The Detroit times., 1910-10-22


winter II was found advisable further
To- strengthen the hands OF the commits
sion. and IL Is probable that during the
next two years its power VIII be great
ly increased.
The commission has governmental
supervision over the common carriers
OF the United States. This includes not
only the railroad and steamboat lines,
but express companies, the Pullman
company, and the telegraph. wireless
telegraph. and telephone lines OF the
country doing an interstate business
II also watches the operation or the
pipe lines OF the country which carry
petroleum. The corporations over
which il has this supervision enjoy al
annual revenue of more than three bii
lion dollars. The transportation lines
have q mileage OF more than quarter
oil a million miles. Much OF the time
of the commission Is taken up In the
Interpretation OF interstate commerce
laws for the benefit OF shippers and
carriers. A court will not answer
hypothetical question or decide an
imaginary case, but the Interstate
commerce commission Will turn aside
from the red-tape OF the law and offers
all parties interested the best infor-
nation II can give. II a given question
relates to matters of common interest
OF frequent rulings. the opinions OF
the commission are printed and placed
In the hands OF all VINO need them. BY
this means a comprehensive code OF
rules Is In process OF development,
the observance of which operates TO
promote just and impartial conduct on
the part of shippers and carriers.
The commission considers two
classes Of omplainrs-informal and
formal. Informal complaints may be
filed by any citizen having griev-
ance against a common carrier. The
commission investigates these COM
plants In an informal way. IL they
are found to be justified. II recon-.
mends to the carrier at fault that sat.
isfaction be given to the complainant.
These complaints range all the way
from an alleged overcharse for rail
road ticket to an unsatisfactory
method OF handling thousands OF tons
of coal
Formal complaints may be filed only
by accredited attorneys and they
cover every sort of subject from o
claim for reparation, involving few
dollars. TO a complaint against the en-
tire freight handling system OF given
carrier. In the investigation OF for
NAL complaints some 500 hearings u
year are held. and In these hearings
more than 10000 pages OF testimony Is
taken The commission, or its various
members. visit different parts OF the
country and hold as many hearings as
possible. III the pressure OF business
requires II, this duty may be per-
formed by special agents designated
by the commission.
The enforcement OF the law requ!r-
ing railroads to equip their cars with
safety appliances Is entrusted to the
commission. This law has worked ad-
mirably in protecting railway en-
pioyes. as is shown by the fact that In
1893 rs out OF each 1000 men In the
service were injured, az compared
with 16 out OF each thousand In 1909.
The railroads long opposed the propc.
sition that they should be required to
equip their trains with power brakes
and automatic couplings. but they now
admit that this equipment Is as much
TIC their interest as to that OF the en-
pioye The commission Is now w
vestigating the question of the substi.
tuition of the telephone for the tele-
graph I'm train dispatching. These in-
vestigations show that wherever the
telephone has been tried II has demon
sJrated its superiority over the tele.
graph.
II also has been charged with the
Investigation OF block signals and
ether accident-preventing apparatus in
train operation. A board OF practical
railroad men has been organized,
whose duty II Is to investigate the
various systems OF block signaling
and the various inventions for auto
matically stopping trains. This board