Southern Ry. Co. v. United States

204 F. 465, 1913 U.S. Commerce Ct. LEXIS 9
CourtCommerce Court
DecidedMarch 11, 1913
DocketNo. 82
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 204 F. 465 (Southern Ry. Co. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Commerce Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Southern Ry. Co. v. United States, 204 F. 465, 1913 U.S. Commerce Ct. LEXIS 9 (Colo. 1913).

Opinion

HUNT, Judge.

In 1911, the Chamber of Commerce of Newport News, Va., instituted a proceeding before the Interstate Commerce Commission against these petitioners, the Southern Railway Company, Atlantic Coast Fine'Railroad Company, Seaboard Air Fine Railway, Norfolk & Western Railway Company, Norfolk Southern Railroad Company, and other carriers, including the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Company, which are not petitioners herein, for the purpose of requiring the establishment and observance of the same rates on all traffic between Newport News and points in the territory hereinafter described as between Norfolk and such points, upon the ground that the higher Newport News rates then in,force were an undue discrimination against that city and the business interests thereof. After full hearing the Commission sustained this contention (Chamber of Commerce of Newport News v. Southern Railway Company et al., 23 Interst. Com. Com’n. R. 345), and by order made June 7, 1912, directed the defendant carriers to cease and desist on or before October 1, 1912, and for a period of not less than two years thereafter to abstain from charging or collecting higher rates for the transportation of freight from all points on their respective lines, not within 150 miles of Norfolk, in the territory east of a line drawn from Chattanooga, Tenn., than are contemporaneously charged for the transportation of freight from the same points in the described territory to Norfolk, Va., and also requiring said carriers to desist from charging or collecting higher rates for the transportation of freight from Newport News to all points on their respective lines in the territory, not within 150 miles of Norfolk, east of a line drawn from Chattanooga, Tenn., as hereinbefore described, than are contemporaneously maintained from Norfolk, Va., to the same points, and also requiring said carriers on or before October 1, 1912, to establish and maintain, for a period of not less than two years, rates for the transportation of freight from Newport News, Va., to all points on their respective lines, except those within 150 miles of Norfolk, in the territory east of a line drawn from Chattanooga southward, as heretofore referred to, which rates should not be higher than rates which they contemporaneously maintained for the transportation of freight from Norfolk, Va., to the same points, and also requiring said carriers to establish and maintain for a period of not less than two years, rates for the transportation of [467]*467freight from all points on their respective lines in the territory, not within 150 miles of Norfolk, east of a line drawn from Chattanooga, Temí., southward, as already described, known as the Chattanooga-Biriningkaui line, to Newport News, Va., which should not be higher than rates for the transportation of freight contemporaneously maintained by them from the same points to Norfolk, Va. By a supplemental order of the Commission, the order of June 7, 1912, was amended so as not to be effective until October 20, 1912.

To annul the order of June 7th, petitioners brought this suit. Answers were filed by the United States and the Commission. Petitioners filed affidavits and moved for a temporary restraining order. This was denied. Thereafter counsel for all parties- filed a stipulation to the effect, that certain copies (annexed to the stipulation) of the individual freight tariffs of the Southern Railway Company and the Norfolk & Western Railway Company showed the existing construction of rates and charges made by such carriers upon domestic and foreign freight originating and billed by them from the Southeastern territory to Newport News, Va., and from Newport News to points in the Southeastern territory, and that such tariffs were concurred in by the Atlantic Coast Line, Seaboard Air Line, and Norfolk Southern Railway Companies as intermediate carriers. The stipulation also included a copy of the individual tariff of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Company, showing the rates and charges in force charged by it upon domestic and foreign freight between Newport News and the Southeastern territory, and that upon all domestic and foreign freight originating at points in and billed from the Southeastern territory by the Atlantic Coast, Seaboard Air Line, and Norfolk Southern there is charged the combination of the Virginia cities rates and the arbitraries on such freight charged by the Chesapeake & Ohio. Upon the pleadings and the stipulation just referred to the case has been submitted. A correct understanding of the situation calls for statement of the substance of fhc pleadings:

Petitioners aver that the Southern Railway Company, Seaboard Air Line Railway, Norfolk & Western Railway Company, and Norfolk Southern, with lines of railroad extending from Norfolk into the territory heretofore described, have been and are engaged in the transportation of interstate traffic between Norfolk and points in the territory referred to in the order of the Commission, and that with various other connecting common carriers they have participated and are now participating in the transportation of traffic between Newport News and the said territory, in connection with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Company, serving Newport News either by rail from Richmond or by water from Norfolk; the through transportation charges between Newport News and points in the Southeastern territory 'being in excess of the through transportation charges between Norfolk and points in said territory, to the extent of the charges, rates, or divisions of rates exacted and received by the carriers directly serving Newport News. Petitioñers set up that the evidence before the Commission showed that the rates carried by petitioners to and from Norfolk were and are compelled by competitive circumstances and conditions beyond [468]*468petitioners’ control, existing at Norfolk and not at Newport News, and that the Commission had no power to compel application by petitioners .of the Norfolk rates to or from Newport News and the territory defined, or to prescribe the Norfolk rates.

Petitioners also plead that the traffic moving between Newport News and this Southeastern territory is handled by the Chesapeake & Ohio between Newport News and Richmond, which is the place of interchange by that company with the Southern Railway Company, Atlantic Coast Pine Railroad Company, Norfolk & Western .Railway Company, and Seaboard Air Line Railway, or by barges of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Company between Newport News and Norfolk. The Chesapeake & Ohio does not enter Norfolk with its rails. Petitioners say that to give to Newport News the same rates of transportation on traffic between Newport News and the territory described, as between Norfolk and said territory, would necessitate a division of rates with the Chesapeake & Ohio on the all-rail traffic, and on traffic moving adross Hampton Roads either a similar division of revenue with water carriers or the establishment and maintenance of a barge service at great expense to petitioners, and that the effect would be to compel these petitioners, whose rails do not reach Newport News, on traffic between Newport News and points on petitioners’ lines in the territory described, either to allow the Chesapeake & Ohio its charges to and from Newport News and points on petitioners’ lines in said territory, and thus sacrifice petitioners’ revenues and compel them to absorb the charges of the lines reaching Newport News, or themselves to establish and maintain facilities for transporting such traffic from Norfolk to Newport News, in order to make delivery there.

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Related

Texas & Pacific Railway Co. v. United States
289 U.S. 627 (Supreme Court, 1933)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
204 F. 465, 1913 U.S. Commerce Ct. LEXIS 9, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/southern-ry-co-v-united-states-com-1913.