The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-06-11
I and IN per i1' property OF these. thirty

-
\ five raj lroads-under this head the COM
mission n has Increased the aggregate as
sessment OF railroad property.ains this
State several million dollars. i55
& 3d.. TO prescribe rules and regulations
Tor railroad companies in their dealings
18th the public. Under this head the COM
mission has prescribed de1murrage and
switching service rules. which will save
tho shippers OF Virginia thousands Of
dollars annually,
4th.$ To require railroads to adopt and
observe such schedules and train SER
4 vice as maybe ndeqna be for the reason
able able leeds and convenience Of the public
In A. brief article, 1t is. impossible r6
specify the vast amount of improvements
in the railroad service in different pa.ts
of the State which the commission has
ibrought about in this line Of its duties T.
Il 9TH The fixing Of transportation rates
and classification Of traffic, and the
prevention Of Illegal discrimination This
is truly task requiring immense labor
and broad informa tlon.ssF For months the
commissioners have been labDrIng day
and night on this great work. When %,
is known that, to say nothing OF passen-
ger rates, which they are revising. they
have been personally revising, readjust-
ing and reducing general freight rates
covering nearly ten thousand items, and
representing an annual saving of proba-
bly, several hundred thousand dollars to
the shippers OF this State Ia work now
drawing near Its completion), some idea
may be formed Of the extent and pros
pective syalue-of the commissions services
in this one branch Of their duties.
Their FORK Well Done.
For their ability. fairness. Industry and
efficiency, the commissioners have al
ready commended themselves most highly
to the pr1lic,. and made friends and adVo-
Gates Of many persons " no were: formerly
hostile or indifferent to the commission;
built is believed that, with few sexcep-l
tions, not, even the friends OF the COM
mission have any realiza ton Of the mag.
5nitude and Importance Of the work that
that able. faithful and patriotic body Of
men have already performed for tho
people of this State.
The clerical assistance necessary to en-
able the commission to- efficiently per-.
4 great as that.of all the other State Of
Efices combined; and. by restricting the
commission In this respect, It's value to,
the people OF Virginia is proper tionately
impaired. t55s III rs /, Sis
Either through erroneous estimates or
mistaken economy, the appropriation
made by the last Legislatn for the
4 expenses Of the commission is not suftl-i
( Client to enable 1t to carry on Its work
In its full efficiency; but, ather than
allow the public interests to suffer, two
OF the commissioners have at their own
private expense, employed an expert rate
clerk for the commission at d, salary
OF some $500 or $3.50 per year. t58
I, The services Of this extra clerk, togeth-a
Z er with the voluntary assistance of per-
/ sons Interested In the admission s work,
I have enabled the commission to Very
effectively carry ,pn. with the force
which the state allows them. the great
work of &overhauling and readjusting the
I general railroad transportation rates Of
I this State; but they have been greatly
in {need of additional clerical assistance
a lack, which 1t would seem, should not
exist, in View OF this fact that the public
revenue realized from the work Of the
the entire cost Of the commission to
tho State, .S
Under the conditions above sset forth
the commission has been for several
months endeavoring so to arrange mat.
tiers as to eoonomize to the utmost tho
time and labor of Its clerical force, In
order to have as much OF such force as
possible available tor the business Of
regulating public service corporations,
The present method Of obtaining char
tiers and amendments thereof and the
requirement OF private corporations to
make annual reports and pay annual
fees, while long In vogue In the most
advanced and prosperous States Is an
entirely new thing in Virginia; and
though all these things are fully provided
for by the public acts Of the General
Assembly. very few officers or managers
Of private corporations In Virginia are
familiar with or understand what the
legal requirements In such matters are
THIS Ignorance on their part entails
very great labor and much correspond.
ence upon the commission, ana Its clerl-
cal force, in making explanations TO
such corporate managers and pointing
out to them mistakestin their applIca-
ticns and reports. Even when such inan-
ayers are familiar with the law they
are constantly, through inadyertanee,
negleeting to make reports and to pay
annual fees az the proper time, It may.
Teasona bly, be estimated that. IL all the
private corporations would make out their
applications properly, Ale their reports
promptly and correctly. e promptly pay
all their annual dues; and cease to call
on the commission for explanations and
Instructions about matters which any
person, who would fanliliarize himself