Keefe v. United States

• Decision Date: 21 February 1916
• Docket Number: No. 516,516
• Citation: 60 L.Ed. 651,36 S.Ct. 313,240 U.S. 294
• Parties: J. D. O'KEEFE, Receiver of New Orleans, Texas, & Mexico Railroad Company, Appt., v. UNITED STATES and the Interstate Commerce Commission
• Court: U.S. Supreme Court

240 U.S. 294

36 S.Ct. 313

60 L.Ed. 651

J. D. O'KEEFE, Receiver of New Orleans, Texas, & Mexico Railroad Company, Appt.,

v UNITED STATES and the Interstate Commerce Commission.

No. 516.

Argued December 15, 1915.

Decided February 21, 1916.

Messrs. H. Generes Dufour, Walter F. Taylor, and Morgan M. Mann for appellant.

Assistant Attorney General Underwood for the United States.

Mr. Joseph W. Folk for the Interstate Commerce Commission.

Mr. Justice Pitney delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an appeal from a decree dismissing a bill filed by appellant, as receiver of the New Orleans, Texas, & Mexico Railroad Company, against the United States and the Interstate Commerce Commission, praying the annulment of an order of the Commission, dated July 29, 1914, made in the Tap Line Cases, following the decision of this court reported in 234 U. S. 1, 58 L. ed. 1185, 34 Sup. Ct. Rep. 741. The order required certain trunk line railway companies, including the New Orleans, Taxas, & Mexico, to reopen through routes and publish joint rates to interstate destinations with certain tap lines, including Louisiana & Pacific Railway Company, with which appellant's road had and has a connection, and prohibited any of the line carriers from making to any of the tap lines an allowance or division out of the joint rates in excess of maximum amounts prescribed as follows:

'For switching a distance of 1 mile or less from the junction, $2 per car; over 1 mile and up to 3 miles from the junction, $3 per car; on shipments from points over 3 miles, and not more than 6 miles from the junction, 1 1/2 cents per 100 pounds; over 6 miles, and not more than 10 miles from the junction, 2 cents per 100 pounds; over 10 miles, and not more than 20 miles from the junction 2 1/2 cents per 100 pounds; over 20 miles, and not more than 30 miles from the junction, 3 cents per 100 pounds; over 30 miles, and not more than 40 miles from junction, 3 1/2 cents per 100 pounds; over 40 miles from the junction, 4 cents per 100 pounds.' [31 Inters. Com. Rep. 492.]

The following is an outline of the history of the case. After the supplemental report of the Commission in Star Grain & Lumber Co. v. Atchison, T. & S. F. R. Co. 14 Inters. Com. Rep. 364, 372; 17 Inters. Com. Rep. 338, in which the making of allowances and divisions to tap lines for the traffic of proprietary mills was condemned, although no formal order was entered, the trunk lines, including the New Orleans, Texas, & Mexico, filed cancelation of tariffs theretofore filed providing for joint rates with various tap lines, including the Louisiana & Pacific. Certain of the tap lines filed complaints with the Commission, requesting that through routes and joint rates with trunk lines be enforced. The Commission thereupon investigated the tap line situation with reference to lumber operations in the states of Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana, and Texas. Pending this investigation, the cancelation of joint rates was suspended from time to time. On April 23, 1912, the Commission filed its report, and on May 14, 1912, its supplemental report (23 Inters. Com. Rep. 277, 549), and in orders dated May 14 and October 30, 1912, based upon these reports, it found that the tracks and equipment of the tap lines with respect to the industry of the proprietary lumber companies were plant facilities, and the service performed for the proprietary companies in moving logs to the mill and mill products to the trunk line was not a transportation service by a common carrier railroad, but a plant service by a plant facility, and that any allowance or division out of the rate on account thereof was unlawful and resulted in undue and unreasonable preferences and unjust discriminations; and the order of October 30 required the trunk lines, including the New Orleans, Texas, & Mexico, to desist and abstain from making any such allowance to any of the tap lines mentioned. Certain of the tap lines, including the Louisiana & Pacific, filed petitions in the commerce court to annul this order. The court granted this relief (209 Fed. 244), and its decision was affirmed by this court (234 U. S. 1), the court holding that the Commission exceeded its authority in condemning the tap line railroads, when duly incorporated as common carriers under the state laws, as being a mere attempt to evade the commerce law and secure rebates and preferences for themselves. At the same time the court said (p. 28):

'It is doubtless true, as the Commission amply shows in its full report and supplemental report in these cases, that abuses exist in the conduct and practice of these lines and in their dealings with other carriers which have resulted in unfair advantages to the owners of some tap lines and to discriminations against the owners of others. Because we reach the conclusion that the tap lines involved in these appeals are common carriers, as well of proprietary as nonproprietary traffic, and as such entitled to participate in joint rates with other common carriers, that determination falls far short of deciding, indeed, does not at all decide, that the division of such joint rates may be made at the will of the carriers involved, and without any power of the Commission to control. That body has the authority and it is its duty to reach all unlawful discriminatory practices resulting in favoritism and unfair advantages to particular shippers or carriers. It is not only within its power, but the law makes it the duty of the Commission to make orders which shall nullify such practices resulting in rebating or preferences, whatever form they take and in whatsoever guise they may appear. If the divisions of joint rates are such as to amount to rebates or discriminations in favor of the owners of the tap lines because of their disproportionate amount in view of the service rendered, it is within the province of the Commission to reduce the amount so that a tap line shall receive just compensation only for what it actually does.'

After this decision, the Commission, after a rehearing and further argument, but without taking further testimony, and upon the same record on which its orders of May 14 and October 30, 1912, had been entered, made further findings (31 Inters. Com. Rep. 490), upon which was based the order of July 29, 1914, now under attack.

The New Orleans, Texas, & Mexico Railroad Company operates, directly and through stock ownership of other companies, a system of railroad extending from New Orleans across the states of Louisiana and Texas. The Louisiana & Pacific Railway Company, incorporated under the laws of the state of Louisiana, owns and operates a tap line within that state, including approximately 80 miles of main and branch lines, its main line extending from De Ridder southerly to Lake Charles, approximately 45 miles, crossing and forming a junction with the main line of the New Orleans, Texas, & Mexico at Fulton, which is about 25 miles from De Ridder and 19 miles from Lake Charles. The Louisiana & Pacific connects also with the following trunk lines: At De Ridder, with the Gulf, Colorado, & Santa Fe and the Kansas City Southern; at Bon Ami (near De Ridder) with the Kansas City Southern; and at Lake Charles, with the Louisiana & Western (Southern Pacific Company), the Kansas City Southern, and the St. Louis, Iron Mountain, & Southern. Located along the line of the Louisiana & Pacific are certain lumber mills, which are called proprietary mills because controlled by the same interests which own the stock of the Louisiana & Pacific. Some of these are at De Ridder, Bon Ami, and Longville, all of which points are north of Fulton, while one is at Gossport, near Lake...