The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-07-04
VIII Go Out OF
Coal Business

REfsllsS oFFlctA.1ss Afsp IN
fsIoXEs Will Esoa eER
HOLD iEaYEsI1 iEfsTs
PHILADELPHIA ], July OF.
acers and employees Of the Pennsyls
yanias railroad should mo longer hold
Interest ia coal ompantes. though
warranted I'm doing 80 in the past
that NO discrimination against ship
pers has been proven, and less than
40 Of the more than 800 bituminous
soperat6rs on the lines Of the Penn
sylyania have made any complaints.
are the conclusions reached by the
special committee Of the Pennsyl-
syania railroad directors which inves-
tigated alleged DETERMINATIONS in the
distribution Of coal cars, as revealed
at the hearings Of the interstate com
merce commission. This report was
submitted to the full board Of tle
company, and after a short discussion
unanimously approved. d.
Alter stating that in the past when.
1t was right for of1cers and employees
to assist in developing industrial en-
terprises on the line OF the road to
induce other people to make similar
Investments. no such interests should
AFFECT the performance Of duty by the
oafcer Of employe. the report con
tinues:
aUnder the conditions, as taey
have been stated, It is essential that
lain officers and employees should be
tabsolutely free to discharge taeir du-
ties impartially. Applying this prin-
ciple to the coal trade as an illustra'
ton, the keen competition of to-day
.reuuires every oficer and empioye
Eofthe Pennsylvania Railroad Company
to part with any investments which
/ he has in the shares of any coal pro-
\ ducing company, and also to part with
any interest which he has in or with
any firm or individual mining coal on
.any Of the lines Of the PENNSYLVANIA
railroad system, and every officer and
employe should be required to refrain
from any investments whatsoever
which may possibly prejudice or af-
feet the interests of the company or
interfere with the company's full dis
charge OF its duty to the public"
only 81 of the move taan $4,000 Of
fcers and employees of the Pennsyl=
vania railroad were examined before
the interstate commerce commission.
declares the committee. and OF these
l21 shown to have acquired in coal
companies alleged, but not proven,
to have received unfair preferences
the distribution of coal cars or con
E.struction of sidings. But the testi-
mony did not prove any Undue or IN
reasonable preferences either in the
distribution Of cars or construction or
sidings.
The committee calls attention ito
many ilflculties encountered in the
distribution Of cars and says: There
must be fair system of pro rata dis
tribution, but whatever be the sys-
TEN, there will inevitably come periods
when the demand for, will exceed
the supply Of cars, brought about by
various causes. Under such cond':
tons priority must be given, first to
shippers. who furnish coal to the com.
pany's engines; and next to those
whose Kulfllment Of contracts Will
keen other railroads In operation, pre-.
vent municipalities from being left in
darkness. or enable steamships tn
sail. ETC."
On privately owned coal cars the
committee says:
@The question OF the independent
or privately owned, coal cars is not
a new question nor one which admits
of an oirhand solution. The PENN
sylvania Railroad Company was char
tered on the theory the company would
build the line and the shippers would
furnish their own means OF Transport
tation. The greater portion of the
coal tonnage of England is moved 70
day in privately owned cars. The use
Of such cars on the Pennsylvania lines
is not peculiar to few favored snip.
pers. They have been used from the
beginning Of coal transportation
The report concludes: "The COM
mittee will investigate every fact
brought to its attention Affecting the
performance by any oficer or employe
Of his duty to the company or the per-
formance by the company Of its du
ties to the public, and will report its.
conclusions in every case to the Presi-
dent of the company in the confident
assurance that no ownership or prac.
tice calculated in any way to affect