The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1907-03-15
THE USELESS COMMISSION.

WIS SOmMl DUN.
We call attention TO a letter in an
other column concerning the work 81
the Interstate Commerce Commission
! 1t but carries out the opinions express.
/ ed in these columns previously. ard
strengthens the belief that the C,al-
munity is to have no great relief
from the Hepburn bill. Such close
observers of traffic matters as T.. g..
Davies, of Chicago. have said III bic
/ ly that the present law is virtually
/ useless and was more satisfactory tn
railroads than TO the public. ANY
way. the shippers are getting no re-
! lief. Rates are just as high and il
! looks as though the roads. and not Ike
public. were 10 be the benefciaric.,
/ Of the new law.
/ Under the guise of the HepbTr;.
bill the railroads have CUj off muy'.
/ free transportation. not because they
! fear the law. bur because il is mon
ey-making scheme. As the publish
/ erS OF a newspaper We have Us It
! passes, but in every instance they
were paid for by the use of space for
/ the benefit OF the roads granting
them. When the Interstate Com
/ merce Commission declared that rail
roads had no right to issue transpor-
| tatiOn in lieu of advertising, We At
once believed the ruling contrary -
commercial usage. but il looked -
though the Commission was assisting
the roads TO cut off many unSatisfac-
! tory passes. What right has the co 3
mission to say in what manner a rOaG
| shall have its pay. whether i'm Curren-
icy. wheat, flour or advertising space?
/ What difference is there whether or
not We get $50 from the roads for nd
vertiSing and take this same $40 ana
buy mileage with it. or that the ROAD
issue the mileage between twecdlc-
dunn and tweedle-dee?
The whole Interstate Commerce
commission matter looks to us like a
farce. The California shippers had
an order from this useless Commission
TO have the rates on oranges reduced.
Did the roads obey the order? Not
bit of it. They simply said they
would not, and to heap further shame
on them the Federal judiciary order
ed the suit 10 enforce the order with
drawn. The people are the sufferers.
while the railroads continue to grow
rich out of eXOrbitant rates. Look al
the express companies. LOCALIZED by
!; .rt fr.l i.rlot
! from the people, when the first clause
of the Hepburn bin says il is a viola
ton of law for any organization to
! have lower rate than any other or
ganiZatiOn or person. Was there ever
anything more farcicaI?
! One OF the great benefits expected
/ from the new bill was more equitable
refrigeration. Has any one heard of
any reduction in the Armour or any
other refrigeration rates? What good
is the law if ii does not give the re-
lief expected? l. is all we'll enough
! TO give tokens OF esteem for the work
OF the Refrigerator Car Line Commit
tee of the League but do the shippers
and receivers get any better rates?
These are serious and important queS-
tons involving the whole trade. The
North Carolina Strawberries will soon
be ready to move. Is there any evil
dence that the refrigerator grab will
not be just as great, or that the SER
. vice will be any better?
The Interstate Commerce Commits
| sion was not able to force the New
York Central to make any better
time on apples from the western part
of the State The losses on this der
ELECTION of duty are likely 10 go be-
You'd the half million mark. The
Commission says the Central shall
not give us a pass in exchange for
advertising, and the Central Slibly
comedies with it, but what about bet
ter service on apple shipments?
! To us the Commission looks like a
great big bluff working in the inter
est of the roads. If this is not So
then show us what good the Commits
sion has done. We want benefits for
the shippers and receivers, and as the
law has been in effect since last July
il is time TO see some of the great
promised benefits. At first we be
lieved in the Commission. and looked
for great reforms. but the lack of re
ssIts has caused us TO lose faith. II
there is a defender of the Commission
lin the trade who can show us where
we are wrong i'll our conclusions We
are anxious to hear from him.-NeW
York Produce News.
E Although tWO-thirds of the tOra