The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-01-05
COMMISSION EMPOWERED
TO FIX THROUGH RATES
Common Carrier Is Prohibited From
Owning or Acquiring Ownership
of Stock in Any Other
Competing Railroad.

Washington, January "A. bin making
sweeping changes in the interstate COM
merce laws for the regulation of rail-
roads was introduced in the House to-
day by Representative Mann Of Illinois,
chairman of the committee on interstate
and foreign commerce. The bill is not
in accord with the one prepared by the
committee acting under the direction Of
President Taft and known as the ''ad-
ministration railroad bill," but was pre-
pared by Chairman Mann during the
summer vacation of Congress.
The measure does not provide for a
special court to hear interstate commerce
cases as has been reported would be
the form of legislation on this subject,
which President Taft would recommend
1t proposes, however, to create in the
department of commerce and labor a bu-
reau to be called "the bureau of trans
portation,' where a shipper may file
complaint against a railroad. If after an
investigation the commissioner of the bu-
reau of transportation finds that there
is justice in the complaint he must re-
port the facts to the Attorney General
of the United States and If the Attor-
ney General is satisfied that there is
cause of action he is required to file a
petition with the interstate commerce
commission and prosecute the case at
the expense of the government.
The shipper, If he prefers, may still
file his complaint direct with the COM
mission and prosecute 1t az his own ex-
pense. as the present LAW. pfovssos.
The bill makes 1t the duty of common
carriers to establish just and reason
able classifcations and regulations and
authorizes the interstate commerce COM
mission to prescribe what they shall be.
long and short haul clause of the
interstate commerce act would be amend
ed so as to provide that the charge for
a short haul shall in no case be great
er than the charge for long haul and
the charge for through rate shall be
no greater than the aggregate of the
local rates.
False or padded claims for damages
hv shipper are prohibited, as rebates
Ths rfs4ssrs of the law in regard
tifs pc si74ft --+horixing the
atssuH 81 at rasplaln.s and fix
rates -~e Hss iasgea and they
give power ste Gn5ssfai not only
to fix rates upon Con-. tll out also to
adjust and prescribe classincations. regu-
lations and practices generally. The COM
mission may suspend the taking effect
of any proposed rate Or change in class
ification until full hearing can be had
on the subject.
The commission is also given the power
to establish through rates and joint rates,
and the shipper to select the entire route
over. which a shipment shall be trans
ported.
Railroads are required to furnish rates
on written application. Every shipment
of property on which a rebate is paid is
made a separate offense, and the Elkins
law is amended to that extent. The
railroads. under the Mann bill. may ex-
change transportation for advertisement
of their time tables in newspapers.
common carrier is prohibited from
owning or acquiring ownership of stock
in any competing carrier
The bill also makes it unlawful for a
railroad company to issue any stock or
bonds except for the acquisition of prop
erty, the construction of its lines, the
Improvement of its service or the dis
charge Of its obligations and after filing
with the commissioner of transportation
q statement setting forth the full de-
tails of tho issue. The bfll requires stock
to be sold for not less than par and
bonds for not less than the reasonable
market value. and provides a penalty Of
$4,000 fine and imprisonment for five
years for the illegal issuance Of stocks
and bonds.
The bill also makes It unlawful for
any railroad to acquire by purchase,
lease or otherwise, the ownership Of any
connecting line and forbids any form OF
ownership to acquire control Of two COM
peting lines of transportation unless per-
mitted by the interstate commerce COM
mission. l
The bill was referred to the committee
of which Mr.. Mann Is chairman.