"
In carrying on this great work the
ccnquering commission has fired $500
letters and issued more than $50 circu-
lars, numbering many thousands of no =
tees. orders and amended tariffs. and
has touched off the great gun of a pub
lie hearing IN IS different matters. The
commission has no way of telling the
exact numhen of killed and wounded,
that is, of determining the exact
amount saved to the people of Texas
by the reduction in freight rates made
by the commission but it enu-nerateS.
through several pages, the principal cas-
ualties to the enemy.
This is a series of glorious victories Tor
the sovereign state and the big shippers,
but how has it left the enemy? Vac
Victis Rough on the railways, Their
service to the public was greatly in
creased. but their incomes owing to the
terrible punishment inflicted their
tariffs were heavily decreased. Here is
the result in brief.
increase in gross earnings, 1893 GIG. or
1.O2 per cent
Increase in operating expenses. s4.7is,-
o3o. or 11.5T per cent.
Decrease in net earnings. S4154,414, or
24.O9 per cent.
How the overpowered railways can
stand a falling OF of s4.i54O0O, or "a per
cent of their not income, in a single year
a year of extraordinary prosperity to
railways outside of Texas-it of course
does not concern the railroad commission
to inquire. But if the railways in that
state were ever in danger of becoming
bloated the blood-letting process has been
so effective that the stockholders. with
few exceptions, are still waiting in vain
Tor return on their investments. OF the