Evening star., 1911-10-22


come of approximately $4,-
900, 900, 600. the interstate com
merce commission is one OF the most
important of the independent branches
Of the government service. 1t has gov
erpmentaI supervision over all Of the
common carriers of the United States
which do an interstate commerce busi-
ness and which are Included in the
deffnition of common carriers written
in the interstate commerce law. This
not only includes the railroads doing
an interstate business, but also such
steamboat lines as operate in interstate
commerce in connection with railroads.
under common control, management or
arrangement. 1t also includes the in
terstate operations of the express COM
panies sleeping car companies tele
graph, cable and telephone companies,
wireless telegraph companies and pipe
lines carrying other commodities than
water and gas. The railway lines
which it regulates have an aggregate
trackage Of more than 100000 miles.
They carry approximately 500. 900 900
passengers and more than 1,5O0,0O0,0 600
tons OF freight. The distance which
these passengers are carried is equfVa-
lent approximately IN 10000, 900 miles
for one passenger, and the freight
transportation is equivalent TO the task
OF carrying one ton of freight more than
freight IS moved one mile for less than
] cent
Much of the time of the commission
is taken up in the Interpretation of in
terState commerce laws for the benefit
of shippers and carriers. A court viii
not answer Hypothetical question or
decide an imaginary case. but the inter-
state commerce commission Will turn
aside from the red tape Of legal pro-
cedure and give all parties interested
the best information it possesses with
reference to matters over which IT has
jurisdiction. If a question arises which
involves matters OF common interest or
frequent rulings, general rules are pub
lished informally and the opinions OF
the commission are printed ana placed
in the hands of all who need them.
BY this means a comprehensive code OF
rules is in process OF development, the
observance of which will operate TO
promote just and impartial conduct on
the part of both shippers and carriers.
one of the principal functions OF the
commission is to settle differences be-
tween the common carriers and their
patrons In doing this, it receives two
kinds of complaintS-formal and in
formal Informal complaints are largely
in the ma iority. About 5000 complaints
of this nature are filed annually. These
complaints may be nled by any citizen
having a grievance against a common
carrier They may reach the commits
sion simply in the form of letter
stating their grievance. II the COM
plainJ is found to be justified, after an
informal investigation the offending
carrier receives d recommendation from
the commission that it remove the
ground of complaint. These complaints
range all the way from an alleged over
charge for railroad ticket to an un-
salts factory method of handling thou
sands of tons of coal They involve no
expense to the person filing them. and
usually result in a satisfactory ADJUST
ment of the matter at issue
Formal complaints cover every sort OF
subject from a claim for reparation in
volying a few dollars TO a complaint
against the entire tariff OF railroad III
volving millions, or the practices and
regulations Of large number OF carriers.
Sometimes individuals and corporations
make these complaints. At other times
cities and towns make them
During an average year approximately
500 formal complaints are filed with the
commission and q like number are dis
posed Of Every one of these complaints
is made public at the time il is filed.
The chief clerk of the interstate COM
merce commission has q table in his Of
fee. and as the complaints come IN they
are placed there for inspection, and the
representatives of newspapers all over
the country who visit the headquarters
of the commission obtain daily infornla-
ton After the complaints have thus
been made public, and notice served On
interested parties, the commission sets
date for hearing both sides of the ques-
lions involved. During a recent year
over 100 hearings and investigations We're