Quanah, A. & P. Ry. Co. v. Moore

189 S.W. 322, 1916 Tex. App. LEXIS 1023
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 25, 1916
DocketNo. 1049.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 189 S.W. 322 (Quanah, A. & P. Ry. Co. v. Moore) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Quanah, A. & P. Ry. Co. v. Moore, 189 S.W. 322, 1916 Tex. App. LEXIS 1023 (Tex. Ct. App. 1916).

Opinion

HUFF, C. J.

This suit was instituted by appellee for damages and to recover a penalty for the violation of articles 6670 and 6671 of the Revised Civil Statutes of 1911, in that appellant willfully, wrongfully, and maliciously refused to deliver the goods consigned to him at Matador, to the Motley County Railway Company, the connecting carrier at Matador Junction, but carried the same beyond that point to Roaring Springs, on appellant’s line of road. The facts in this case sufficiently show that the shipment of goods was received by the appellant on its line of road at Quanah, Tex., to be transported over its line of road, to the Matador Junction, and thence to Matador over the Motley County Railway Company’s road to Matador, appellee’s residence and place of business, to whom the consignment was made. The agent of appellant wrote to ap-pellee at Matador with reference to the shipment:

“Owing to the failure of the Motley Counts Railway Company to make satisfactory settlement for the advance charges on freight there *323 tofore delivered that line, this company will only deliver this freight to the connection, when the freight to Matador Junction has been paid to us. We will deliver this freight to you at this office (Roaring Springs) on payment of freight charges or will deliver to the Motley County Railway Company at the junction on payment of freight to that point. Please advise what disposition you desire made of the freight.”

Upon receipt of the ábove letter the ap-pellee called up the agent, and requested him to send the goods to him at Matador. The agent replied that he had instructions from his company to hold the freight until the freight charges were paid at Roaring Springs. The agent testified that he did not send out the usual card of notice, hut instead thereof sent out the letter or the above notice, by direction of the officials of appellant road. This was done in an effort to have freight charges theretofore advanced and paid by appellant repaid by the Motley County Road. He, however, testified that the freight on this particular shipment was prepaid, and that he delivered it to the other road as soon as he could separate it from other shipments made to Afton. The evidence shows the shipment was held from the 24th until the 27th of August, 1914. Mr. Gaines, the superintendent of the Motley County Railway testified that his road was able to and did handle all freight delivered it by appellant at the junction; that he called up the agent at Roaring Springs about the 23d to the 26th, and asked why the freight for Matador consignees was not delivered to the Motley County Railway Company. The agent told him he was instructed to hold the freight until settlement between the two roads in the freight controversy was had; that his road ran cars every day, except one or two, and met appellant’s train at the junction; that there was no depot or agent at the junction maintained by either road, but that the freight was delivered to the Motley County Railway Company from car to car, except carload lots; that since the settlement of the freight controversy all carloads and less than carload lots consigned to Matador have been stopped at the junction and not sent to Roaring Springs. Circular 2703 was introduced in evidence as the Railroad Commission’s rule, governing transportation of freight less than carload shipments. This provides for such shipments legally tendered to a railroad company at its customary place of receiving such shipments, stipulating that it shall promptly receive the same, and for failure to receive and transport such shipments the company at fault shall pay to the shipper the following amounts in cents per hundred pounds (setting out a scale according to days detained or delayed, the minimum charge for any one shipment, five cents): “Provided that forty-eight hours additional time shall be allowed at junction points or division terminals when it is necessary to rehandle the shipment.”

[1-3] The first, second, third, and fourth assignments urge that the judgment of the court is not supported by the evidence. By propositions it is urged, where there is no depot or agent at the junction, that it is not a violation of article 6670 or of the rules of the Railroad Commission to carry property beyond the station; that it was not an offense to delay 72 hours when that was the earliest delivery possible under the conditions existing at the junction. In failing to establish and maintain a depot or place for keeping and caring for goods to be delivered and transported to the connecting lines the two roads in question violated the statutes. Articles 6589 and 6608. Their violation of these statutes will not relieve the one violating the article fixing a penalty for failure or refusal to deliver the goods to its connecting carrier. The facts show, and the court was justified in finding, that the goods were not in fact held for separation from other shipments to other points, but were held under instructions from the officials of appellant until a freight dispute could be adjusted between the two roads. This, clearly, did not excuse the failure or refusal for 72 hours, or for any time, to deliver the goods. It was no excuse for annoying the shipping public. To compel the shippers of Matador, on the Motley County Railway Company’s road to go to Roaring Springs to pay the freight and get their goods would be intolerable. The letter of the agent in this case was evidently so worded as to impress the shipper such would be required of him. The idea prominent in our legislation upon receiving and transporting freight is equality. They are not permitted to exercise their charter rights in such manner as to benefit one in*dividual, town or community, to the detriment of another. Railway Co. v. Smith, 63 Tex. 322. Even if the conditions were such that the appellant could not deliver the goods at the junction without taking them to Roaring Springs for separation, from other freight, .this would not relieve it from liability to comply with the law unless such conditions were made known to the shipper before their delivery to it for transportation. Railway Co. v. Hannay, 104 Tex. 603, 142 S. W. 1163. This court has held the excuse given in this case will not relieve the road from liability under the statute. Railway Co. v. Jones, 178 S. W. 858; Railway Co. v. Warren, 184 S. W. 232. The Commission’s rule required the delivery and receipt of this character of freight to be at the customary place. The evidence, without contradiction, both before and after the dispute, shows that the Motley County Railway Company’s train met appellant’s at the junction each day and received freight from it by delivering from one car to the other. This was the customary place and manner, but appellee, owing to the dispute, refused to deliver the freight as had been customary. *324 It is contended the rule gave appellant 48 hours. If this is true the freight was not delivered within that time under the undisputed facts in this ease. Want of time for the delivery was not then urged by appellant, or that it would require the 48 hours allowed by the rule. At that time it gave no other reason than that of the dispute and unreasonably demanded that the freight must be paid and the goods received at Roaring Springs. It not only violated the statute, but the regulation of the Commis-sion as well.

[4] It apparently is urged because the Commission fixed a different penalty to that of the statute that this necessarily repealed or superseded the statutory penalty.

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Related

Quanah, A. & P. Ry. Co. v. Warren
198 S.W. 814 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1917)
Quanah, A. P. Ry. Co. v. Bone
199 S.W. 332 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1917)

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Bluebook (online)
189 S.W. 322, 1916 Tex. App. LEXIS 1023, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/quanah-a-p-ry-co-v-moore-texapp-1916.