The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-09-22

than courts are accustomed TO do in
important suits.
The commission is already adopting
plans for its work, much ike the
courts The work IS being systeua-
Ilzed. The commissioners expect 70
have regular Office heurs. regular days
for consultation. and regular days for
hearings. Heretofore the commission
ers nave pursued a -you-Eslease
policy. Each commissioner has been
very much a law unto himself and the
puolie business has suffered by absen-
tee.sm and lack Of understanding when
pending matters were 10 be taken up
and disposed Of The work was done
sDasEnodicauy- II * proposed now TO
have q concentration and coordination
OF efforts and likewise TO give less tine
to callers who want to- talk about
cases The representations Of various
Interested parties VIII be confined to
written papers and TO the formal hear
ings. al Of which il Is hoped 10 make
public
The commission is new entering up
on a vast amount Of work quite out
side the rate law which VIII consume
much Of its time for the next three or
four months. Most OF this Is work that
Congress directed should be done-the
continued invest cation Of the connec-
ton between The railroads and the
operation of coal mines and oil fields,
an inquiry INFO the management of
grain elevators; anu an investigation
Of automatic safety devices on rail-
roads. The rate law provision that
railroads should not own coal lands
and on fields after May / 1868. seems
10 forestaIl any recommendation the
commission may make under the Till
man Gillespie resolution but it is pro-
eee3ing 10 Investigate none the less and
hundreds Of subpoenas are being pre-
pared for Witnesses in Kansas and
Colorado, Over SIX thousand circular
letters have been sent out from the
Commission within the last two weeks.
asking for information about the var
Gus inquiries the commission now has
in hand. The investigation Of autorna-
tic devices could be made almost
worldwide IL scope. under the lam
guage of the resolution of Congress.
and = report IS required by the time
Congress convenes next December
No steps have been taken towards
sending men into the field to forward
investigation Of complaints against
railroads. Probably none viii be sent
for several months. Every available
clerk the commission now has or is
authorized to employ under the rate
law VIII be needed on other work Con-
.gress directed that a compilation of
national state. and local commercial
bodies be made; also z similar publica-
ton Of agricultural bodies. That in
wolves /, communication with nearly
every postmaster in the country and
means large tax upon the commits
sion's clerical force.
Unless the unexpected happens there
VIII be no final test OF the rate law in
the courts for two or three years. The
railroads are showing little disposition
TO resist the orders Of the commission.
so far as it has discretion to issue or
ders, such as in the fling of tariffs. 1t
viii hardly decide complaints Of IN
reasonable rates, several of which are
now pending, before next spring. prob
ably no important cases requiring
long investigation, before next autumn.
AS II takes time to put a case through
the circuit court ana the United States
Supreme Court provided any railroad
chooses to resist the making Of a rate
by a commission. it IS not unlikely that
the country will remain in ignorance as
to the constit utionaIity of the rate law
after the next presidential election.
ERNEST G. WALKER