Evening star., 1922-12-07
GREATER ACTIVITY
OF |. C. c. OUTLINED
Annual Report Tells of Prob.
lens Raised During Coal
and Rail Strikes.

An increased scope of activities.
due partially to enlarged responsible
ity put upon 1t by legislation OF re-
cent years and partially to use OF
emergency powers required by indus
trial disturbances in recent months
were described in the annual report
today of the Interstate Commerce
Commission.
Together with regulation Of rail-
road rates and service. the commits
sion reviewed operations by which
1t assumed some actual control of
railroads during the period Of emer-
gency occasioned by the strikes in
the mines and in the railroad shops.
presented summaries of results In its
supervision of railroad securities. and
forecast the outlook for final con-
clusion of the protracted settlements
of financial accounts between the
government and the railroads aris-
ing out of the federal control.
Cut Freight Rates.
field. the report said. was the 10 per
cent reduction in freight charges or
dered last July.
.Manifestly. the existing rates are
no longer interfering with the free
flow of commerce as a whole the
has been steadily increasing. Little
opportunity has been afforded for de-
termination of the effect of the re-
duced rate level upon the net earn
inES of carriers.
The report reviewed how the COM
mission. to meet the "menacing con-
sequences of the strikes" had put
priority orders into effect. and CO.
operated with the federal fuel office.
Though conditions of equipment grew
most serious on some trunk lines,
before the strikes wore out, 1t was
said. the commission had not found
it necessary to lay embargoes or re-
sort to the more extreme of measures
which Congress legaliZed.
Control of railroad security issues
vested in the commission. resulted in
it's approval of stocks and bonds hav-
ing a par value of $SS9.719,710, with
some additional issues having no par
value, or a value expressed in foreign
currencleS.
Discussing the reimbursement OF
railroads which incurred losses in op-
erations during the first six months
after their return from government
to private control, the report said that
up to October 81 last total payments
of S4J0.o13,64j on that account had
been authorized from the Treasury.
Sums still payable TO the carriers. who
were guaranteed reimbursement for
such losses, the commission estimated
at sS3.9:6.000.
Reductions in its estimates for ap-
preparations, made by the bureau OF
the budget, occasioned the commission
to recommend formally to Congress
that amounts be given it Sufficient to
meet our absolutely necessary re-
qufrements.' For the current fiscal
year. its appropriations were $5.045.-
$50. the commission said. and for next
year 1t would require s5.oO4.500,
though the budget director had recon-
mended that the amount be reduced
to S4.494.5OO.
Congress was further requested to
enact legislation to make it criminal
to bribe railroad employees to give
preference in car supply: to increase
use OF all-steel passenger cars by rail-
roads. and to clarity sections of the
existing transportation act in relation
to proposed consolida ton of railroads
Regarding train-control devices the
commission said: The need for auto
matte train-control devices has beer
further emphasized since January /.
1922. by our investigation Of six seri-
Gus train accidents resulting from
non-obed1ence to automatic block
signals. These accidents resulted n
the death of so persons and injury to
4SS others.