State Ex Rel. Stage Lines Co. v. Pub. Serv. Comm.

63 S.W.2d 88, 333 Mo. 544
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedAugust 12, 1933
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 63 S.W.2d 88 (State Ex Rel. Stage Lines Co. v. Pub. Serv. Comm.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Ex Rel. Stage Lines Co. v. Pub. Serv. Comm., 63 S.W.2d 88, 333 Mo. 544 (Mo. 1933).

Opinions

Respondent herein, a corporation, applied to the Public Service Commission for a certificate of convenience and necessity to operate as a motor bus carrier of passengers between Independence, Fairmount Park and Kansas City, Missouri, and also for approval of a proposed issue of stock. Respondent does not propose to do intra-city transportation in Kansas City. The request for approval of the stock issue was conditioned upon the granting of the certificate of convenience and necessity. The two applications, numbered respectively 6702 and 6703, were consolidated and heard as one case.

Kansas City Public Service Company, a corporation, which for convenience we shall refer to as the service company, operated a street car and motor bus passenger transportation system in Kansas City and its suburban territory, extending to Independence, serving the territory proposed to be served by respondent, with street car lines substantially paralleling respondent's proposed route, and shortly prior to the hearing before the commission had installed a motor bus line as additional service for the territory proposed to be served by respondent. It appeared as a party to the proceedings before the commission, protesting against the granting of the certificate sought by respondent. The commission, after a hearing, denied respondent's application. On certiorari for review, sued out by respondent herein, the Circuit Court of Jackson County, sitting at Independence, *Page 550 reversed the order of the commission and remanded the cause to that body with certain directions. From that judgment the commission and the Public Service Company appealed to this court. Respondent's applications were filed with the commission October 24, 1929. The certificate of convenience and necessity is sought under the applicable provisions of the Motor Bus Act of 1927, now appearing as part of the Public Service Commission Law, Article 8 of Chapter 33, Sections 5264-5281, Revised Statutes 1929 (9 Mo. Stat. Ann. pp. 6679 et seq.). For some years prior to the formation of respondent corporation certain individuals had been operating passenger automobiles for hire without a certificate from the commission, over substantially the route proposed to be covered by respondent, and prior to the filing of the applications herein the individuals then operating, claiming to be a copartnership, had applied to the commission for a certificate of convenience and necessity, which application had been denied. Thereafter five of those individuals with eight other persons, formed the respondent corporation, the individuals, however, continuing to operate up to the time of the hearing.

The commission, after considering the voluminous evidence offered at the hearing on respondent's applications, concluded that the public welfare would be best served by refusing the certificate of convenience and necessity sought by respondent, and accordingly denied it. Since respondent asked approval of its proposed stock issue only if its application for the certificate of convenience and necessity should be granted, the application for approval of the stock issue was also denied. In the view we take of the case it would serve no useful purpose to summarize the evidence. In our opinion the circuit court was without authority to review the proceedings and order of the commission because the applicant did not file a motion for rehearing before the commission within the time prescribed by statute, and did not make timely application to the circuit court for review. We are therefore precluded from considering the question of the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain the commission's order.

The commission's order denying respondent's application was made and dated April 25, 1930. Omitting the findings of fact, the reasons stated by the commission for its conclusions and the signatures, the order reads:

"It is, therefore, after due consideration,

"ORDERED: 1. That the application of the Kansas City, Independence and Fairmount Stageline Company for a certificate of public convenience and necessity to operate as a motor carrier from Independence and through Fairmount to Kansas City be and the same is hereby denied.

"ORDERED: 2. That the application of the Kansas City, Independence and Fairmount Stageline Company for authority to issue stocks be and the same is hereby denied. *Page 551

"ORDERED: 3. That the Kansas City Public Service Company place into service a sufficient number of sedan automobiles or light, fast busses to meet the demand on the part of the patrons of this route for this mode of transportation.

"ORDERED: 4. That this report and order be effective ten days after the date hereof and that the secretary of this Commission be required to serve certified copies of the report and order herein upon all persons interested in these proceedings and that the applicant and all other interested parties shall notify the commission on or before the effective date of this report and order, in the manner prescribed by Section 25 of the Public Service Commission Law, whether the terms of this order are accepted and will be obeyed."

On May 5, 1930, respondent filed with the commission its motion for rehearing. On the same day the service company filed a motion asking the commission to modify order No. 3, which related solely to said company so that said order No. 3 should not require but only recommend that said company put into operation the automobiles or fast busses there referred to, the ground of said motion being that the commission did not have jurisdiction to make that order since the major part of said company's transportation system was in Kansas City. [See Sec. 5264, R.S. 1929.] On June 16, 1930, the commission overruled respondent's motion for rehearing, but on the same day made and entered a "supplemental" report and order setting aside its above mentioned order No. 3 of April 25, but making no change in or reference to orders Nos. 1, 2 and 4 above quoted. The commission gave its reasons for concluding that it had exceeded its jurisdiction in making said order No. 3 and ordered: 1. "That the third order in the report and order of this commission in the above named cases (the order of April 25) be and hereby is set aside and held for naught." 2. "That this report and order be effective from and after this date." On June 26, 1930, ten days later, respondent filed with the commission a motion "for a rehearing of its supplemental report and order heretofore made in this cause on the 16th day of June, 1930, and to set aside the order of this commission made on the 16th day of June, 1930, overruling the applicant's motion for a rehearing of the original order of this commission and in lien thereof to enter an order dismissing the application herein," stating as its reasons, in substance, that the applicant was in the same situation as the service company with regard to the business it proposed to conduct and for similar reasons was not subject to the jurisdiction and control of the commission. This latter motion, which for convenience we may designate as the second motion for rehearing, was overruled by the commission on July 17, 1930.

On August 12, 1930, respondent herein, applicant before the commission, sued out of the circuit court a writ of certiorari for review of the proceedings and orders of the commission, making the commission, *Page 552 the members thereof and the protestant service company parties. The commission, in response to the writ, certified its record and proceedings to the circuit court.

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Bluebook (online)
63 S.W.2d 88, 333 Mo. 544, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-stage-lines-co-v-pub-serv-comm-mo-1933.