The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-01-31
POWERS
OF COMMISSION
Committee Agrees on Measure
by Party Vote
WILL HAVE SEVEN MEMBERS
Authority of Interstate Commerce
Commission Is Extended BY Meas
ure, Which Is Only Partially
the Hepburn Bill.

Washington, January SO-The House
committee on interstate and foreign COM
merce, by party vote today, authorized
favorable report to the House on bill
extending authority to the interstate
commerce commission to fix rates, in
creasing the size Of the commission from
five to seven members, and creating a
court Of transportation.
The bill Is a combination Of the Esch-
Townsend measure with amendments
taken from the Hepburn bill. The action
of the committee was reached after ses-
sions lasting practically all day. At 10
o'clock the eleven republican members
Of the committee met for the purpose Of
agreeing on a bill Eight Of them were
in favor of reporting the Hepburn bill,
lacking one vote of being majority.
Messrs. Townsend, Esch and Lowering
were in favor of the Esch-Townsend pro-
position. Finally Chairman Hepburn
moved to report the Esch-Townsend
measure with amendments, and then the
democratic members of the committee
were called IN, and an hour given them to
caucus on the bill. During this time, 1t
developed that two of the six minority
members were not satisfied with the
Davey bill. The four members who did
support it, agreed to add two amend
ments, one providing that where a rate
is named by the commission affecting
two or more roads, the commission on the
failure of the roads to agree on a divis-
lon OF the rate shall make a ruling on
the matter, and the other expediting It'll
cation over a rate has been fixed by the
commission.
Vote Down Davey Bill.
The full committee met at 4 o'clock
and after voting down the Davey bill
by a party vote, the republicans car
RED the Hepburn motion. The DEM
oorats gave notice that they wuold pre-
sent the Davey bill In the House with
a minority report. Mr.. townsend subse-
quently introduced In the House the
measure agreed on, In order TO have
| 1t printed.
The bill as reported contains twenty
| two sections Sections one and two ex-
| tend authority to the interstate COM
| mission whenever, after full hearing,
/ II was declared any existing rate for the
| transportation of persons or property, or
/ any regulation or practice whatsoever
affecting the transportation Of persons
| or property to be unreasonable or I'M
| Justly discriminatory, to declare and or
der what shall be Just and reasonable
rate, practice or regulation to be charg-
| ed, imposed or followed In the future in
| place OF that found to be unreasonable
or unjustly discriminatory, and the or
| der of the commission, shall, of course.
| OF its own force become operative thirty
| days after notice has been given to the
person or persons directly affected
thereby: but at any time within sixty
days from date Of such notice. only
person or persons directly affected by
! the commission, and deeming 1t to be
contrary to law, may institute proceed
| ings in the court of transportation, sit
ting as a court OF equity, to have 1t re-
| viewed, and its lawfulness, business or
unreasonabletess determined.
May Issue Supplemental Order.
When the order substituted by the COM
mission shall be a joint rate and the
carriers fail to agree on the apportion-
ment thereof among themselves, within
twenty days after notice of such order
the commission after full hearing may
issue a supplemental order declaring the
portion of such joint rate to be received
by each carrier, party thereto, which
shall take effect OF Its own force as
part of the original order, subject to
review like the original order.
Section makes all proceedings before
the commission including the record Of