Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1910-01-07
TO CREATE new
RAILROAD BUREAU
MANN BILL MAKES SWEEPING
CHANGES IN INTERSTATE
COMMERCE LAWS,
BY REP. MANN OF ILLINOIS
Prepared Under Eye of Taft
Department of Commerce and
Labor to Handle Complaints.

Washington. Jan 5--A bill making
sweeping changes in the interstate
commerce laws for the regulation of
railroads was introduced in the house
by Representative Mann OF Illinois,
chairman OF the committee on inter-
state and foreign commerce. The bill
Is not in accord with the one pre-
pared by the committee acting under
the direction of President Taft and
known as the administration railroad
BILL" but was prepared by Chairman
Mann during the summer vacation of
congress.
Bureau Of Transportation"
The measure does not provide for a
special court to hear interstate com.
merce cases, as has been reported
would be the form of legislation on
this subject which President Taft
would recommend. 1t proposes. how.
ever, to create in the department of
commerce and labor a bureau to be
called the bureau of transportation, y
where a shipper may file complaint
against a railroad. If, after an inves.
tigation, the commissioner of the
bureau of transportation finds that
there is justice in the complaint, he
must report the facts to the attorney
general Of the United States, and II
the attorney general is satisfied that
there is cause of action, he is re.
CURED to file petition with the inter.
state commerce commission and pros
ecute the case at the expense of the
government. The shipper may, if ne
prefers, still file his complaint direct
with the commission and prosecute it
ut his own expense, as the present law
provides.
The bill makes it the duty of com.
mon carriers to establish Just and rea,
sonable classifcations and regulations
and authorizes the interstate com.
merce commission to prescribe what
they shall be.
The Long and Short Haul.
The long and short haul clauses OF
the interstate commerce act would be
amended SO as to provide that the
charge for short haul shall in NO
case be greater than the charge for a
long haul and the charge for through
rate shall be no greater than the
aggregate of the local rate. False or
padded claims for damages by a ship
per are prohibited, as rebates are.
The provision of the law in regard
to filing complaints and authorizing
the commission to adjust complaints
and fix rates are very much enlarged
and they give power to the commits
sion not only to fix rates upon CON
| plant but also to adjust and prescribe
classifications, regulations and prac
tees generally. The commission may
suspend the taking effect of any pro
posed rate or change in classification
until full hearing could be had on the
subject. The commission is also Civ
en- the power to establish through
rates and joint rates, and the shipper
to select the entire route over which
a shipment shall be transported.
Railroads are required TO furnish
rates on written application. Every
shipment of property on which re
bate is paid is made a separate of
tense, and the Elkins law is amended
to that extent The railroads, undel
the Mann bill, may exchange trans
portation for advertisement Of thei
time tables in newspapers.
Ownership Of Stock.
common carrier is prohibited from
owing or acquiring ownership O
stock in any competing carrier. Thu
bill also makes it unlawful for rail
road company to issue any stock o
bonds except for the acquisition o
property, the construction of it's lines
the improvement of it's service or tn
discharge OF it's obligations, and afte
filing with the commissioner Of trans
portation statement setting forth tn
full details of the issue. The bill re
quires stock to be sold for not les
than par and bonds for not less thai
the reasonable market value, and pre-
vides penalty of $4,000 fine and i'm
priSOnment for five years for the Il