Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-31

| tariffs, rates and charges in the coun-
Ity where said hearing is being held,
may appear before said board and be
heard, in person or by attorney"
There might be other individuals or
aggregations of people that might come
under those heads. The present statute
says that "any interested and respon-
sible party" and if that is not broad
and if that is not in the interest or
| the people then your committee is at
fault Section 10 Of this bill provides
that 'every common carrier, under the
provisions of this act, shall print and
| keep for public inspection schedules
and tables showing the fares and class
| ifications, tolls, tariffs. rates and
charges for the transportation of pas
sengers and freight so revised and reg
ulated by said board and which are
in force at the time upon its railroad.
| The schedules and tables printed as
aforesaid by any such common carrier
shall plainly state the places upon its
| railroad between which property and
passengers will be carried and shall
contain the classification Of freight and
fares in force upon such railroad, ana
shall also state separately the terminal
charges and any rules or regulations
which in any wise change. affect, or
determine any part of the aggregate
Of such aforesaid rates and fares and
charges. Such schedules and tables shall
be plainly printed in large type, and
COPIES for the use Of the public shall
be posted in two public and conspic-
uous places in every depot, station, or
Office upon any such railroad where
passengers or freight, respectively, are
received for transportation, in such
form that they shall be accessible to the
public and can be conveniently in
spected."
How many people know that under the
head Of classification" there are 5000
different items? 1t is almost beyond the
power Of comprehension to enumerate
them. Every passenger station in this
State would have to have a billboard
from half to three-quarters Of mile
long for the posting of these circulars
if this bill was interpreted strictly.
Now, Mr.. Speaker, I want to read the
| present statute and the committee
amendment. Chapter g. Section 1. is
as follows: "Any railroad corporation
| may establish and collect, for it's sole
| benefit, fares, tolls and charges, upon
all passengers and property conveyed
and transported on it's railroad, at such
| rates as may be determined by the d.
| rectors thereof, and shall have lien
| on it's freight therefor; and may from
time to time by it's directors regulate
the use of it's road; provided that such
| rates of fares. tolls and charges, and
| regulations are at all times subject to
alteration by the Legislature, or by
such officers or persons as the Legsla-
| ture may appoint for the purpose, any,
| thing in the charter of such corpora
| ton to the contrary Notwithstanding;
| and provided further that, upon what
shall, at any time, be deemed by the
railroad commissioners a sufficient COM
plant, by interested and responsible
parties, that the tolls are unreasonably
high, said commissioners may revise and
establish them, after due notice and
hearing, for a time not exceeding one
year. But the commissioners before d.
recting such hearing shall give oppor-
| tunity to the company complained of.
| to reply to the charge"
Now, I submit that that statute was
| not known by the people of Aroostools
was not known by the representatives
of Aroostook county in general in this
Legislature; it was not known that the
| railroad commissioners had the slight
est authority to question in any way
| the transportation rates; and your COM
mittee recommend that any individual
shipper, firm, corporation, association or
anyone at all in this State feeling that
| they are unjustly Disseminated against
they recommend that the hearing shall
| be held in the county in which the COM
plant originates, if requested. Now, this
bill was born under insinuation, it has
been given a certain amount of life
through threatened intimidation and I
trust today will see it's funeral under
the same charge The Republican party
of this State is not on trial; the life or
death of this bill does not affect the
Republican party, and the members of
your railroad committee are able bust
ness men from different sections. of the
State who have the credit Of standing
well at home, and I hope that they
may stand fairly we'll here when this
Legislature has been adjourned land
therefore. Mr.. Speaker, I move the in
| definite postponement Of this bill.
(Applause).
Mr.. BURLEIGH Of Augusta: Mr..
Speaker, in discussing this question I
did not think any one should be de-
tered by any consideration of political
consequences. The question must stand
or fall on its own merits. The great
complaint made by the gentleman from
Houlton in his first speech on this SUBJ
ject was the lack Of machinery for car
rying out his plan and he has drawn
bill which he assures you is based
on the interstate commerce act, and I
had supposed until recently that that
was fact. Section l of his bill says
| that the commissioners shall establish
rates and fares, a power which is alb
solutely denied to the Interstate Com
| merce Commission. The Interstate Com
merce Commission has no power to in
itiate rates which this bill gives to
| our board Of railroad commissioners
The first section Of this bill further
says that said rates, charges, fares
or tolls shall be binding upon the COM
mon carriers. Now that is not in the