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J. De Loach, officers of the corporation known as the S. P. Shotter Company, and W. J. L’Engle, an agent of the corporation. The offense charged in each case was obtaining transportation at less than published rates by means of falsely reporting the weight of turpentine shipped from Savannah to Detroit, Mich. These cases grew out of an investigation made by the Commission in 1898, and which is mentioned in our last annual report under the title, “Tank-car Shipments of Turpentine.”

FORMAL PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE COMMISSION.

Twenty-three cases have been formally instituted before the Commission since the last report to Congress. These include investigations ordered by the Commission, as well as complaints brought by individual companies and associations. Such proceedings directly involve some of the rates and practices of 292 carriers. Following is a short statement of the complaints and the provisions of the law claimed to be violated: 546. Discrimination in rates on bituminous coal from points in Pennsylvania to Buffalo and Rochester and other points in the State of New York. Sections 2, 3, and 6. 547. Unreasonable and unjustly discriminating passenger charges through withdrawal of 180-trip commutation tickets between Baltimore and Washington. Sections 1, 2, and 3. 548. Unjust classification of nerve food with patent medicines instead of in a lower class with ale, beer, mineral water, and other beverages. Sections 1, 2, and 3. 549. Unlawful freight rates from New England States, New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland to Danville, Va., as compared with rates on like traffic to Lynchburg, Wa. Sections 1, 2, 3, and 4. 550. Relative rates on corn and other grain for export from points east and west of the Mississippi River. Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. 551. Reasonableness of rates on lumber from Wilmington to Philadelphia, Jersey City, and Boston, and alleged discrimination in favor of Norfolk. Sections 1 and 3. 552. Investigation of rates on corn and other grain from points in the State of Ohio to Buffalo, Pittsburg, and other eastern destinations. Sections 2, 3, and 6. 553. Discrimination in rates by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company on coal from the New River and Kanawha districts in West Virginia to Cincinnati. Reparation claimed. Sections 2, 3, and 6. 554. Investigation in the matter of relative rates upon export and domestic traffic in grain and grain products from various interior points to various ports of export upon the Atlantic seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico, and of the publication of tariffs relating to such traffic. Sections 3, 4, and 6. 555. Unlawful freight rates in both directions between New York, Chicago, St. Louis, and other points and Phoenix, Ariz., in favor of Maricopa, Ariz., Los Angeles and San Francisco, Cal. Sections 1, 2, 3, and 4. 556. Unlawful rates on flour and mill stuffs from St. Cloud, Minn., to New York and other Eastern cities as compared with rates on like traffic from St. Paul, Minneapolis, Anoka, and Elk River, Minn., to New York and other Eastern points. Sections 1, 2, 3, and 4. 557. Methods employed in the transportation of wool, iron, and steel articles from points on and west of the Mississippi River, including East St. Louis, to points in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and other Eastern States. General inquiry. 558. Unlawful rates on flour and mill stuffs and other freights from St. Cloud, Minn., to New York and other Eastern ports, and unlawful rates on coal, hardware, and other freights from Eastern points to St. Cloud as compared with rates for the longer distances to St. Paul, Minneapolis, Anoka, and Elk River. Sections 1, 2, 3, and 4. 559. Unjust differences in rates against less than carload and in favor of carload shipments from St. Louis and points east thereof to San Francisco and other Pacific coast terminals, and higher charges to intermediate than to Pacific coast points. Sections 3 and 4. 560. Unlawful freight rates from Chicago, St. Louis, and other points to Norfolk, Nebr., as compared with those to Hoskins, Hope, and other Nebraska points. Failure to post tariffs at Norfolk. Sections 1, 3, and 6. 561. Routing of lumber in carloads from Ruston, La., to Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Conway, Mo., contrary to direction of shipper. Overcharges. Sections 1, 2, and 6. 562. Charging higher than local freight rates between Clarksville, Tenn., and Guthrie and other points in Kentucky on shipments received at Clarksville from boats on the Cumberland River. Sections 1, 3, and 6. 563. Unjust classification of nerve food with patent medicines instead of in a lower class with ale, beer, mineral water, and other beverages. Sections 2 and 3. 564. Failure of the New York & Texas Steamship Company to file with the commission its joint tariffs with carriers by railroad. Failure to publish such tariffs. Section 6. 565. Unreasonable rates on coal from Myrick, Mo., to points in Kansas and Nebraska. Unjustly discriminating rate on coal from Myrick to Kansas and Nebraska points as compared with rates from Rich Hill, Mo. Sections 1 and 3. 566. Unjust classification of pamphlets, almanacs, circulars, and other printed advertising matter. Sections 1, 2, and 3. 567. Charging a rate on lumber from Emporium, Pa., to Charlton, Md., higher than the combination of locals to and from Hagerstown, an intermediate point. Sections 1, 2, and 3.

569. Investigation of proposed changes in freight classification and advances in freight rates by carriers using the official classification. Sections 1, 2, 3, and 6.

No formal applications for relief from the operation of the fourth section (long and short haul clause) were filed during the year.

Hearings and investigations of alleged violations of the act to regulate commerce have been had at general sessions of the commission at its office in Washington, D.C., and at special sessions held in Buffalo, N.Y.; Chicago, Ill.; Charleston, S. C.; Danville, Va.; New York, N.Y.; St. Louis, Mo.; St. Paul, Minn.; Toledo, Ohio, and Wilmington, N. C. The formal proceedings so heard and investigated involved the following matters:

Relative rates on corn and other grain from points east and west of the Mississippi River. Discrimination in rates to ministers of religion. Methods employed in transportation of corn and other grain in carloads from points in Ohio to Buffalo and Pittsburg. Rates on bituminous coal from Pennsylvania to Buffalo and Rochester. Reasonableness of freight rates from Louisville, St. Louis, Chicago, and other Western points to Wilmington, N. C., and alleged discrimination in rates from such Western points in favor of Norfolk. Rates from New England States, New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland to Danville, Va., as compared with rates to Lynchburg, Va. Reasonableness of freight rates from Louisville, St. Louis, Chicago, and other Western points to Charleston, S. C., and alleged discrimination in rates from such Western points in favor of Norfolk. Relative rates on export and domestic traffic in grain and grain products from interior points to ports on the Atlantic seaboard and Gulf of Mexico. Commutation passenger rates between Baltimore and Washington. Alleged unlawful freight rates in both directions between St. Cloud, Minn., and New York and other Eastern points as compared with rates for the longer distances to or from St. Paul, Minneapolis, Anoka, and Elk River, Minn. Methods employed in the transportation of wool, iron, and steel articles from points west of the Mississippi River to points in Indiana, Ohio, and other Eartern States. Alleged unlawful differences between carload and less than carload rates from St. Louis and points east thereof to Pacific coast points, and alleged unlawfully higher freight rates from St. Louis and other points to intermediate points than to Pacific coast destinations. Proposed changes infreight classification and advances infreight rates by carriers using the official classification.

Applications filed by numerous carriers for a further extension of time beyond January 1, 1900, to comply with the provisions of the safety appliance act requiring cars and locomotives to be equipped with automatic couplers and train brakes, have also been heard and considered.

GENERAL OFFICE WORK OF THE COMMISSION.

The general office work of the Commission is conducted by what is known as the operating division. The duties of this division are miscellaneous in character and include the keeping of a record of complaints made to the Commission and of all proceedings and action in connection therewith; the receipt, answering, filing, and indexing of general correspondence; the recording of orders and of minutes of the Commission; the filing and docketing of complaints, answers, orders, and other papers, and the service of petitions and orders upon parties to formal proceedings; the purchase of stationery and all other supplies for the Commission, keeping the accounts of disbursements, investigation of special questions in railway statistics, the distribution of annual reports, opinions, and other official documents, with the work incidental to the preparation for printing the same, and various other duties too numerous to mention in detail. The stenographers and typewriters in this division are also used by the Commissioners in the performance of their official duties, and take the testimony at public hearings. During the year there were prepared for mailing and transmitted approximately 160,000 pieces of mail. The following statement will in a measure indicate the volume of work of this description performed during the year: The general correspondence of the operating division consisted of 7,386 letters received and 7,850 letters written. There were also mailed 24,500 circular letters, to which 14,300 replies were received, indexed, and tabulated. There were served by mail upon parties to formal proceedings 6,188 notices of hearings, and 5,540 copies of orders, and 21,500 copies of reports and opinions issued by the Commission were distributed. There were also wrapped and mailed 26,500 copies of the Twelfth Annual Report, 5,750 copies of the Tenth Annual Report on the Statistics of Railways in the United States, 1,600 copies of the Eleventh Annual Convention of Railroad Commissioners, 5,800 copies of the Eleventh Annual Report on Statistics of Railways in the United States, and also 32,500 miscellaneous documents, such as advance copies and synopses of reports and preliminary reports on income account of railways. Since December 1, 1898, 205 petitions have been filed before the Commission in which 474 railroad companies have filed answers or otherwise appeared. This includes petitions by carriers for extension of time under the safety appliance law. About 16,800 folios of pleadings, testimony, and briefs were filed in cases before the Commission and examined during the year, and fully 84,000 folios of pleadings and testimony were copied and furnished to parties applying therefor. The division of rates and transportation has charge of the tariffs, contracts, classifications, and other documents filed with the CommisH. Doc. 298—4

sion under section 6 of the act. The general work of this division includes the recording and acknowledgment of documents received from the carriers, the examination, indexing, and filing of the various papers, and the correspondence resulting from failure on the part of carriers to meet the requirements of the act and orders of the Commission in the construction and filing of tariffs; also the preparation of data and information regarding rates for use in connection with complaints, and keeping of various records and other special work.

This division during the last year received and filed 531,833 and mailed 416,153 papers, viz: 123,274 tariffs, 344,469 certificates of concurrence in joint tariffs, 50,519 letters accompanying tariffs, 13,562 letters and telegrams (correspondence), and 9 contracts were received; and 394,988 receipts for tariffs and other papers filed, 11,990 letters and statements of rates, and 9,175 notices to carriers of their failure to concur in joint tariffs were mailed. The number of documents filed and indexed in this division since the Commission was organized in 1887, exclusive of correspondence, is: Tariffs, 1,681,301; letters pertaining to same, 504,048; certificates of concurrence in joint tariffs, 1,323,464; contracts and traffic agreements, 1,089; total, 3,509,902.

The work of the division of statistics consists chiefly in the examination of the annual reports of railway companies filed with the Commission and the compilation and preparation of the statistical reports based upon them which are published by the Commission in separate volumes as appendices to its reports to Congress. The more important of these reports is entitled the “Annual Report on the Statistics of Railways in the United States,” being a volume of about 700 pages. During the past year there were sent by the statistical division, in connection with its work, some 3,000 letters and telegrams, the letters averaging three pages in length; 3,670 annual report forms; 1,540 orders, and 2,620 circulars of various kinds. Four thousand or more classifications of construction expenses, classifications of operating expenses, and bulletins relating thereto were distributed among railway accounting officers. There were furnished to State railroad commissioners, at their expense, 904 forms similar to the interstate form, for the use of railway companies in rendering their annual reports as State carriers to such commissions. There were received from railway officials 1,350 railway reports and approximately 3,600 letters, telegrams, and circulars.

SAFETY APPLIANCES.

The last annual report of the Commission called attention to the safety appliance act and the progress which had been made by the railroads in equipping their cars with automatic couplers and train brakes. The belief was also expressed that adoption of such appliances had resulted in the decrease of casualties reported.

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