Pennsylvania R. v. M. McGirr's Sons Co.

287 F. 334, 1922 U.S. App. LEXIS 1481, 1923 A.M.C. 188
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedDecember 11, 1922
DocketNos. 16, 17
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 287 F. 334 (Pennsylvania R. v. M. McGirr's Sons Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pennsylvania R. v. M. McGirr's Sons Co., 287 F. 334, 1922 U.S. App. LEXIS 1481, 1923 A.M.C. 188 (2d Cir. 1922).

Opinion

MANTON, Circuit Judge.

The appellant maintains manure dumps at the foot of Thirtieth street North River, Stanton street, East River, and Sixth street, Brooklyn. It loads its cars on its own car floats at these piers. The cars in question were towed by the appellee’s tugs on the appellant’s car floats to be transported over the Pennsylvania Railroad to Pennsylvania, Maryland, and other states. The appellant owned two car floats, each having a capacity of six cars. The method of carrying on the work was to load six empty' cars on the appellant’s boat and tow them to one of their dumps, where the cars were loaded. The appellee’s tug would then tow the float back to the New Jersey Terminal. There the appellant would prepare in triplicate bills of lading showing from where the cars were loaded and their place of destination, and mail these to the appellee’s freight office, or send them [336]*336direct by the float captain to the terminal from which the cars came. The appellee stamped the bills of lading with the weight, the name of the New Jersey Terminal, the date of receipt, and returned a copy to the appellant. For each carload a separate bill of lading was issued and a freight bill rendered, showing the freight charges as per tariff from the New Jersey Terminal to the destination named. The towage charges were billed separately by the appellee. Bills of lading were issued at the New Jersey Terminal, where the loaded cars were received and the freight paid from that point to destination at the commodity rate, instead of from New York City to the destination at the more expensive class rate. There is a class rate, but no commodity rate on shipments of manure from New York City. ' It appears that the appellant’s dumps are within the free lighterage district, but free lighterage applies only to goods upon which a freight rate is charged to and from Greater New York, and rule S-l of the Traffic‘under which the appellant’s shipments were made, expressly provides that manure is not shipped lighterage free.

These suits were brought to recover a balance of $18 per car float for towage of appellant’s car floats by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company from September 19 to December 28, 1917, and by the Director General of Railroads from January 2 to March 6, 1918. It is admitted that towage was paid at the rate of $12 per car float, and it is urged that the charge of $30 per float is arbitrary and discriminatory, and that $12 per float was received in full for such services. In June, 1917, the appellees advised the appellant that commencing June 15th the rate would be $20 each way per float and $8 per hour while waiting for loaded cars to be taken off, and the float reloaded with empty cars. Objection was made to this new rate, the date of putting it into effect was postponed, but commencing September 19, 1917, the appellees rendered towage bills at the rate of $30. The appellant paid at the rate of $12, which was the prevailing rate since 1912. When the appellant received the bills, it crossed out the figures “30” and wrote in “12” and paid this amount. It is to recover this difference, to wit, $18 per float, that these suits were instituted.

The District Court found that the price was fixed and services were accepted on the basis of $30 per float, and held that the payment of $12 in the manner described was merely payment on account. It was contended below, as here, by the appellee that the towage in question was an accessorial service, and not part of the appellees’ interstate carriage. We think it definitely appears that the appellees’ relation as.carriers did not commence until the cars were run off the floats onto their tracks at the New Jersey Terminal. While on the float, they were in the possession of the appellant and in the custody of the captain of the appellant’s float. The bills of lading were stamped with the name of the New Jersey Terminal, and the freight was paid from that point to the place of destination. The appellant was free to engage any towage service it pleased, but for reasons sufficient to itself it employed the appellees’ tugs instead of other towing companies. Under these circumstances, we think the floats were the appellant’s own ve[337]*337hieles of transportation used as preliminary to delivery by it to the' appellees for further interstate transportation.

In Coe v. Errol, 116 U. S. 517, 6 Sup. Ct. 475, 29 L. Ed. 715, logs were hauled and floated from the point where cut until delivered at the railroad station for interstate transportation, and it was held that:

“The carrying of them in carts or other vehicles, or even floating them, to the depot where the journey is to commence is no part of that journey. That is all preliminary work, performed for the purpose of putting the property in a state of preparation and readiness for transportation. Until actually launched on its way to another state, or committed to a common carrier for transportation to such state, its destination is not fixed and certain.” -

Under the Hepburn Act of June 29, 1906 (30 Stat. 584 [Comp. St. § 8563]), transportation as used in the Interstate Commerce Act includes “all services in connection with the receipt, delivery, icing, storage and handling of property transported.” But the act provides that every carrier subject to its provisions must provide and furnish such transportation upon reasonable request therefor. But this implies such transportation service as a carrier is bound to furnish. There was no obligation to furnish free lighterage and the appellees were under no duty to tow its car floats.

In United States v. B. & O. R. R. Co., 231 U. S. 274, 34 Sup. Ct. 75, 58 L. Ed. 218, it was held that the railroad company was under no duty to furnish free lighterage to the sugar companies whose docks were outside the free lighterage district of New York. Such a demand was said to be for accessorial service as much as if a demand was made for carting their shipments to a depot or station.

In Crane Iron Works v. United States (Conn. Ct.) 209 Fed. 238, where loaded cars destined for the plant of the plaintiff were placed by the Central Railroad upon the track known as the “exchange track,” from which they were hauled by the iron company’s locomotives to the plant, cars loaded for movement out were taken by the same locomotives and placed upon the “exchange track” where the Central Railroad received them and transported them to destination. In the course of time, the Iron Company extended its rails to other industries near by and moved cars for them to and from the “exchange track.” The road was operated by the corporation organized for that purpose, and called the Crane Railroad, the capital stock of which, as well as that of the Iron Company, was owned by a parent corporation. It was held by the Interstate Commerce Commission that the Crane Railroad was a mere plant facility, performing services which the Iron Company should perform for itself. Draying sugar from a refinery to the railroad, where it is transported in interstate commerce, does not constitute transportation or service connected with transportation, within section 15 of the Interstate Commerce Act (Comp. St. § 8583), but is an accessorial expense of the shipper. Amer. Sugar Refining Co. v. D., L. & W. Ry. Co. (D. C.) 200 Fed. 652. The case was reversed for other reasons (207 Fed. 733, 125 C. C. A. 251) where the Circuit Court of Appeals said:

[338]

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Bluebook (online)
287 F. 334, 1922 U.S. App. LEXIS 1481, 1923 A.M.C. 188, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pennsylvania-r-v-m-mcgirrs-sons-co-ca2-1922.