(c) Any land grant railroad organized under the Act of July 28, 1866 (chapter 300), shall receive the same compensation for transportation of property and troops of the United States as is paid to land grant railroads organized under the Land Grant Act of March 3, 1863, and the Act of July 27, 1866 (chapter 278). Guaranty to Carriers After Termination of SEC. 209. (a) When used in this section The term "carrier" means (1) a carrier by railroad or partly by railroad and partly by water, whose railroad or system of transportation is under Federal control at the time Federal control terminates, or which has heretofore engaged as a common carrier in general transportation and competed for traffic, or connected, with a railroad at any time under Federal control; and (2) a sleeping car company whose system of transportation is under Federal control at the time Federal control terminates; but does not include a street or interurban electric railway not under Federal control at the time Federal control terminates, which has as its principal source of operating revenue urban, suburban, or interurban passenger traffic or sale of power, heat, and light, or both; The term "guaranty period" means the six months beginning March 1, 1920. The term "test period" means the three years ending June 30, 1917; and The term "railway operating income" and other references to accounts of carriers by railroad shall, in the case of a sleeping car company, be construed as indicating the appropriate corresponding accounts in the accounting system prescribed by the Commission. (b) This section shall not be applicable to any carrier which does not on or before March 15, 1920, file with the Commission a written statement that it accepts all the provisions of this section. (c) The United States hereby guarantees― (1) With respect to any carrier with which a contract (exclusive of so-called cooperative contracts or waivers) has been made fixing the amount of just compensation under the Federal Control Act, that the railway operating income of such carrier for the guaranty period as a whole shall not be less than one-half the amount named in such contract as annual compensation, or, where the contract fixed a lump sum as compensation for the whole period of Federal operation, that the railway operating income of such carrier for the guaranty period as a whole shall not be less than an amount which shall bear the same proportion to the lump sum so fixed as six months bears to the number of months during which such carrier was under Federal operation, including in both cases the increases in such compensation provided for in section 4 of the Federal Control Act; (2) With respect to any carrier entitled to just compen-· sation under the Federal Control Act, with which such a contract has not been made, that the railway operating income of such carrier for the guaranty period as a whole shall ́not be less than one-half of the annual amount estimated by the President as just compensation for such carrier under the Federal Control Act, including the increases in such compensation provided for in section 4 of the Federal Control Act. If any such carrier does not accept the President's estimate respecting its just compensation, and if in proceedings under section 3 of the Federal Control Act it is determined that a larger or smaller annual amount is due as just compensation, the guaranty under this paragraph shall be increased or decreased accordingly; (3) With respect to any carrier, whether or not entitled to just compensation under the Federal Control Act, with which such a contract has not been made, and for which no estimate of just compensation is made by the President, and which for the test period as a whole sustained a deficit in railway operating income, the guaranty shall be a sum equal to (a) the amount by which any deficit in its railway operating income for the guaranty period as a whole exceeds one-half of its average annual deficit in railway operating income for the test period, plus (b) an amount equal to one-half the annual sum fixed by the President under section 4 of the Federal Control Act; (4) With respect to any carrier not entitled to just compensation under the Federal Control Act, which for the test period as a whole had an average annual railway operating income, that the railway operating income of such carrier for the guaranty period as a whole shall not be less than one-half the average annual railway operating income of such carrier during the test period. (d) If for the guaranty period as a whole the railway operating income of any carrier entitled to a guaranty under paragraph (1), (2), or (4) of subdivision (c) is in excess of the minimum railway operating income guaranteed in such paragraph, such carrier shall forthwith pay the amount of such excess into the Treasury of the United States. If for the guaranty period as a whole the railway operating income of any carrier entitled to a guaranty under paragraph (3) of subdivision (c) is in excess of one-half of the annual sum fixed by the President with respect to such carrier under section 4 of the Federal Control Act, such carrier shall forthwith pay the amount of such excess into the Treasury of the United States. The amounts so paid into the Treasury of the United States shall be added to the funds made available under section 202 for the purposes indicated in such section. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subdivision, any carrier may retain out of any such excess any amount necessary to enable it to pay its fixed charges accruing during the guaranty period. (e) For the purposes of this section railway operating income, or any deficit therein, for the test period shall be computed in the manner provided for in section 1 of the Federal Control Act. (f) In computing railway operating income, or any deficit therein, for the guaranty period for the purposes of this section (1) Debits and credits arising from the accounts, called in the monthly reports to the Commission equipment rents and joint facility rents, shall be included, but debits and credits arising from the operation of such street electric passenger railways, including railways commonly called interurbans, as are not under Federal control at the time of termination thereof, shall be excluded; (2) Proper adjustments shall be made (a) in case any lines which were, during any portion of the period of Federal control, a part of the railroad or system of transportation of the carrier, and whose railway operating income was included in such income of the carrier for the test period, do not continue to be a part of such railroad or system of transportation during the entire guaranty period, and (b) in case of any lines acquired by, leased to, or consolidated with, the railroad or system of transportation of the carrier at any time since the end of the test period and prior to the expiration of the guaranty period, for which separate operating returns to the Commission are not made in respect to the entire portion of the guaranty period; (3) There shall not be included in operating expenses, for maintenance of way and structures, or for maintenance of equipment, more than an amount fixed by the Commission. In fixing such amount the Commission shall so far as practicable apply the rule set forth in the proviso in paragraph (a) of section 5 of the "standard contract" between the United States and the carriers (whether or not such contract has been entered into with the carrier whose railway operating income is being computed); (4) There shall not be included any taxes paid under Title I or II of the Revenue Act of 1917, or such portion of the taxes paid under Title II or III of the Revenue Act of 1918 as by the terms of such Act are to be treated as levied by an Act in amendment of Title I or II of the Revenue Act of 1917; and (5) The Commission shall require the elimination and restatement of the operating expenses and revenues (other than for maintenance of way and structures, or maintenance of equipment) for the guaranty period, to the extent necessary to correct and exclude any disproportionate or unreasonable charge to such expenses or revenues for such period, or any charge to such expenses or revenues for such period which under a proper system of accounting is attributable to another period. (g) The Commission shall, as soon as practicable after the expiration of the guaranty period, ascertain and certify to the Secretary of the Treasury the several amounts necessary to make good the foregoing guaranty to each carrier. The Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized and directed thereupon to draw warrants in favor of each such carrier upon the Treasury of the United States, for the amount shown in such certificate as necessary to make good such guaranty. An amount sufficient to pay such warrants is hereby appropriated out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated. (h) Upon application of any carrier to the Commission, asking that during the guaranty period there may be advanced to it from time to time such sums, not in excess of the estimated amount necessary to make good the guaranty, as are necessary to enable it to meet its fixed charges and operating expenses, the Commission may certify to the Secretary of the Treasury the amount of, and times at which, such advances, if any, shall be made. The Secretary of the Treasury, on receipt of such certificate, is authorized and directed to make the advances in the amounts and at the times specified in the certificate, upon the execution by the carrier of a contract, secured in such manner as the Secretary may determine, that upon final determination of the amount of the guaranty provided for by this section such carrier will repay to the United States any amounts which it has received from such advances in excess of the guaranty, with interest at the rate of 6 per centum per annum from the time such excess was paid. There is hereby appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, a sum sufficient to enable the Secretary of the Treasury to make the advances referred to in this subdivision. (i) If the American Railway Express Company shall, on or before March 15, 1920, file with the Commission a written statement that it accepts all the provisions of this subdivision, the contract of June 26, 1918, between such company and the Director General of Railroads, as amended and continued by agreement dated November 21, 1918, shall remain in full force and effect during the guaranty period in so far as the same constitutes a guaranty on the part of the United States to such company against a deficit in operating income. In computing operating income, and any deficit therein, for the guaranty period for the purposes of this subdivision, the Commission shall require the elimination and restatement of the operating expenses and revenues for the guaranty period, to the extent necessary to correct and exclude any disproportionate or unreasonable charge to such expenses or revenues |