The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1910-06-10
WOULD amend
RAILROAD BILL
President Sends Special Mes
sage to Congress.
one CHANGE IMPORTANT

Asks That Measure Be Altered So as
to Give the Interstate Commerce
Commission Immediate Power to
Pass Upon the ReasonabIeness of a
Railroad Rate Upon Its Initiative or
Upon Complaint.
Washington, June S.-Following a
conference with Senator w. Murray
Crane OF Massachusetts and Represen-
tative James R. Mann of Chicago,
President Taft sent to congress a spe-
cial message asking that the railroad
bill be SO amended as to give the inter-
state commerce commission immediate
power to fix upon the reasonableness
of a railroad rate, either upon its own
initiative or upon complaint.
The pending bill provides that this
particular feature of the bill shall not
go into effect until sixty days after the
bill is signed. The effect of the re-
quest of the president, if carried out,
would be to enable him to expedite,
through the interstate commerce COM
mission, the tentative agreement
reached at the White House with
Western railroad presidents. In his
message the president said:
IA recent effort by a large number
of railroad companies to increase rates
for interstate transportation of per-
sons and property caused me to direct
the attorney general to bring a suit
and secure from the United States
court in Missouri an injunction re-
straining the operation of such in
creased rates during the tendency of
the proceedings.
Roads Agree to Delay Action.
"The action led to a conference with
the representatives of the railroad
companies SO enjoined and the agree
ment by each of them to withdraw the
proposed increases of rates effective
on or after June l and not to file any
further attempted increases until after
the enactment into law Of, the pending
bill to amend the interstate commerce
act, or the adjournment of the con-
gress, with the further understanding
that upon the enactment of such law
each would submit to the determine
ton of the interstate commerce COM
mission the question of the reason.
ableness of all increases that each
might thereafter propose.
at is now hoped that all of the
other railway companies will take like
action. In order, however, that each
may lave the benefit of a speedy de-
termination of the question whether or
not its proposed increases in rates are
%justiiable provision should be made
by congress to vest the interstate COM
merce commission with jurisdiction
over such questions as soon as posi-
BILE.
Would Eliminate Amendment.
"In the senate amendment to Sec
ton Is of the act to regulate COM
merce contained in H. r. 1886, the in
terstate commerce commission is en-
powered, Immediately upon the filing
O1 d luCI6dSo VI IdLcS, VI lIo
own motion, or upon complaint, to en-
ter upon an investigation and deter
mination Of the justice and reason
ableness of such increases, and, in
case it deems it %expedient, toGsuspend
the operation thereof for a period
specified in the section to enable it to
complete such investigation. That bill,
however, provides that the act shall
take effect and be in force only from
and after the expiration of sixty days
after its passage.
This provision, if allowed to remain
in the bill, would enable carriers, be-
tween the time of enactment of the
bill and the time of it's taking effect to
file increases in rates which would be-
come effective at the expiration of
thirty days and remain in effect and
be collected from the public during
the pending of proceedings to review
them, whereas If the bill be made to
take effect Immediately such investiga-
ton will have to be made before the
public is called upon to pay the in
creased rate"