State Ex Rel. Railway Express Agency, Inc. v. Public Service Commission

169 S.W.2d 88, 237 Mo. App. 420, 1943 Mo. App. LEXIS 220
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 1, 1943
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 169 S.W.2d 88 (State Ex Rel. Railway Express Agency, Inc. v. Public Service Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Ex Rel. Railway Express Agency, Inc. v. Public Service Commission, 169 S.W.2d 88, 237 Mo. App. 420, 1943 Mo. App. LEXIS 220 (Mo. Ct. App. 1943).

Opinion

*423 CAVE, J.

This is an appeal from a judgment of the Circuit Court of Oole County sustaining orders of the Public Service Commission.

The appellant filed an amended petition before the Public Service Commission, which, after stating in some detail the nature of the operations of appellant (Railway Express Agency) and the character of service performed by it, more particularly in connection with its free pick-up and delivery service, and after reserving the right to claim exemptions from any and all provisions of the Missouri Bus and Truck Ac.t, prayed the Commission to find that in respect to the transportation of property moving by express, the entire movement, including terminal collection and delivery whenever required or provided, is subject to Article 3, Chapter.33, and Articles 1, 2 and 3 of Chapter 35 of R. S. Mo. 1939, and that no certificate dr permit, under the Missouri Bus and Truck Law (Art. 8, Ch. 35, R. S. Mo. 1939), is or may be required.

After an extended hearing, the Commission made certain findings and orders, which will be discussed later.

Appellant is engaged in the transportation of property by express throughout the continental United States, and is subject to the regulations of the Inter-State Commerce Commission, as to inter-state express operations, and to the regulations of the Missouri Public Service Commission, as to express operations in this State. It is a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Delaware and was organized in accordance with the plan designated as “Report and Plan for Future Conduct of Express Business,” dated June 21, 1928, which had as its objective to provide for the future conduct of the express business through a separate agency, but in effect a joint agency or facility of the railroads, controlled by them through stock ownership, which agency, after deductions required for its expenses in carrying on the business, would distribute all revenues received by it among its principals on the basis of the express business transacted on their respective lines. It became the exclusive agent for substantially all the railroads in the United States for the conduct of the express transportation business. It was not organized for the purpose of making a profit for itself, and can have no net income and may not pay dividends.

The transportation service provided by express companies has always included, within certain, designated zones, the collection of shipments by vehicle from the residence or place of business of the shipper and the delivery thereof by vehicle to the residence or place *424 of business of the consignee without additional charge. This was the practice of appellant’s predecessor companies and has been and is the practice of appellant. This service is referred to as “£?ee pickup and delivery service.”

It seems this proceeding grows.out of a threatened attempt on the part of the City qf St. Louis to subject the motor vehicles owned by appellant and used by it exclusively in the free pick-up and delivery of express traffic in said city, to' certain requirements of the Missouri Bus and Truck Act, and because of such.threats on the part of said City, appellant filed its petition seeking to have its rights and' status determined with reference to the Bus and Truck Act. The City of St. Louis and a large number of bus and truck operators intervened at said hearing, but have not filed briefs in this court.

After an extended hearing, the Commission made certain findings and issued certain orders, but only those considered material to the issues raised on this appeal will be considered. They are:

“Findings
“1. Applicant is a “motor carrier” as that term is defined in the Bus and Truck Law and is subject to regulation as such unless its operations by motor vehicle are exempt under the terms of the Act.
“2. All operations of applicant by means of motor vehicles wholly within a municipal corporation are exempt from the provisions of the Bus and Truck Law.
“3. All operations of applicant by means of motor vehicles wholly within a municipal corporation and the suburban territory adjacent thereto as the term “suburban territory” is defined are exempt when the major part of such transportation system is within the limits of such municipality.
• “4. All operations of applicant by means of motor vehicles ex-
tending from one city or town or express station to a point or community beyond the suburban territory is a line haul movement as distinguished from terminal zone service, and is not exempt but is subject to regulation under the Bus and Truck Law.
“5. All operations of applicant by means of motor vehicles serving different communities from so-called “key” point may or may not be exempt or subject to regulation as the facts and circumstances may show whether the places served from the “key” point are within or without the suburban territory of the “key” point.
‘ ‘ Orders
“Ordered: 1. That the Railway Express Agency, incorporated, is hereby found and declared to' be a “motor carrier” as defined in the Missouri Bus and Truck Law, and its operations as such are subject to all of the applicable provisions of said Act contained within Article 8, Chapter 33, R. S. Mo. 1929 (now Article 8, Chapter 35, R. S. Mo. 1939) and all rules and regulations of this Commission pertaining to the operation of motor vehicles.” ‘

*425 In substance, appellant contends that the .Commission erred in finding that it was a “motor carrier” and subject to the Missouri Bus and Truck Law, because there is no evidence in the record to support such a finding- and that the motor trucks used by it in its free pick-up and delivery service are not subject to the Bus and Truck Act because that service is provided for and regulated by sections 5291 and 5614, Revised Statutes Missouri 1939; which sections authorize the Public Service Commission to designate certain zones in which the express company must give free pick-up and delivery service. In its brief, the Commission admits that the Bus and Truck Act does not apply to the free pick-up and delivery service which is legally rendered by appellant and says that point is now moot. Since the parties are in accord on that issue, we need not discuss it further.

The Commission also found (findings 2 and 3, supra), that all operations of applicant by means of motor vehicle wholly within a municipal corporation and the “suburban territory” adjacent thereto, as defined, are exempt from the' Bus and Truck Act. This finding is clearly sustained by the opinión of the Supreme Court in State ex rel. v. Blair, 146 S. W. (2d) 865. The decision in that case was rendered during the hearing of the present case and no doubt greatly limited the issues which had been tried by the parties before the Commission up to that time, and, no doubt, is the reason the City of St. Louis and other interested parties have not filed briefs herein.

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Bluebook (online)
169 S.W.2d 88, 237 Mo. App. 420, 1943 Mo. App. LEXIS 220, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-railway-express-agency-inc-v-public-service-commission-moctapp-1943.