Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad v. Herman Bros.

82 N.W.2d 405, 164 Neb. 265, 1957 Neb. LEXIS 139
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedApril 12, 1957
DocketNo. 34041
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 82 N.W.2d 405 (Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad v. Herman Bros.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad v. Herman Bros., 82 N.W.2d 405, 164 Neb. 265, 1957 Neb. LEXIS 139 (Neb. 1957).

Opinion

Messmore, J.

This appeal is directly related to a companion case, No. 34040, Chicago, B. & Q. R. R. Co. v. Herman Bros., Inc., ante p. 247, 82 N. W. 2d 395. While these cases were heard on separate records, in many respects the [267]*267principles involved are identical, and the issues in the two cases are so closely related that the argument of the appellants in opposing the orders issued by the Nebraska State Railway Commission, hereinafter referred to as the commission, are very similar. We have considered the two cases together, but deem it necessary to render separate opinions in connection with the same due to a different order of the commission affecting a different point of origin in this state to other stations in this state.

This appeal is from the order of the commission in which the commission approved and allowed to become effective certain reduced rail rates governing the transportation of petroleum and petroleum products in tank carloads from the point of origin, Kaneb, Nebraska, to 103 specified points of destination in this state, which traffic moves in intrastate traffic. The appeal is directed to the commission’s order of February 7, 1956, approving the rates and charges proposed by Nebraska railroads, and as to the confirmation of said order by the opinion, findings, and order of the commission dated March 12, 1956, overruling appellants’ motion for rehearing.

On December 29, 1955, Nebraska railroads filed an application with the commission for authority to revise rates from Kaneb, Nebraska, to Nebraska destinations, the rates proposed in the Western Trunk Line Tariff 448 to take the place of present rates.

On December 30, 1955, Herman Bros., Inc., and other Nebraska motor carriers filed a complaint and request for formal hearing before the commission. The commission set the matter for hearing on January 23, 1956. On February 7, 1956, the commission,- by its order, authorized the proposed rates contended for by the applicants to be applied March 1, 1956. The appellants filed a motion for rehearing on February 21, 1956. Argument was had before the commission on the motion for rehearing on March 12, 1956. This motion was overruled on the same date. From the order overruling the mo[268]*268tion for rehearing, the appellants have appealed.

We have reviewed the evidence in the companion case, No. 34040, and make reference to the evidence insofar as the same may be pertinent in the instant case. However, we deem some review of the record necessary in the instant case relating to the subject matter of this appeal as to the commission’s order of February 7, 1956.

The record discloses that there is a pipe-line terminal at Kaneb, Nebraska, which is located 2 miles north of Geneva. Rail shipping facilities were constructed and completed at this pipe-line terminal. The commission authorized intrastate rail rates on petroleum on the same basis that the rail rates were then in effect from other rail shipping points in this state by order of the commission dated December 16, 1955. At that time the appellees’ application to the commission, filed November 21, 1955, for permission to establish rates on petroleum from other rail shipping points in Nebraska to all Nebraska stations 1% cents per 100 pounds under the truck rates on gasoline for distances of 75 miles or more, and rates no lower than the truck rates for distances less than 75 miles, was pending before the commission.

The Interstate Commerce Commission established rates, as shown in Western Trunk Line Tariff 448, on the same basis as the proposed rates requested by the rail carriers in their application before the commission, filed November 21, 1955. Such rates by the Interstate ■Commerce Commission became effective December 1, 1955, for interstate transportation in Nebraska pursuant to a decision of the Interstate Commerce Commission, I. & S. docket No. 5853, 289 I.C.C. 457. The Nebraska State Railway Commission granted appellees permission to establish such rates January 1, 1956, between such rail shipping points in this state, namely Omaha, South Omaha, Superior, Scottsbluff, and Doniphan, and Nebraska stations as published in tariff 448.

The proposed rates from Kaneb are set forth in a [269]*269schedule made a part of the appellees’ application, and named rates to only 103 Nebraska stations because a shipper requested the rates to only the stations named. The appellees assert that if any shipper requests rates from Kaneb to other stations, the appellees will make proper application to the commission to establish such rates; and that the appellees limited the application of the rates to the stations requested in order to establish them as expeditiously as possible.

As previously stated, substantially the same facts set forth in our opinion in case No. 34040 involving appellants’ appeal from the order of the commission authorizing the rates as set forth in tariff 448, effective January 1, 1956, are pertinent to this case. No useful purpose would be accomplished by again restating such facts.

The appellants refer to evidence to the effect that the proposed rail rates are, in some instances, to some degree more than 1% cents a 100 pounds below the truck rates on heavier fuels.

The appellants also point to evidence in connection with the proposed car-mile earnings which is set forth in exhibit No. 1, stating that the car-mile earnings are figured on the absolute short-line mileage between point of origin and destination, rather than on the actual route of movement; that said car-mile earnings do not take into consideration switching costs or other costs of operation such as empty movement of tank cars; that no shipper appeared in support of appellees’ application; also to evidence on behalf of appellants to the effect that the proposed reduced rail rates from Kaneb, and from other points of origin involved in the companion case No. 34040, were considerably less in the majority of cases than the existing rates of the motor carriers, this being true with reference to a comparison of the proposed rail rates from the various origins with the motor carrier rates on the heavier fuels.

The appellants introduced comparisons and analyses [270]*270of rates proposed by the appellees which they contend show that such proposed rates in the case at bar have no relation whatever to actual movements by way of rail, and will produce discrimination and inequalities.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
82 N.W.2d 405, 164 Neb. 265, 1957 Neb. LEXIS 139, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chicago-burlington-quincy-railroad-v-herman-bros-neb-1957.