State Ex Rel. Wells v. Jacksonville Terminal Co.

117 So. 869, 96 Fla. 295
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedJuly 19, 1928
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 117 So. 869 (State Ex Rel. Wells v. Jacksonville Terminal Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Ex Rel. Wells v. Jacksonville Terminal Co., 117 So. 869, 96 Fla. 295 (Fla. 1928).

Opinion

Buford, J.

The alternative writ of mandamus issued herein alleges that the respondent Terminal Company, a common carrier, corporation, is chartered to furnish terminal railroad facilities to the city of Jacksonville, Fla.; is authorized by the several railroads entering the terminal company’s depot to receive and check to destination personal baggage of passengers departing from the terminal depot over the railroad lines entering the respondent’s terminal or union station and that “in the matter of receipt *297 of baggage for transportation by the railroad at the Union Station in Jacksonville, Fla.,” after notice and hearing an order was made by the' railroad commissioners which includes : ■

“(a) That the Jacksonville Terminal Company operates the Union Station at Jacksonville, Fla., for the railroads entering same and is authorized by said railroads to receive, check and deliver the personal baggage of passengers arriving at and departing from said Union Station and does actually perform such service of receiving, checking and' delivering such baggage;
“(b) That the Jacksonville Terminal Company honors, for the purpose of identifying the personal baggage of passengers and of cheeking such baggage to destignation, the baggage claim checks issued to persons by the Jacksonville Baggage & Cab Company, a certain transfer company of Jacksonville, Fla., but refuses to honor, for the purpose of identifying the personal baggage of passengers and of checking such baggage to destination, the baggage claim checks' issued to persons by other transfer agents;
“(c) That this practice results in an unreasonable and unjust discrimination against persons or passengers sending their baggage to the Union Station of the Jacksonville Terminal Company in Jacksonville, Fla., by persons or companies other than the Jack-ville Baggage & Cab Company.
“5. Therefore, to prevent unjust discrimination between passengers in furnishing baggage checking facilities at said Union Station in the city of Jacksonville, Fla., and for the good, convenience and proper accommodation of the traveling public:
*298 “It is CONSIDERED, ORDERED AND ADJUDGED by the Railroad Commissioners of the State of Florida that effective January 16, 1928, the Jacksonville Terminal Company shall receive in its baggage room baggage properly identified by a claim check of such persons, firms or corporations as may comply with the terms of this order, and shall issue to the owner presenting a duplicate of such claim check, together with a railroad ticket, a train check for such -baggage to the destination shown on the ticket. Any person, firm or corporation engaged in the business of handling and hauling baggage from hotels, residences and -places of business in Jacksonville, Fla.', to the passenger station of the Jacksonville Terminal Company as the agent of the prospective passengers, shall be permitted to issue duplicate claim checks for baggage and to have their claim checks recognized and exchanged for train checks by the Jacksonville Terminal Company when presented by a passenger, together with a railroad ticket, by filing with the Jacksonville Terminal Company a solvent bond executed by an acceptable surety company in favor of the Jacksonville Terminal Company in the sum of Ten Thousand ($10,000.00) Dollars, conditioned to indemnify the Jacksonville Terminal Company for all loss or damage occasioned by loss, accident, negligence or mistake in the handling of baggage by such person, firm or corporation.”

It is alleged that the respondent has not complied with the order and the alternative writ of mandamus commands the respondent:

“To receive in your baggage room baggage identified by a claim check of such persons, *299 firms or corporations as may comply with the terms of , Order No. 950, of the Railroad Commissioners of the State of Florida, and issue to the owner presenting a duplicate of such claim check, together with a railroad ticket, a train check for such baggage to the destination shown on the ticket. And to permit any person, firm or corporation engaged in the business of handling and hauling baggage from hotels, residences and places of business in Jacksonville, Fla., to your passenger station,'as the agent of prospective passengers, who has filed with you a solvent bond executed by an acceptable surety company in your favor in the sum of Ten Thousand ($10,000.00), conditioned to indemnify you for all loss or damage occasioned by loss, accident, negligence or mistake in the handling of baggage by such persons, firm or corporation, to issue duplicate claim checks for baggage and to have their claim checks recognized and exchanged for train checks by you when presented by a passenger together with a railroad ticket;
“And in all things to fully observe and comply with said Order No. 950 of the Railroad Commissioners of the State of Florida. ’ ’

A motion to quash the alternative writ was filed by the respondent and the cause came, on for hearing before this Court on such motion to quash.

The authority of the Railroad Commission in regard to such matters as that which is here under consideration has been very fully enunciated by this Court in State ex rel. Burr v. Jacksonville Terminal Company et al., 82 Fla. 255, 89 So. R. 641; and in State ex rel. Burr v. Jacksonville Terminal Company, 90 Fla. 721, 106, So. R. 576, and therefore, no good purpose can be served by a repetition of *300 those declarations. The difference between the cases which were formerly presented to this Court and the one which is now presented to this Court is that in the former cases it appeared that the order of the Railroad Commission was made for the purpose of controlling and eliminating an alleged discrimination which appeared to exist upon the part of the terminal company in behalf of and for the benefit of a particular transfer company and against all other transfer companies authorized tp do business in the way of transferring baggage in the City of Jacksonville, while in the present case the clear purpose and intent of the order is, and result of the compliance by the company with the order will be, to control and eliminate an alleged discrimination on the part of the terminal company, as the agent of the several railroad companies using its'facilities, as between patrons of and passengers of such railroad companies and their respective lines of railroad who may have employed different agencies to transport their baggage in the City of Jacksonville to the terminal company.

It is alleged in the writ:

“That said Jacksonville Terminal Company is authorized by said railroads to receive, check to its destination, and deliver the personal baggage of passengers arriving at and departing from said depot; and does actually perform said service of receiving, checking to destination and delivering such baggage.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
117 So. 869, 96 Fla. 295, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-wells-v-jacksonville-terminal-co-fla-1928.