Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-12-13

AhlSoAOu " cure TdllTOdu companies Oh
the practice OF giving improper mini
mum rates. The president called at
tention to the fact that his proposal
is not to give the commission power
to initiate or originate rates general
ly, but to regulate rate already fixed
or originated by the roads. upon COM
plant and after investigation. A
heavy penalty should be exacted from
any corporation which fails to respect
an order of the commission. The pres
ident regards this power to establish
a maximum rate as being essential
to any scheme of real reform in the
matter of railway regulation. The first
necessity is to secure 1t; and unless
1t is granted to the commission there
is little use in touching the subject at
all.
Illegal transactions often occur UNI
der the forms Of law. 1t has often
occurred that shipper has been told
by traffic officer to buy a large guam
tity of some commodity and then after
it has been bought an oman reduction
is made in the rate to take effect
Immediately, the arrangement result
ing to the profit of the one shipper
and the one railroad and to the dam
age of all their competitors; for it
must not be forgotten that the big
shippers are at least as much TO blame
as any railroad In the matter Of re-
bates. The law Should make it clear
SO that nobody can fail t. understand
that any kind Of commission paid on
freight shipments, whether in this
form or in the form o: fictitious dam
ages, or of a concession, free pass,
reduced passenger rate, or payment of
brokerage, is Illegal. II is worth
while considering whether it would
not be wise to confer on the govern
ment the right of civil action against
the beneficiary of rebate for at least
twice the value of the rebate; this
would help stop what is really black
mail. Elevator allowances should be
stopped, for they have now grown to
such an extent that they are demon
allzing and are used as rebates.
All private-car lines, Industrial
roads, refrigerator charges, and the
like should be expressly put under the
supervision of the interstate COM
merce commission or some similar
body so far as rates, and agreements
practically affecting rates, are con-
cened. The private-car owners and
the owners of industrial railroads are
entitled to a fair and reasonable com
pensation on their investment, but
neither private cars nor industrial rail
roads nor spur tracks should be util-
lied as devices for securing prefer
entail rates. A rebate in icing charges
or in mileage, or ir a division Of the
rate for refrigerating charges is just
as pernicious as a rebate in any other
way. No lower rate should apply on
goods imported than actually obtains
on domestic goods from the Ameri-
can seaboard to destination except in
cases where water competition is the
controlling influence. There should
be publicity of the accounts of COM
mon carriers; no common carrier en-
gaged in interstate business should
keep any books or memoranda other
than those reported pursuant TO law
or regulation, and these books or
memoranda should be open to the in
spection of the government. Only
in this way can violations or evasions
Of the law be surely detected. The
president declaed: we wish to in
sure as fair treatment for the small
town as for the big city; for the small
shipper as for the big shipper"
Block Signals.
Going to another subject the presi-
dent said that congress should pro
vide, by appropriate legislation, for
the introduction of block signals upon
all railroads engaged in interstate
commerce at the earliest practicable