The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-06-15
Represents One Week s.
Work by Conferees of
House and Senate.
COMPROMISE ON
POINTS AT ISSUE
Measure Will Be Taken Up ia
Senate To- Day - Democratic !
Members of Conference Com
mittee Do Not Sign Report.
Terms of Perfected
Bill.

Washington. June 1.-THE confer<
ence report on the administration rail<
road bill was presented to the Sonata
at 1850 o'clock to-day by Chairmau
Elkins, OF the Senate Committee on
interstate Commerce. t was laid be{
foro the House late in the day, bu.
under the rules 1t cannot he acted
upon by the House until disposed oA
by the Senate 1t represented one week
work by conferees of the Senate and
House, in an effort to harmonic th9
differences in the bills passed by tho
two branches of Congress-, and nearly,
four months continuous consideration
in one or the other of the two branches
of Congress AT the request of several
| Senators the report went over until
tomorrow. when an effort will bd
| made to procure its adoption
| The Democratic conferees did nor
sign the report, and Senator Newlands
| save notice o-day that he would pre-
sent minority report.
1 Generally speaking. the finished
work of the conferees is declared tol
be satisfactory to the Senate, although
in large part it follows the lines OF
| the House bill. A number of the
amendments secured by Insurgent Re-
publican Senators, however, were re-,
tanned by the conferees. So far as sha 81
been Indicated. the only ohjectioni
which may be raised in the Senate to
the adoption of the report relates td
the action of the conferees in adoptinS
the House provision on the subject OH
long and short hauls.
The last amendment disposed OF by
| the oonferees was that relating to tho
| period for which increases in rates.
| might be suspended by the commits \
4 sion. The conferees accepted the Sen-N
| ate provision of ten months.
Many Original Featured.
AS finally perfected by the confereea
| the bill carries most of the features
/ of the original administration meas,
| ure. except the sections to permit rail-
roads to make pooling agreements. tal
authorize the government to regulate
| the issuance OF stocks and bonds. and
! to permit railroad to purchase the,
rema ming stock OF another line, tn]
which 1t already controls 90 per cent.
of the stock So much opposition d y
veloped In both houses against these
provisions that all except the securi 4
ties section were abandoned outrigllt.I
The conferees incorporated a pros
vision authorizing the President to ap-
point commission to investigate ques-'
tions pertaining to the issuance of
stocks and bonds by railroads. EX-
pendtures by the commission are 1tm- /
tied to $4,000 and 1t was not given
authority TO summon witnesses or tn
compel the production of books and
naners. No time was fixed for ths
making of a report
The bill as perfected. therefore. andi
as likely to become law, would createi
commerce court composed OF five'
Judges, the first of whom are to be se-
lected by the President. and thereaf-i
ter by the chief Justice of the Supremei.
Court. This court will have jurisdic-i
ton over all suits brought to enforce
ar set aside orders of the Interstate
Commerce Commission. In other
words. 1t would centralize the eNistins
authority and jurisdiction of circuicl
courts in matters affecting interstate
commerce.
Extension of Power.
Other sections would enlarge tnS
mower of the commission over railroad
Regulations and practices and place un-
der the Jurisdiction OF the COMMISSION
| telegraph telephone and cable compa-
MES whether wire or wireless, ana
would broaden the scope of the word
railroad so as to extend the jurisdiction
of the commission over bridges, terries
ard terminal facilities. This extension
Of mower is regarded as of the utmost
Importance.
General provisions are made affecting
railroads to compel them to furnlsh
rates upon application and to authorize
the commission to institute Inquiries on
its own motion. BY provisions adopted
by the House and retained by the con-
ferees, the scope of the commission TO
make regulations was enlarged 1t IS
also provided that a consignorof OF freight
shall have the right 10 designate by
which of two or more through routes
his property shall be TRANSPORTED to
destination.
The striking differences between the
Senate and House bills We're as fol-
lows: The new court VIII be known as
the Commerce Court, as provided by
the House, instead of a Court of Com
merce, as desired by the Senate. The
method of selecting the Judges to form
the court is a Senate provision. An
other Senate amendment retained per-
mits of appeals to the supreme Court
from interlocutory orders or decrecs
of the Commerce Court, granting or
continuing injunctions 10 restrain ths
enforcement OF orders of the commis-
sion, 1t is provided, however. that the
appeals must be taken within thirty
days II, was provided by che adminis-
tration bill that the Commerce Court
should not issue injunctions suspendinS
orders of the commission except in
cases where !rreparable damage would
ensue To that provision the conferees
added a Senate amendment requiring
tho giving of three days notice to the
commission and to the Attorney-Gen-
eral and that the suspension should
not be for more than sixty days. The
Senate provision that All parties in
interest to proceeding before tha
commission should be notified OF It's
commencement, was stricken out, bur
tho provisions of both the House and
AIl. L., ran.a rd "a fhA a nnaa