The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-05-25
DECISIONS BY
SUPREME COURT
Tap Line Cases Were Decided
gainst the InterstSte
Commerce Cor
nsf's
TITANIC AGE SUIT
Adjournment to june without Deci-
sion on the Important Inter
Mountain Rate
Case.
TITANIC pAaE SUIT

WASHINGTON, May 25. The
tap" line cases, involving millions OF
dollars annually in alleged rebates by
trunk railroads to lumber and logging
roads were decid I'd against the gov
ernment and the interstate commerce
commission today by the supreme
court. 1t sustained the old commerce
courts decree enjoining the commits
sion's order of 1912, prohibiting joint
rate rebate payments to the tap lines.
It's effect is seriously to cripple the
/ through rate divisions given the sub
(: sidiary lines
Authority OF the interstate COM
merce commission to prevent rebate"
allowances, through division OF joint
through rates to numbering and other
! industrial tap" lines was involved in
the cases decided today. Nearly a
hundred such lines were parties to
! the litigation. The decision Is OF vast
Importance to numbering interests In
the southwest, particularly Arkansas,
Missouri. Louisiana and Texas.
The commission held that divisions
rates resulted in such serious deple-
ton of the railroads revenues and
created grave discrimination. II was
estimated $1O0, 900, 900 was paid an
nualiy BY trunk lines IN tap line COM
cessions.
Titanic Decision.
WASHINGTON. May 25.-That
American laws limiting financial LA.
biiity to nominal damages for loss Of
life and property in the Titanic disas-
ter may be invoked by the Oceanic
Steam Navigation Company, owners
OF the Titanic, was decreed today by
the supreme court.
The corporation won Its suit to i
limit liability in the United States
courts.
The court decided the first two
questions submitted by the lower
court in the affirmative and to the
third question held that the United
States laws apply in suits brought in
this country.
American claims aggregating over
S1,O0O,00O as a result OF the sinking |
OF the Titanic in mid-ocean April Is, |
1912, we're invovled in the suit decided |
today by the high courts. AS owner |
Of the Titanic, the Oceanic Steam
Navigation Co., British corporation |
sought to limit its monetary liability
to American survivors and relatives
of survivors for lives and property |
lost when the great ship crashed into !
a "growler," or submerged iceberg,
carrying down nearly 1900 persons
and entailing financial loss various
O0o, 900. The test suits decided today /
were brought by Harry Anderson, an
American, and William j. Mellor, a
British subject. They sought to in
woke, in the United States courts, the
British marine laws which hold a
company liable for the full losses
sustained. The company sought to
limit its liability to the pro rata
share of the actual value of property
recovered from the wreck. This
to less than $4,000 includ-
ing about $4,000 in passage fares paid
and the value of fourteen lifeboats re-
covered d-practically all saved from
the great ocean disaster. The federal
district court OF New York held
against the steamship company. On
appeal the federal court OF appeals
confessed it was unable to settle the
problem and passed it along" to the
supreme court upon questions for the
high court to answer. The questions
certified were:
(a) Whether in case OF disaster up
IN the high seas, where ID only a
,ingle vessel OF British nationality is
aid there are claimants OF
many different nat;onalities; and (2)
where there is nothing before the
.ourt to show what, II any, is the law
If the foreign country to which the
-essel belongs. touching the owners
liability for such disaster. can such l
,wner maintain proceedings under 8
he United States statutes and admir- 3
.lty rules?
(b) Whether If the Law of the for f
ign country to which the vessel bel
ongs makes provisions for the nmi-
alton of the vessel owners liability,
pon terms different from those in
.