New-York tribune., 1910-12-22
WOULD VALUE RAILROADS
Commerce Commission Asks
Further Legislation from
Congress.
TO CONTROL CAPITALIZATION
Suspensions of Freight Rate
Advances and Prosecutions
of Year Reviewed.

Washington, Dec. N--The Interstate Gem
naercc Commission. IN its annual report.
made pubic to-day, urges on the attention
of Congress the wisdom and need OF proper
legislation for the control Of railway cspi-
teliz2tion- Adequate provision for the VAL
uetion OF railway property IS declared TO be
absolutely necessary TO the solution os the
transportation problem.
Particular pro Hinence is given TO the con-
sideraticn az tbs Eastern and Western
freight rate cases pending before the COM
mission The cases have been assigned for
argument on January g, 1911. and succeed
zng days. and tiae commission Will announce
SIS decision al the earliest practicable date.
. Immediately following the passage Of the
interstate commerce act OF June Is, 1870
-he commission was called upon 10 exercise
she most far reaching power conferred upon
II by that act. the authority 20 suspend
proposed advances 81 rates pending inyes-
rigatiou ef their reasenableness. In the
first half Of 1919 many carriers had given
notice OF general advances in rates As
result CT conferences between government
officials and representatives of the carriers
she dates eff the advances were suspended
pending the enactment OF the law then un-
DER consideration by Congress. The section
authorizing the suspension OF tariffs was
aaent CT the law Tereupon two general
Investigations were instituted-one relating
20 the general advances in rates proposed
by Eastern carriers, and the other 10 those
proposed by Western carriers. Every ef-
fort. the report says, has been made To
expedite the proceedings. A stupenoous
record is now before the cornnlission- The
tariffs have been suspended until February
]. le1l. Before that time 1t is expected fhet
the commission will announce its decision
sn the general freight rate cases.
Hundreds OF Cases Dioposea OF.
Since ,ts last annual report the commits
zion has announced decisions in So proceed
sngs. and IDS other cases have been dis
posed Of Thus, 81 formal cases were re-
moved from the docket Six hundred and
SIXTY formal complaints were filed and eieV-
en- proceedings were instituted by. the com
mission. In addition TO these, twenty-five
proceedings n,olving suspension of tariffs
were instituted.
Tbs. number of informal complaints taken
up with the commission shows a consid-
erabie decrease, S.Sa0 having been filed IN
lgI0.. as against z.455 in the previous year
IN the year 737 hearings and Investigations
respecting alleged violations OF the law
were held by the commission in Weshins-
.on and other parts OF the country.
In the year ended November so. 1910, lsi,-
sss tariff sheets were filed. approximately
$1,000 less than for the preceding twelve
months. The number was considerably in
creased by the fling Of supplements post
yoning the effective dates OF tariffs which
contained advanced rates now under inves-
sigaIion. IN the same period the number OF
special perrnissions granted TO make tariffs
effective on less than statutory notice WAS
S.s40 substantially the same as in the pre-
yious twelve months
Accompanying the report is the following
statement of the revenues and operating
rSpenses of all the railroads for the first
CHARTERS Of the years ending June 80, 1911
and 1910: