Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-03
sH0RN OF ITS POWER
STATEMENT OF THE INTERSTATE
COMMERCE COMMISSION.
Reference to a Resolution of Inquiry
Adopted by the Senate-Short and
Long Haul Clause Eliminated.

In response to a resolution of inquiry
adopted by the Senate January 10 last, con-
corning the number of complaints against
commerce carriers filed with and disposed
of by the interstate commerce commission
since its organization, the commission has
submitted to the Senate committe on inter-
state commerce voluminous reply.
The number of formal complaints filed
with the commission from April ), 1887, the
date of its organization, to March /, 1905,
is 40; the number brought to final hearing
and determination by the commission or
otherwise concluded, 400; cases settled or
discontinued, 206; indefinitely postponed "A;
cases heard, but not decided, 20; partially
heard, 81; not heard, 40.
The commission has rendered 80 formal
decisions "a memorandum decisions, Ii de-
cisions on application for rehearing and 5
decisions for relief under the long and
Shorthand provision of the statute.
Since January 1, 1900, 2,29s informal COM
plants have been filed and 2,171 disposed of
by the con mission. The number of cases
heard and determined by the commission
and taken to the courts to enforce the
commissions orders Is 45 In cases the
ruling of the commission was sustained; in
% cases the courts declined to enforce the
commissions orders; 4 have been discon-
tinued and now are pending in circuit
courts. The % cases the courts held. di-
rectly or by implication, that the statute
did not give the commission authority to
make the order sought to be enforced; in
other words. that the things done which
constituted the grievance could not be pre-
vented under the present law. In this con-
nection, the commissions report says:
Short and Long Haul Clause.
"a considerable number of the cases here
referred to grew out of the efforts of the
commission to give some practical meaning
and effect to the long and short haul pro-
vision Of the act and 60 mt obaaly ,,pon
the class of discrimination to which the
fourth section was supposed to have actual
and potential application. All these efforts
failed, as is well known, with the result
that the long and Short-haul section has;
for all practical purposes, been eliminated
from the statute. In several other cases
the orders of the commission were not en-
forced, because 1t was held that they
amounted to the fixing of rates for future
observance, and that such authority is not
conferred by the act"
The total number of formal complaints
involving excessive or exorbitant rates. set
tied without formal hearing, is 1SS; num-
Der of such cases decided by the commits
sion on formal hearing, 327. Many of these
cases involve unjust discrimination.
Except in those cases which have been
carried to the courts" the commission
says, these cases to be regarded as
settled either by dismissal, concession of
relief by the carriers, compliance by the
carriers with the order in whole or in part
or because, under the recent decision of the
courts constituting the law 1t was deemed
useless to attempt enforcement of the Or
DER
Cannot Apply Remedy.
The number of informal complaints be-
tween January /, 1900, and March l. 1906
relating to excessive or exorbitant rates,
settled by the commission, is 1885, The
number of cases involving excessive or UNI
reasonable rates taken to the courts Is fif-