The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-10-22

ed In the passage OF the rate Dill. Las.
winter It was found advisable further
e. strengthen the hands OF the commits
sion. and II IL probable that during the
next two years It's power will be great
ly increased.
The commission has governmental
superyision 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 OF the
pipe lines OF the country which carry
petroleum. The corporations over
which 1t has this supervision enjoy al
annual revenue of more than three Dill
lion dollars. The transportation lines
have q 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 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 oners
all parties interested the best inlor-
nation II can give. II given question
relates to matters IT common interest
or frequent rulings. the opinions OF
the commission are printed and placed
In the hands OF all who need them. BY
this means q 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 complaints-informal and
formal. Informal complaints may be
fled by any citizen having griev-
ance against q common carrier. The
commission investigates these com
plants In an informal way. II 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 overcharge 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 a few
dollars. to a complaint against the en-
tire freight handling system or a given
carrier. In the investigation OF for
NAL complaints some 600 hearings a
year are held. and In these hearings
more than 10000 pages of testimony Is
taken The commission, or It's various
members, visit different parts OF the
1 nfrxr nj hold mi HEARINGS
possible. II the pressure Of business
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 adj
mirably in protecting railway EN-
pioyes, as is shown by the fact that in
1893 IS out OF each 1000 men In the
service were injured, as compared
with 16 out Of each thousand In 1902
The railroads long opposed the propo
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
to their interest as To that OF the EN-
pioye. The commission Is now IN
vestigating the question Of the substi
tuition of the telephone for the tele
graph in train dispatching These In
vestigations show that wherever the
telephone has been tried II has demon
strated its superiority over the tele
graph.
| II also has been charged with thc
Investigation Of block signals and
other 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
has come to the conclusion that only
one type OF automatic train control !:
feasible. This IL the closed circui,