vote and official act of the Commission shall be entered of record, and its proceedings shall be public upon the request of either party interested. Said Commission shall have an official seal, which shall be judicially noticed. Either of the members of the Commission may administer oaths and affirmations and sign subpoenas.

Official seal.

Salaries of Commissioners.

Secretaryhow appointed;

SEC. 18. (As amended March 2, 1889.) [See Section 24, increasing salaries of Commissioners.] That each Commissioner shall receive an annual salary of seven thousand five hundred dollars, payable in the same manner as the judges of the courts of the United States. The Commisson shall appoint a secretary, who shall receive an salary. annual salary of three thousand five hundred dollars, payable in like manner. The Commission shall have authority to employ and fix the compensation of such other employees as it may find necessary to the proper performance of its duties. Until otherwise provided by law, the Commission may hire suitable offices for its use, and shall have authority to procure all necessary office supplies. Witnesses summoned before the Commission shall be paid the same fees and mileage that are paid witnesses in the courts of the United States.

Employees.
Offices

and

Witnesses' fees.

of

Expenses the Commission

Principal office

All of the expenses of the Commission, including all necessary expenses for transportation incurred by the how paid. Commissioners, or by their employees under their orders, in making any investigation, or upon official business in any other places than in the city of Washington, shall be allowed and paid on the presentation of itemized vouchers therefor approved by the chairman of the Commission. SEC. 19. That the principal office of the Commission of the Commis shall be in the city of Washington, where its general sessions shall be held; but whenever the convenience of the public or the parties may be promoted, or delay or expense prevented thereby, the Commission may hold special sessions in any part of the United States. It may, by one or more of the Commissioners, prosecute any inquiry necessary to its duties, in any part of the United States, into part of

sion.

Sessions of the Commission. Commission may prosecute inquiries by one or more of its

members in any

United States.

Carriers subject to Act, and own

any matter or question of fact pertaining to the business of any common carrier subject to the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 20. (As amended June 29, 1906.) That the Comers of railroads mission is hereby authorized to require annual reports

engaged in inter

state commerce from all common carriers subject to the provisions of this

must render full

to

Commission:

is authorized to

annual reports Act, and from the owners of all railroads engaged in inand Commission terstate conmerce as defined in this Act; to prescribe the manner in which such reports shall be made,, and to remade and re- quire from such carriers specific answers to all questions to all upon which the Commission may need information. Such

prescribe manner in which reports shall be

quire specific

answers questions.

of carriers shall contain.

annual reports shall show in detail the amount of capital stock issued, the amounts paid therefor, and the manner of payment for the same; the dividends paid, the surplus fund, if any, and the number of stockholders; the funded and floating debts and the interest paid thereon; the cost What reports and value of the carrier's property, franchises, and equipments; the number of employees and the salaries paid. each class; the accidents to passengers, employees, and other persons, and the causes thereof; the amounts expended for improvements each year, how expended, and the character of such improvements; the earnings and receipts from each branch of business and from all sources; the operating and other expenses; the balances of profit and loss; and a complete exhibit of the financial operations of the carrier each year, including an annual balance sheet. Such reports shall also contain such inof accounts and formation in relation to rates or regulations concerning ing accounts. fares or freights, or agreements, arrangements, or contracts affecting the same as the Commission may require; and the Commission may, in its discretion, for the purpose of enabling it the better to carry out the purposes of this Act, prescribe a period of time within which all common carriers subject to the provisions of this Act shall have, as near as may be, a uniform system of accounts, and the manner in which such accounts shall be kept. to be filed with Said detailed reports shall contain all the required statistics for the period of twelve months ending on the

Commission prescribe uniform system

manner of keen

Annual reports

Commission bv September 30 of each year.

Commission may grant ad

forfeiture for

thirtieth day of June in each year, and shall be made out under oath and filed with the Commission, at its office in Washington, on or before the thirtieth day of September then next following, unless additional time be granted in any case by the Commission; and if any carrier, person, ditional time. or corporation subject to the provisions of this Act shall fail to make and file said annual reports within the time above specified, or within the time extended by the ComInission for making and filing the same, or shall fail to Punishment hv make specific answer to any question authorized by the failure to file. provisions of this section within thirty days from the time it is lawfully required so to do, such parties shall forfeit to the United States the sum of one hundred dollars for each and every day it shall continue to be in default with respect thereto. The Commission shall also have authority to require said carriers to file monthly reports of earnings and expenses or special reports within ports. a specified period, and if any such carrier shall fail to file such reports within the time fixed by the Commission it shall be subject to the forfeitures last above provided.

Commission

may require filand special re

ing of monthly

Punishment by forfeiture for to file

special reports.

Said forfeitures shall be recovered in the manner provided for the recovery of forfeitures under the provisions failure of this Act. The oath required by this section may be taken before Oath to annual any person authorized to administer an oath by the laws taken. of the State in which the same is taken.

reports, how

Commission may prescribe forms of counts, records. and memoranda,

thereto.

ac

The Commission may, in its discretion, prescribe the forms of any and all accounts, records, and memoranda to be kept by carriers subject to the provisions of this Act, and have access including the accounts, records, and memoranda of the movement of traffic as well as the receipts and expenditures of moneys. The Commission shall at all times have access to all accounts, records, and memoranda kept by carriers subject to this Act, and it shall be unlawful for keep other such carriers to keep any other accounts, records, or mem- those prescribed oranda than those prescribed or approved by the Commission, and it may employ special agents or examiners, may employ spewho shall have authority under the order of the Commis- and records.

Carrier cannot counts than

ac

by Commission. Commission

cial examiner to Inspect accounts

Punishment of carrier by forfeiture for fail

counts or records

Commission or

of accounts

records.

or

sion to inspect and examine any and all accounts, records, and memoranda kept by such carriers. This provision shall apply to receivers of carriers and operating trustees. In case of failure or refusal on the part of any such ure to keep ac- carrier, receiver, or trustee to keep such accounts, records, as prescribed by and memoranda on the books and in the manner preallow inspection scribed by the Commission, or to submit such accounts, records, and memoranda as are kept to the inspection of the Commission or any of its authorized agents or examiners, such carrier, receiver, or trustee shall forfeit to the United States the sum of five hundred dollars for each such offense and for each and every day of the continuance of such offense, such forfeitures to be recoverable in the same manner as other forfeitures provided for in this Act.

person for false

Punishment of Any person who shall willfully make any false entry in entry in accounts the accounts of any book of accounts or in any record or mutilation of ac memoranda kept by a carrier, or who shall willfully

or records, or

counts or rec

ords, or for keep destroy, mutilate, alter, or by any other means or device ing other асcounts than falsify the record of any such account, record, or memo-,

those prescribed

by Commission.

ment or both.

Fine or imprison: randa, or who shall willfully neglect or fail to make full, true, and correct entries in such accounts, records, or memoranda of all facts and transactions appertaining to the carrier's business, or shall keep any other accounts, records, or memoranda than those prescribed or approved by the Commission, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be subject, upon conviction in any court of the United States of competent jurisdiction, to a fine of not less than one thousand dollars nor more than five thousand dollars, or imprisonment for a term not less than one year nor more than three years, or both such fine and imprisonment.

Punishment of

special examiner

who divulges

tion without au

Any examiner who divulges any fact or information facts or informa- Which may come to his knowledge during the course of thority. Fine or such examination, except in so far as he may be directed by the Commission or by a court or judge thereof, shall be subject, upon conviction in any court of the United States of competent jurisdiction, to a fine of not more

imprisonment or

both.

than five thousand dollars or imprisonment for a term not

exceeding two years, or both.

United States

That the circuit and district courts of the United States courts may issue

mandamus

to

shall have jurisdiction, upon the application of the Attor- compel compliance with proney-General of the United States at the request of the visions of Act Commission, alleging a failure to comply with or a violation of any of the provisions of said Act to regulate commerce or of any Act supplementary thereto or amendatory thereof by any common carrier, to issue a writ or writs of mandamus commanding such common carrier to comply with the provisions of said Acts, or any of them.

Commission may employ special agents or examiners to administer oaths, examine witnesses, and re

And to carry out and give effect to the provisions of said Acts, or any of them the Commission is hereby authorized to employ special agents or examiners who shall have power to administer oaths, examine witnesses, ceive evidence. and receive evidence.

That any common carrier, railroad, or transportation company receiving property for transportation from a point in one State to a point in another State shall issue

Receiving common carrier 11

able for loss or damage on through ship

ments carried by it or by any con

nection, irrespec

tive of contract

to contrary.

Remedies

not barred.

un

a receipt or bill of lading therefor and shall be liable to the lawful holder thereof for any loss, damage, or injury to such property caused by it or by any common carrier, railroad, or transportation company to which such property may be delivered or over whose line or lines such property may pass, and no contract, receipt, rule, or regulation shall exempt such common carrier, railroad, or transportation company from the liability hereby imposed: Provided, That nothing in this section shall de- der existing law prive any holder of such receipt or bill of lading of any remedy or right of action which he has under existing law. That the common carrier, railroad, or transportation company issuing such receipt or bill of lading shall be entitled to recover from the common carrier, railroad, or age. transportation company on whose line the loss, damage, or injury shall have been sustained the amount of such loss, damage, or injury as it may be required to pay to the owners of such property, as may be evidenced by any receipt, judgment, or transcript thereof.

Initial carrier may have recourse upon car

fier responsible

for loss or dam