The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1905-08-17
TO ENFORCE LAW
AGAINST ROADS
PRIVATE CAR LINES UNDER
INVESTIGATION
MUST ANSWER TO CHARGES
Violation Of Interstate Commerce Act
Is the Complaint = Ten Rail-
ways and Three compan- i
les ON the Rack.

Washington, Aug. 16.--The inter-
state commerce commission, on It's
own initiative and as a result OF COM
plants against private car lines, Tues.
day unexpectedly began an inyestiga-
tion OF the relations between railroads
and refrigerator lines, by which II Is
charged that the act TO regulate inter
state commerce is being violated in
several specified particulars
The complaint vet forth by the com
mission is directed against the Armour
car line, the American Refrigerator
Tran sportatlon company, the Santa Fe
Refrigerator Dispatch and the follow
ing railroads: ST. Louis & San Fran
cisco, Atchison Topeka Santa Fe,
st. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern,
Central Of Georgia, Southern, Atlantic
Coast line, Seaboard air line, Penn.
sylyania, Southern Pacific and Kan
sas City Southern,
Must Answer Charges.
II is. charged that by way OF re.
bates or other devices the refrigerator
Mines are acting for the railroads as
authorized agents. and the railroads
acting through the refrigerator lines,
are collecting and receiving for the
refrlgerating OF fruit and vegetables
lower rates from some shippers than
they are contemporaneously receiving
for similar service rendered 70 other
shippers This n hell 10 be in yioa
tion OF sections two and three OF the
net TO regulate Interstate commerce.
Another charge 70 that failure and
neglect TO publish at shipping sta.
tlons and Gle with the interstate com
merce commission the rates and
charges imposed for the refrigeration
OF fruits and vegetables, constitutes a
violation Of section six OF the inter,
state commerce act
The commission alleges further that
the CHARGES published Jointly by the
refrigerator lines and the railroads for
the refrigerator lines and the railroads
for the refrigeration Of fruits in GER
tain specified territories are unreason'
able and unjust and In violation OF
section one. The territories described
are Missouri, Arkansas, Indian Terri
tory, Texas, California TO eastern
points, Louisiana and Kansas, and
Georgia, South Carolina and North
Carolina TO New York.
Complaints Cover Wide Field.
Complaints against the private car
lines extend over the entire life Of the
first act TO regulate interstate com.
merce and ali acts amendatory thereto.
Hearings have been rad In various sec
tions OF the country and not infre-
quently have changes In the schedules
been made for the announced purpose
OF remedying alleged abuses. Com
binations of railroads and private car
lines have prevented any wholesale
regulation of these rates. Charges OF
determinations against small shippers
have poured in on the commission for
a number OF years. The matter has
been made the subject OF investiga-
tion by congressional committees and
several laws have been passed giving
increased powers TO the commission
in nm effort to reach alleged combina-
tions said to be prohibitiye OF the
small shipper entering into competi.
ton with shippers leasing by the year
large numbers Of private cars.