Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-15
INTERSTATE COMMERCE REPORT
Certain Recommendation Made in
Form of Bill
By Associated Press.


WASHINGTON, Dec. lathe nine
teenth annual report of the interstate
commerce commission was transmitted
to congress today.
In previous reports the commission
has repeatedly called attention to the
necessity for certain amendments and
additions to the present act to regulate
commerce, and in this report the com
mission sets forth the general reasons
for proposed amendments contained IN
the form of a bill, which has been sub
mitted to the senate committee on in
terstate commerce in compliance with
request therefor, and this bill is print
ed as an appendix with request. The
most important amendment is delega-
tion of authority to the commission to
determine what rate should be sub
stituted for the future in place of the
one found after full hearing to be un-
lawful, with the further provision that
the order of the commission prescrib-
ing such substituted rate shall take eff
feet within a reasonable time. unless
vacated or set aside by judicial pro-
ceedings.
The commission recommends thar the
phrase under common control man
agement or arrangement" in the first
section of the law, be omitted. This
would make the regulating statute ap-
ply to certain classes of carrier now
exempt from it's application and re-
qurements. The definition in the first
section of the term transportation"
should be enlarged so as to include the
charges for various services, such as
refrigeration and the like, which are
now claimed to be beyond the
authority of the commission. The OBJ
legation to furnish the services here
referred to is also proposed, which is
| likewise q point now In dispute 1t is
not recommended at this time that the
carriers should be prohibited from
using private cars or from employing
the owners of such cars to perform the
| icing service if they find that course
to their advantage, but the commits
sion does recommend that these charges
should be put on the same basis as all
other freight charges, so far as they
can be.
Regarding Export Rates
The commission has held that the
present law requires the publication
and maintainance of export rates and
that good policy also demands the same
course In view of the fact, however,
that it has been earnestly insisted thar
the enforcement of this rule would
seriously interfere with our foreign
business, especially in the handling of
cotton through southern ports, and Of
Pacific coast ports, the commission de-
cided to suspend action until congress
had opportunity TO consider and act
upon the subject.
The commission proposes, therefore,
that the sixth section be so modified
as to plainly include this species of
traffic but that the commission be
given power to suspend and modify the
requirement in this respect whenever
that may seem necessary in the public
interest.
1t is stated that not only have vari-
Gus devices for evading the Elkins law
been brought into use, but the actual
payment of rebates, as such, has been
here and there resumed. Instances OF
this kind have been established by con-
vincing proof on which prosecutions
have been commenced and are now
pending.
The report shows 56S complaints filed
with the commission during the year,
including both formal and informal pro-
ceedings. The number of Investigations
ON formal complaint instituted during
the year is 65, involving directly the
rates and practices Of 321 carriers.
Decisions Given During Year
Forty-five formal decisions have been
rendered during the year. This num-
ber greater than in any previous year,
includes cases of unreasonable rates
discrimination between localities, be-
tween commodities and between per-
sons, and also i'm facilities OF transpor-
tation, with some cases involving de-
parture from published tariff rates and
some relating chiefly to reparation.
According TO the customary prelimi-
nary repOrt on income accounts the