The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1907-01-26
MORE PUBLICITY
GIVEN AS REMEDY
Interstate Commerce Com
mission Makes Report on
Coal Roads.
RECOMMENDATIONS MADE
SUGGESTED THAT COMMON CAR
RIERs BE EXCLUDED FROM
OWNING MINES EXCEPT FOR
THEIR OWN USE.
RECOMMENDATIONS MADE
Publishers Pressl

Washington. Jan. 25.-The inter
state commerce commission submitted
to congress it's first report on discrim-
nations and monopolies, authorized
under the Tillman-Gillespie resolution
of last March. The report deals with
bituminous coal carried east of the
the Norfolk Western, Chesapeake &
Ohio. Baltimore & Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Buffalo. Rochester & Pittsburg, Beech
Creek division of the New York Cen
trail & Hudson River, Pittsburg, Shaw
NUT & Northern, Buffalo, Susquehan-
ma & West Virginia Central and West
ern Maryland. The report says all
these companies own, directly or by
stock ownership In other companies,
large interests in coal lands.
AS result of it's findings the COM
mission makes the following recon-
mendations: That every common
carrier engaged in the transportation
of coal be required to make public the
system of car distribution in effect on
its railway and the several divisions
thereof, showing how the equipment
for coal service is divided between the
several divisions of it's road.
THAT where the capacity of the
mines is the basis for the distribution
of equipment, fair, just and equitable
rating or the mines be requireu.
THAT after reasonable time carriers
engaged in interstate commerce be
prohibited from using individual or
private cars for handling coal traf-
nc
THAT carriers engaged in interstate
commerce be forbidden after reason
able time to own or have interest, di-
rectly or indirectly, in any operated
coal properties, except such as are ex-
clusively for their own fuel supply,
and that ownership. either directly or
indirectly. by officers or employees of
ties or any of the stock Of coal COM
panies along the line of road by which
they are employed. be forbidden
Some of the stock in coal concerns
acquired by the railroad men is legiti-
mate. says the report, but in any event
fits holding IL unwise under the cir
cumstances. In other instances stock
is given to obtain favorable consid-
GRAFTON from railroad officers and en-
ployes. The most fragrant offender in
this respect, concludes the commits
sion, is the Pennsylvania, although on
the Baltimore & Ohio the condition
prevails to certain extent.
The report tells of railway and
irh tn he
involved, the general object of which
seemed to be maintenance of certain
coal and freight rates on all the roads
involved. The. result of this agreee-
ment between the roads. declares the
report, has been practically to "abol-
fish substantial competition between
the carriers in coal for the territory
in question This condition is re-
garded as having brought about dis
ordinations, injustice and ineQuali-
ties to independent operators and has
prevented persons who wished to en-
gage in mining from doing So
Most Of the conditions about which
shippers complain, says the report,
grow ~ IF the want Of publicity of
dealinr tween the roads and ship
pers. Ii the business is conducted
openly much favoritism would be
averted and wherever unjust suspi-
cions were aroused the fact they were
fncorrec- would have readily ap-
peared.
1t is declared by the commission
that many inequalities and unjust
methods are used in arriving at each
mines canacity.