Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1914-10-16

: >>>o>><<>soe>>>e>$><><><
eh,zuss IN reasonable and that ~
ssfvisee Will sch eorpsratiens
andsFtaks 70 psrfozn ere sfneisat
and expeditions. 70 The end the
eonnission has power to subpoena
vl(nossos ard enfosee attendanes up
% ~ hearings, ard 70 express its
consultations in the form Of an order
10 the attendant company Of corpor-
alton. That 10 ~ far - the COM
mission under the consultation can
20. II cannot enforce it, orders. II
the defendant company refuses to
comply with an order from the COM
mission, Il IL then the duty Of the
commission to remove the cause to
/; supreme court whose duty II shall
b. to consider the evidence and either
approve and enforce the order or re-
manI II to the commission. There
is no denying that the powers Of the
commission are thus severely limited.
but the efficient public servant does
not sit down and contemplate the
limitation Of his powers, but seeks,
rather, to find out what he can do.
The reports thus far issued by the
commission, supposed to sum up and
set forth the fruits Of the two years
labor Of this triumvirate comprise
two compendious volumes consisting
largely Of reproduction Of desul-
tory correspondence Of trifling con-
sequences with the attorney general.
a batch Of unilluminating statistics.
2SO informal complaints whose in
Significance makes the elaborate
statement Of the same ridiculous, "A
rather lengthy appeal, $50 far fruit
less), to the Interstate Commerce
Commission, seven formal comp
plants, two supreme court decisions
calling attention to defective prepa-
ration Of the cases by the commits
sion, and one decision sustaining the
commission in refusing to grant a H.
ccnse to some loan company to do
business in New Mexico. This has
cost the State Of New Mexico fifty
thousand dollars or thercabout, and
the achievements listed at fair mark
ct value and totaled, would not near
" balance the expense of printing
the commissions report. This is not
intended as a hyperbolic statement ut
all, nor need any allowance be made
for the usual exaggerations of po-
litical debate, it is a simple, prov
able statement Of fact.
For illustration, and in order that
you may get what am driving at.
turn to page 145 Of the report Of
1913 and note the 164 informal CON-
plants that follow covering, as
rule, little kicks about excessive
charges on individual shipments Of
eggs, baby carriages and what not.
the amounts involved running in only
one instance over hundred, and
totaling less than one thousand dol
lars. These complaints are printed
in the style Of causes in court, enough
space being devoted in the heading
to accommodate a full statement Of
the complaint and the disposition Of
the same. Instead Of devoting sixty
eight pages to an elaborate and form
al statement of these little matters.
the information could be easily given
in fifteen pages. There are about
ifty pages of pure padding. n the
commission had had anything worth
while to report, do you think il would
have resorted to such silly. school
boyish device. hoping to impress the
unthinking with the mere heft of the
volumei The ingenuity Of the COM
mission is apparent only in the de-
vices it employs in lodging rcspon-
sibility, and in clustering noisily
about the insignificant things that
have been accomplished. n COM
plant comes into the office. Il have
the charity to suppose that all Of
these complaints are actually made
upon the motion Of the compliments
and are not drummed up by members
of the commission who pass with
great frequency over the state). IL ]
say, complaint comes into the Office
concerning some trifling overcharge
which any ordinary freight check
ing bureau could adjust in fifteen
minutes, and which the transporta-
ton company is glad to have called
to it's attention, the matter is taken
hold Of enthusiastically. Elaborate
letters are written slightly dictatorial
in tone, outlining the grievance at
some length and intimating that an
adjustment should be made at once.
In a few days, with a flourish Of
trumpets, il is announced that the
overcharge Of a dollar and thirty
cents has been refunded. and mother