REPORT. ATLANTA, GA., November 15, 1906. To. His Excellency, Jos. M. Terrell, Governor. SIR The Railroad Commission submits herewith its annual re-.port for the fiscal year ended October 15, 1906. Immediately following the recommendation of the Commission for certain legislation, will be found Circulars 320 to 329, both inclusive, which show many changes in the rules, classifications and rates. governing the railroad, telegraph and express companies in Georgia. These circulars, however, show only a small portion of the work done by the Commission since its last report, as no orders of the Commission are printed in circular form, except such as are required by the law to be advertised in the newspapers. Many orders, such as requiring the erection of depots, the prevention of unjust discriminations and the correction of innumerable complaints, are made from time to time, and as the law does not require advertisement made of such decisions, they appear only upon the records in this office. Many of the recommendations here made have been repeated from year to year for several years, and notwithstanding repeated efforts made by members of the Commission, who have gone so far as to draw up and have the necessary bills introduced before the General Assembly for the enactment into law of each one of these recommendations, with the exception of the Steed Bill, the Legislature has not acted favorably on any of them, and this has been the source of much regret for the Commissioners, and as well for a large number of the citizens of the State. Every recommendation made is badly needed, and most of them are absolutely necessary to a complete regulation by the State of relation between railroad and shipper. The Commission therefore earnestly recommends to your Excellency, and through you to the General Assembly, the importance of the passage of all this legislation, and we sincerely hope that at its next session the Legislature will take up and enact into law each one of the recommendations here made. REGULATION OF EXPRESS AND TELEGRAPH COMPANIES. While each express and telegraph company operating in Georgia is subject to regulation by the Railroad Commission, the authority of the Commission over such companies is not as complete as it is over railroad companies. The several amendments to the Act creating the Commission have increased the authority of this Board over railroad companies, but in no case has this additional power been made to apply to express and telegraph companies, and the Commission recommends. that a Bill be passed subjecting express and telegraph companies to regulation by the Railroad Commission to the same extent as the law applies to railroad companies. APPROPRIATIONS FOR EXPENSES OF OFFICE. The Commission is allowed eight hundred dollars per annum for the contingent office expenses, and one thousand dollars per annum as a printing fund, neither of which is now, nor has been for several years, adequate to the necessities of the office. The amounts for these appropriations were fixed many years ago, when the work of the office was not one-third as heavy as it is now, and the same amounts have been appropriated from year to year without apparent consideration to the increased work of the office, and the consequent need of more money. CONTINGENT FUND. Out of the eight hundred dollars contingent fund the Commission is required to pay the hire of a stenographer, porter, telephone rent and all other incidental expenses. Unlike most of the other State departments, the Railroad Commission has no part of the general contingent fund, but all the expenses of the office must be paid out of this eight hundred dollars. This will not admit of our paying a stenographer more than fifty dollars per mouth, and the Commission has found it impossible to secure and retain a good stenographer at this salary. Those competent to do the work can get a better salary elsewhere, and |