El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-10-15

TT IS probable that no other bureau
in the government service will In
crease so rapidly in size and import
ance in the approaching decade as the
Interstate Commerce commission. The
entire trend of recent legislation has
been toward a more stringent regula-
ton of railroads and other common car
riers of the country. The commission
was founded two decades ago. 1t had
comparatively little work to do until
the agitation of 1906, which resulted in
the passage Of the rate bill. Last win
ter it was found advisable further to
strengthen the hands of the commission
and it is probable that during the next
two years its power will be greatly in
creased.
Supervision of Railroads.
The commission has governmental
supervision over the common carriers
of the United States. This includes not
only the railroads and steamboat lines,
but express companies, the Pullman
company, and the telegraph, wireless
telegraph, and telephone lines of the
country doing an interstate business
1t also watches the operation of the
pipe lines of the country which carry
petroleum. The corporations over
which it mas this supervision. enjoy an
annual revenue of more than three bill
have a mileage of more than quarter
of 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 ana
carriers court will not answer
hypothetical question or decide an I'M
aginary case, but the interstate COM
merce commission will turn aside from
the red tape of the law, and offers all
parties interested the best information
! it can give If a given question relates
TO matters of common interest or ire
ouent rulings, the opinions of the COM
mission are printed and placed IN the
hands of all wno need them BY TINS
means a comprehensive code of rules IS
in process of development the oDserN-
ance of which operates to promote Just
and impartial conduct on the part VI
shippers and carriers.
The commission considers two classes
of northumberland and formal. IN
formal complaints may be filed py any
citizen having a grievance against d
common carrier. The commission IN
yestfgates these complaints in an IN
formal way. If they are found 10 DC
Justified II recommends to the carrier
at fault that satisfaction be given 70
the complainant. These com plaili .
range all the way from an alleged over
charge for a railroad ticket TO an un-
satisfactory method Of handling thou-
sands of tons of coal.
Filing of Complaints.
Formal complaints may be flled olily
by accredited attorneys and they cover
every sort of subject from claim 1or
reparation, involving a few dollars, 10
a complaint against the entire frelgnt
handling system of a given carrier III
the investigation of formal complaints
some 500 hearings a year are held, anu a
in these hearings more than 6o,ooV
nages of testimony are taken The COM
mission. or its various members, VISIT
different parts of the country and holu
as many hearings as possible II the
pressure of business requires II, TINS
! duty may be performed by spec1ai
agentsedesignated by the commission.
The enforcement of the law requir-
ing railroads to equip their cars Win
safety appliances IS entrusted to the
commission. This law has worked ad-
mirably in protecting railway en-
ployes, as is shown by Tie fact that IN
1893 II out of each 1000 men In tne
service were injured, as compared Win
II out of each 1000 in 1909. The rall-
roads long opposed the proposition that
they should be required to equip their
trains with power brakes and auto
matte couplings, but they now admi'
that this equipment Is as much to thelr
interest as that of the empIoye. Inc