The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-25

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aHeea ~ ~ Seg Yofh Centfsl Rsisstd
C6fufany Nv antrBF tnforr thrn A. the
I NHicea N ~ commission wv thta eity he1hina
" hau,vn N W. present intshtloas ~ to tts
New York tsntrsl
That ebmtsnv sstd a Government
ohlcisi, wines Within ths class specified
In tha Tfilman.O iilearis resolution II Gill
he investigated. hut inat when the cofns
mission has mi advised ua.'
While the New York Central Transports
. great deal n cual over ita lines estsndina
iHto tho hituminous region ~ Pennayi.
vania, very little complaint has been made
against iha, road ~ determinations against
independent concerns In supplying ears
THIS docs not mean, according 90 Govern.
mont officials here. that tho Central has
not rfnciised such determinations The
failure " acme independents TO report In
the past unfair methods by tho carriers IN
supplying cars has been duo 10 thaar knowi.
edge hat the Interstate Commerce Com.
mlHsion could afford them no rellcf.
The Tillman.G Gillespie resolution, under
which the New York Central o~flcials viii
soon he put on the witness stand. gives
the Interstate Commerce Commission ample
authority To investigate railroads suspected
OF being on more or less intimate terma
with oil and coal companies along their
Hines. The commission was authorized
and inst r1icted Immediately to inquire,
investigate and report TO Congress or TO
the President. when Congress II not In
session, from time TO time M the investi-
CATION proceeds" upon these points:
First whether any common carriers by
railroads subject TO the Interstate Commerce
act. OF either Of them. own or have any inter est
In, by means Of stock ownership In other
corporations or other wise. any Of the coal
o. oil which they. or either of them. directly
or through other companies which they con-
troll OF In which they have en- interest, carry
over their or any of their lines a. common
carriers. or in any manner own. control or
have any interest in coal lands or properties
or oil lands or properties.
Second-Whether the officers OF any Of the
carrier companies aforesaid, or any OF them,
or any person or persons charged with the
duty of distributing cars or furnishing facili-
ties to shippers, are interested. either directly
or indirectly, ny means OF stock ownership
or otherwise. In corporations or companies
owning, operating, leasing or otherwise
interested in coal mines, coal properties or
coal traffic. oil, oil properties or oil traffic.
over the railroads with which they or any OF
them are connected or by which they or any
OF them are employed.
The commission was then directed to
ascertain whether there was a, contract,
combination in the form Of trust, or other
ywt@n ar In ~rETI ~. IL "a ~ 4 ~f t-ol~
or m among the several States
In which n common carrier engaged
in the transportation of coal was interested
or to which 1t was q party.
While the Commissioner OF Corporations
Is just completing his report on the opera
lions Of the Standard Oil Company under
the authority Of a House resolution, he is
In no way COOPERATING with the Interstate
Commerce Commission in the inquiry now
being made by 1t. At the same time his
conclusions as to the transportation Of oil
and the rates imposed for the carriage of
that Product will be of some aid to the
commission in it's work of ascertairing the
relationship between the two industries
under consideration and the common car
rier Of the country.
some attention to the New York Central ard
Hudson River Railroad Company when he
started after the Stan dard. In his report
he said concerning the Central: .
The New York Central a nd Hudson River
Railroad Company refused TO permit the
Bureau Of Corporations to make an examine
ton of it's records covering the shipments Of
petroleum. except in some instances where
interstate shipments were kept separate from
the so-called state business. The manage
ment of the road commended that its lines
were wholly within the State ofSNew York
and that It's policy had always been TO
jealousy guard its interstate position. The
bureau Is. therefore. unable al present to
treat in ant -nVAil the rates OF this carrier.
II Ia known. hewever. that the New York
Central system has rates on oil which are
OF particular advantage to the Standard
Oil Company and which may properly be
termed discriminatory in character. A
particular case in point is that. OF a rate of
0 cents per hundredweight from Rochester 10
Norwood. n. Y, which was used on, int err
state business in connection with the secret
rate of the Pennsylvania from Olean to Koch
ester, in such a way as to constitute serious
discrimination against independent ~relners
The officers of the New York Central held
that these shipments from Rochester to Nor
wood. even though the records showedplainly
that they we're to be rebilled Immediately
Over the Rutland Railroad into Vermont. |
were State business,
Other instances Of alleged discrimination !!
" wy ANCN olh Soibidi III idNof u Ile
Standard are cited by the Commissioner |
Of Corporations. All Of this, of course, |
has a bearing on the inquiry OF the Inter- |
state Commerce Commission only as far as |
It leads to a suspicion of a close intimacy |
between the railroad or its officials on the |
one hand, and the Standard Oil Company
on the other.
The Interstate Commerce Commission
has never undertaken an inquiry Of the
magnitude Of that now in progress. 1t
involves practically every railroad In the
United States.
"The commissioners could keep BUSY on
thilA work every day for two years, and
tl,en not finish it," said a Government
officer to-day, while it was recently de-
cided that no report should be made to
Z ,ngress at this session, there is a posi-
/ lily that a statement on certain phases
o. the investigation maybe submitted to
Congress- before adjournment. However,
t. lie is not important. The commission is
d rected to lay its conclusions before the
President in the event that Congress 10 not