Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1906-07-11
What CONGRESS HAS done.
REVIEW OF IMPORTANT BILLS PASSED
CURING LAST SESSION.


OF the legislation enacted the rail-
road rate law is Of course, foremost
in importance. This act increases
the membership Of the Interstate
Commerce Comm sion to seven, and
increases the salar. of each commits
sioner to $4,000 year. The or
ders of the Federal yody fixing rail-
road rates are made subject to the
broadcast review by I! courts, which
may suspend, alter annul them.
The new law broad ms the term
"common carrier" to include ex-
press and sleeping car companies, as
we'll as railroads aud boa lines under
common management 7hich may
be engaged in Interstate or foreign
commerce, either passe .ger Or
freight. 1t broadens ta term
transportation" to include private
car lines, elevators and all o her in
stramentali:ies for the shipm, ut of
property. 1t provides that all rates
shall be reasonable.
The Interstate Commerce Con-.
mission is given full power, upon
complaint and after a hearing, to fix
reasonable and just maximum rate,
which shall take effect thirty days
after the issuance of the order of the
commission, such order to remain in
effect two years unless changed by
the commission or after review by
the courts shall have been set aside.
Appeals from the orders of the COM
mission may be taken by either party
from the lower Federal Court to the
Supreme Court. No injunction, in
terlocutory decree or order suspend
ing or restraining any order of the
commission shall be issued except on
hearing without five days. notice.
Appeals from such proceedings may
be taken direct to the Supreme Court
within thirty days. The commission
may order new hearing upon ap-
plication. The commission is to have
access to the records of the carriers
at all times. In time of war ship
ments of the government shall have
preference. The law is to take effect
sixty days after its approval by the
President, or on August %.
Probably more excitement was
stirred up by the meat inspection
amendment to the agricultural ap.
preparation bill than by any PROPOSE
tion considered during the session.
But after the warning factions set
tied the differences what is regarded
as an effective regulation of the meat
packing business emerged from the
legislative hopper. Under this law
the government is to pay the cost of
the inspection of meats and meat
products. The packers are not re-
quired, as some members insisted
they should be, to put the date of
canning on labels affixed to cans con-
tanning byproducts. The inspection
is to apply to meats for domestic
consumption as well as that for ex-
port. There was a bitter fight in
conference over meat inspection, but
the Senate finally yielded and ac-
cepted the House measure.
In enacting the pure food bill Con.
gress gave its approval to another
important extension of Federal au-
thority over Interstate commerce.
This measure engendered great
deal of acrimonious dispute, most of
which took place behind the scenes.
Speaker Cannon was charged with
having smothered the pure food bill,
but he had little trouble in driving
his critics to cover.
The pure food law defines adul.
terated and misbranded articles of
food and drugs and makes it unlaw-
full to introduce to any State or Ter
ritory or from any foreign country
articles of food or drugs that are
adulterated or misbranded. The
legislation is designed to supplement
the pure food laws of the various
STATES. The bureau of chemistry of