Crown Coach Co. v. United States

44 F. Supp. 547, 1942 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3035
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Missouri
DecidedMarch 16, 1942
DocketNo. 111
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 44 F. Supp. 547 (Crown Coach Co. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Crown Coach Co. v. United States, 44 F. Supp. 547, 1942 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3035 (W.D. Mo. 1942).

Opinion

REEVES, District Judge.

This is a suit to annul an order of the Interstate Commerce Commission. Jurisdiction is invoked by subdivision 28, section 41, Title 28 U.S.C.A. In compliance with the mandatory provisions of section 47, Title 28 U.S.C.A., a three-judge court was constituted and the case has been heard by such court. The order the plaintiff seeks to annul was one dismissing its complaint against Mo-Ark Coach Lines, Inc.

[548]*548By its complaint before the Interstate Commerce Commission the plaintiff sought restoration of a joint through route over the lines of the respective parties from Kansas City to Springfield and points beyond. Both the plaintiff and the intervening defendant, Mo-Arlc Coach Lines, Inc., are motor common carriers over different routes between Kansas City and Springfield and points beyond. Plaintiff sought to have the Mo-Ark Coach Lines.join again in through routes over the complainant’s line from Kansas City to Springfield on traffic originating at or beyond Kansas City to destinations on Mo-Ark Coach Lines, Inc., beyond Springfield.

It appears from the evidence that, prior to the enactment of the National Motor Carrier Act in 1935, 49 U.S.C.A. § 301 et seq., the two carriers had an operating arrangement whereby a joint through route was established between Kansas City and Springfield and points beyond. Thereby traffic originating at or beyond Kansas City was given a through route privilege over plaintiff’s lines to Springfield and thence over Mo-Ark Coach Lines, Inc., to destinations beyond Springfield

Pursuant to' requirements of the Motor Carrier Act, such a joint through route schedule was filed to become effective April 1, 1936. Apparently from the record this was not a harmonious working arrangement and Mo-Ark Coach Lines, Inc., shortly thereafter filed a modification or change, the effect of which was to .cancel such joint through route. This change became effective August 26, 1936. Since that time the joint through route arrangement was not authorized.

On June 2, 1939 plaintiff filed its complaint against Mo-Ark Coach Lines, Inc., before the Interstate Commerce Commission for the reestablishment of the joint through route. Upon a hearing the Commission denied the request and ordered a dismissal of plaintiff’s petition. It is this order which forms a predicate for plaintiff’s action here.

It is alleged by the plaintiff that the Commission erroneously decided that there was no evidence to support the desirability of a joint through route; that upon the evidence the Commission could not properly have found that the cancellation of a joint through route was reasonable; that upon the evidence the joint through route was in the public interest; and that the Commission erred in holding that the burden was upon the plaintiff to show convenience and necessity for restoring the joint through route. It was the further contention of the plaintiff that the proceeding merely challenged the former procedure whereby the Mo-Ark Coach Lines, Inc. withdrew from the joint through route arrangement. It was insisted by the plaintiff that the burden was upon the Mo-Ark Coach Lines, Inc. to effect a change in the schedule and that it had not carried such burden.

These will be noticed with other contentions urged by the plaintiff.

1. Under the motor carrier act it is the duty of a common carrier to file schedules of tariffs, including statements of facilities for the transportation of passengers in interstate commerce in connection with its operations. Such schedules are not prescribed by the Interstate Commerce Commission, but may be altered or modified upon complaint or at the instance of the Commission. Moreover, it is the right of a common carrier by motor vehicles at any time to file schedules showing changes in its fares, charges, rules, practices and facilities for the transportation of passengers in interstate commerce. When that is done, the Commission is authorized and empowered on complaint of any interested party, or upon its own initiative, to enter upon a hearing concerning the lawfulness or propriety of such change of rate. This provision, however, is not effective as against schedules filed on or before July 31, 1938.

It is provided by subdivision (g), Section 316, 49 U.S.C.A., that:

“At any hearing involving a change in a rate, fare, charge, or classification, or in a rule, regulation, or practice, the burden of proof shall be upon the carrier to show that the proposed changed rate, fare, charge, classification, rule, regulation, or practice is just and reasonable.”

It will be observed from the foregoing that the intervenor, Mo-Ark Coach Lines, Inc., filed its schedule altering or withdrawing from the joint through route arrangement in the year 1936 and that same became effective August 26, 1936. It had a right to file such schedule upon compliance with the law, and no burden rested upon it to establish the reasonableness, desirability or the necessity for the change. It is the duty of the Interstate Commerce Commission to receive and per[549]*549mit the filing of schedules or changes therein. It is empowered, however, either upon its own initiative or upon complaint of an interested party, to grant a hearing with respect to the lawfulness of any rate, practice, classification, rule or regulation inserted in such schedule. It follows, therefore, that the intervenor did what it had a right to do under the law and, in the absence of complaint or affirmative action by the Interstate Commerce Commission, its action became a closed matter.

2. By its complaint, filed June 2, 1939, the plaintiff set forth the restrictions of the amended schedule filed by the intervenor and effective August 26, 1936, and then appended the following prayer:

“Wherefore complainant prays that the Commission investigate said restriction in said tariff and that appropriate order be made thereon compelling defendants to withdraw said restriction, etc.”

Upon this complaint the Commission granted a hearing for the reason that it is provided by section 316, subparagraph (a) that:

“It shall be the duty of every common carrier of passengers by motor vehicle to establish reasonable through routes with other such common carriers and to provide safe and adequate service, equipment, and facilities for the transportation of passengers in interstate or foreign commerce; * * *."

The Commission made from the evidence before it the following findings of fact:

(a) “Complainant operates so-called supercoaches from Kansas City, but these coaches do not go through to Springfield. Passengers for Springfield are required to change to smaller busses at Lamar. Defendant’s busses are operated from Kansas City to Springfield without transfer of passengers. The highways traversed from Kansas City to Springfield over both Crown and Mo-Ark’s routes are good. The highway distances from Kansas City to Springfield over the Crown route through Lamar are approximately 195 miles and over the Mo-Ark route through Warrensburg approximately 180 miles.”
(b) “Some passengers prefer the Lamar route because they like to ride in Crown’s supercoaches. On the other hand, the record clearly shows that Mo-Ark’s busses, though smaller than supercoaches, are modern and comfortable. There is no question concerning the adequacy of defendant’s service.”
(c) “Crown operates two schedules from Kansas City to Springfield.

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Bluebook (online)
44 F. Supp. 547, 1942 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3035, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/crown-coach-co-v-united-states-mowd-1942.