Railroad Commission v. Texas Steel Co.

43 S.W.2d 137
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 18, 1931
DocketMotions Nos. 7066, 7067, 7554.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 43 S.W.2d 137 (Railroad Commission v. Texas Steel Co.) 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
Railroad Commission v. Texas Steel Co., 43 S.W.2d 137 (Tex. Ct. App. 1931).

Opinions

BLAIR, J.

Appellee Texas Steel Company, a corporation domiciled at Fort Worth, Tex., and engaged in manufacturing iron and steel articles for sale and intrastate shipment, instituted this proceeding as an appeal from an order of tbe Railroad Commission of Texas, refusing to grant appellee relief against the intrastate freight rates on iron and steel articles established by tbe Railroad Commission by its order of April 26, 1922, as amended by its order of June 15, 1922, as well as against tbe practice of tbe carrier defendants in tbe use of a 2-cent transit privilege in connection with interstate rates on iron and steel articles, appellee alleging that such rates and practice were unjust, unreasonable, and discriminatory, as applied to it. Judgment was for appellee canceling tbe April-June, 1922, rates, and enjoining tbe defendant carriers from collecting same; hence this appeal by the carriers and tbe Railroad Commission, the Railroad Commission merely adopting tbe carriers’ briefs.

Tbe history of tbe rates in question is as follows: In March, 1915, tbe Railroad Commission adopted commodity tariff No. 48-A, establishing certain intrastate freight rates on iron" and steel articles, which rates were canceled November 1,1916, and, in lieu thereof, tbe higher rates requested by A. C. Fonda, as agent for the carriers and others, were put in effect. Tbe Fonda rates, plus an Increase of 25 per cent, made by the Director General of Railroads during government control of railroads, and plus an increase of 35 per cent, authorized by tbe Interstate Commerce Commission in 1920, were ratified and adopted by tbe Railroad Commission by tbe order of April 26, 1922, as amended, and reduced 10 per cent, by the general order of June 15, 1922, which rates appellee was and is now required to pay.

Appellee’s plant was not operated from 1921 to 1924, both inclusive. In September, 1924, appellee applied to tbe Railroad Commission for relief against tbe April-June, 1922, rates here complained of, but, after tbe bearing, the application was taken under advisement and no order was ever made. In November, 1927, appellee again applied for relief against these rates, but’the order entered was set aside by agreement. In 1928, ap-pellee again applied for relief against tbe rates in question and against the practice of appellant railroads giving to interstate shipments of iron and steel articles what is known as tbe “fabricating in transit privilege,” as set out in appellee’s plea of intervention in tbe application of A. C. Fonda, No. 945, appellee also praying that tbe March, 1915, rates be re-established as just and fair intrastate rates on iron and steel articles; but this plea was refused by the Railroád Commission in October, 1928, as follows:

“If such allegations of tbe Intervener are correct, there is justification for tbe conclusion that'the practice, in connection with tbe use of tbe interstate transit privilege, [138]*138should either be corrected or that the Inter-vener should have some relief against it. Being without jurisdiction in connection with these interstate transit rules and their application, a way by which we could effect the correction is doubtful. The question then is, could we afford to the Intervener the relief to which it might be found that it has shown itself to be entitled. ■ .
“Considering all the angles involved in these proceedings, a way by which we could afford such relief is not apparent.
“In the '.first place, in the Consolidated Southwestern decisions prejudice and preference have been found in connection with both the present Texas intrastate rates on iron and steel articles and on scrap iron, the removal of which is the primary purpose of these proceedings before us. Based on the evidence before us, we might or we might not be able to find that Column 32½ rates are unreasonable per se for application to Texas intrastate traffic, bút, even so, if the present Texas intrastate rates, which are lower than th'e Column 32½ rates applied interstate, are subject to the finding, as has been made, that they produced discrimination against interstate commerce then how could we remove that discrimination by, instead of putting them on the Column 32½ level, lowering the Texas intrastate rates to the level the Inter-vener asks? It has for some time been the policy of this Commission to work co-oper-atively with the Interstate Commerce Commission in instances where both interstate and intrastate rates are involved and discrimination is charged, and in view of the presently outstanding finding of discrimination and preference in connection with the present T^xas intrastate rates, and of the numerous findings of the Interstate Commerce Commission that practically the entire Southwest is a homogenious territory so far as traffic and transportation conditions are concerned, and in the absence of a definite showing that the Column 32½ rates are unreasonable per se, we are assured that it would be very inconsistent on our part and improper to definitely undertake to determine what, if any relief, the Intervener may be entitled to in other than some future joint proceeding heard co-operatively by the Interstate Commerce Commission and this Commission.”

Appellee instituted this proceeding as an appeal from the preceding order of the Railroad Commission, alleging (a) that the April-June, 1922, rates were unjust and unreasonable as applied to it; that same were more than the traffic would bear, and tended to confiscate its property in violation of the fundamental laws of both state and nation; and (b) that the rates were unjnst, unreasonable, and discriminatory as applied to appellee, in that the effect of the practice of the carriers in connection with the use of the interstate “fabricating in transit privilege,” was to and did give appellee’s competitors (importers, dealers, and fabricators of iron and steel articles who enjoyed the interstate fabricating in transit privilege) preferential and lower rates on shipments of iron and steel articles moving wholly within Texas as intrastate business, and which practice prevented appellee from competing in the market with said competitors, and, in effect, confiscate its property; and that said rates were void because the Interstate Commerce Commission was without jurisdiction to prescribe rates in the state of Texas, and that it was the duty of the appellant Railroad Commission to determine the justness, reasonableness, and the discriminatory effect of said rates as applied to appellee. The carriers answered by a general demurrer, a special exception or plea that the rates and transactions here complained of were so related to the interstate rates established with the fabricating in transit privilege as to deprive the Railroad Commission of any jurisdiction, and to confer exclusive jurisdiction in the premises upon the Interstate Commerce Commission, and a general denial.

The Railroad Commission adopted the carriers’ answer, and sought to sustain its above-quoted order.

In substance, the trial court found (a) that •the rates complained of were unjust and unreasonable as applied to appellee; and (b) that same were unjust, unreasonable, and discriminatory as applied to appellee in connection with the practice of the carriers in the use of the “fabricating in transit privilege; that the transit privilege related to wholly intrastate business over which the Interstate Commerce Commission had no jurisdiction, but that it was the duty of the Railroad Commission of Texas to determine such matters.

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Related

Texas & New Orleans Railroad v. Railroad Commission
286 S.W.2d 112 (Texas Supreme Court, 1955)

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Bluebook (online)
43 S.W.2d 137, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/railroad-commission-v-texas-steel-co-texapp-1931.