The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-11-18
REGULATION OF
COMMON CARRIERS
Georgia Railroad Commission
Summarizes Conditions
VALUE OF FEDERAL ACT
Chairman Hill Says That Regulation
of Railroads Cannot Be Settled
BY Theories But BY Plain
Facts and Figures.

Atlanta, November H.-(Special.)-
Chairman III. Warner Hill of the state
railroad commission and Rate Expert
George F. Montgomery are in Washing
ton, attending the annual convention of
the National Association of Railroad Com
missioners. which began there today, and.
viii be in session the remainder of the
week.
Chairman Hill carried with him for sub
mission at the opening session of the con-
vention the report of the committee on
powers, duties and work of state railway
commissions. of which he Is chairman.
The report Is very voluminous one, in
Guiding summary of the working system
of every railroad commission in the United
States. Perhaps the most striking feat
ure Of the introduction to the report Is the
following;
THE question of regulating railroads
can never be settled by theories, but must
be by the use of facts and figures secured
through painstaking and conscientious
work Favoritism has played such part
in the past that the railroad companies
themselves are ignorant of actual results
following its elimination. The work of all
commissions should be to use diligence
in obtaining the facts and diffusing them
in such manner as will best influence
public opinion along conservative and cor
rect lines
Punishment of past offenses will not
correct present wrongs, and while radicals
and sensationalists have played an i'm
portant part in the exposure of evils. more
conservative men are necessary for their
elimination. The high water mark In the
government regulation of railroads was
reached when the interstate commerce act
was amended in 1868. The means used to
defeat that law was proof positive that
the railroad officials recognized it as
measure of such importance that Its pass
age must be prevented.
Perhaps the publicity given to the bus
mess conducted by common carriers has
been the greatest moral factor in the cor
rection of abuses. The general public 10
inclined to be fair when facts are pre-
scented for Its consideration and for this
reason commissioners should take special
pains not to influence the public mind by
false and padded statements for political
or other effect, but should use their best
endeavors to procure uniformity In the
laws of the Various states and uniformity
of practice by the various commissions,
which will not only curtail the demands
on the railroads. but decrease the work
of the commissions and the courts.
THE most important principles for the
correction of evils in transportation are
laid down in the so-called Hepburn act,
and have later been Incorporated into the
laws governing commissions Of many
states. In respect to their value, your
committee would name them consecutive
ly as follows: % Making public the busi-
ness of all common carriers. (2) Filing of
tariffs, making it necessary that they
shall be published 80 days before becoming
effective, and the power conferred upon
the commission to prescribe forms of
same. (3) Power to prescribe reasonable
rates and regulations. a. Prohibiting the
use of free transportation of freight and
passengers. (5) Power to investigate COM
plants and issue orders correcting the
same. CO. Power to compel officers and
agents to testify. CD Power to prescribe
methods of keeping records and ac-
counts"
Following the foregoing, Chairman Hills
report includes a synopsis of the powers,
duties and work of all the various state
commissions