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RULES OF PRACTICE AND FORMS IN CASES AND PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE COMMISSION.

INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION.

At a general session of the Interstate Commerce Commission, held at its office in the city of Washington, on the 15th day of December, 1891, it was

Ordered, That the following revised and amended rules of practice in cases and proceedings before the Commission be, and the same are hereby, established, to take effect from and after this date. That the secretary cause a suitable number of copies thereof to be printed. A true copy of the record.

Attest:

[L. S.]

EDWARD A. MOSELEY,

Secretary.

RULES OF PRACTICE AND FORMS IN CASES AND PROCEEDINGS BE

FORE THE COMMISSION.

I.-Public sessions.

The general sessions of the Commission for hearing contested cases will be held at its office in the Sun building, No. 1315 F street NW., Washington, D. C., on such days and at such hour as the Commission may designate.

When special sessions are held at other places, such regulations as may be necessary will be made by the Commission.

Sessions for receiving, considering, and acting upon petitions, applications, and other communications, and also for considering and acting upon any business of the Commission other than contested cases, will be held at its said office at 11 o'clock a. m. on Monday of each week when the Commission is at Washington, and on such other days as the chairman may direct.

II.-Parties.

Where a complaint relates to the practices of a single carrier only, no other need be made a party; but if it relates to matters in which two or more carriers, doing business under a common control, management, or arrangement for a continuous carriage or shipment, are interested, all the carriers participating in such carriage or shipment must be made parties.

A complainant may include in one proceeding several carriers or lines of carriers, separately operated, when the subject-matter of the complaint involves substantially the same alleged violations of law by such several carriers or lines.

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Persons or carriers not parties may petition in any proceeding for leave to intervene and be heard therein. Such petition shall be duly verified, and shall set forth the petitioner's interest in the proceeding. Leave granted on such application shall entitle the intervenor to appear and be treated as a party to the proceeding; but no person not a carrier who intervenes in behalf of the defense, shall have the right to file an answer or otherwise become a party, except to have notice of and appear at the taking of testimony, produce and cross-examine witnesses, and be heard in person or by counsel on the argument of the case.

III.-Complaints.

Complaints of unlawful acts or practices by any common carrier, made in pursuance of section 13 of the act, must be by petition, setting forth briefly the facts claimed to constitute a violation of the law, and must be verified by the petitioner or by some officer or agent of the corporation, society, organization, or other body making the complaint, to the effect that the allegations of the petition are true to the knowledge or belief of the affiant.

The name of the carrier or carriers complained against must be stated in full, and the address of the petitioner, with the name and address of his attorney or counsel, if any, must appear upon the petition. The complainant must furnish as many copies of the petition as there may be parties complained against to be served.

The Commission will cause a copy of the petition, with notice to satisfy or answer the same within a specified time, to be served, personally or by mail, in its discretion upon each carrier complained against.

IV.-Answers.

A carrier complained against must answer within twenty days, unless extended, from the date of the notice, but the Commission may, in a particular case, require the answer to be served within a shorter time. The time prescribed in any case may be extended, upon good cause shown, by special order of the Commission. The original answer must be filed with the secretary of the Commission at its office in Washington, and a copy thereof at the same time served, personally or by mail, upon the complainant, who must forthwith notify the secretary of its receipt. The answer must admit or deny the material allegations of the petition, and may set forth any additional facts claimed to be material to the issue. The answer must be verified in the same manner as the petition. If a carrier complained against shall make satisfaction before answering, a written acknowledgment thereof must be filed by the complainant, and in that case the fact of satisfaction, without other matter may be set forth in the answer. If satisfaction be made after the filing and service of an answer, a supplemental answer, setting forth the fact of satisfaction, may be filed and served.

V.-Notice in nature of demurrer.

A carrier complained against who deems the petition insufficient to show a breach of legal duty, may, instead of answering, or formally demurring, serve on the complainant notice of hearing on the petition; and in such case the facts stated in the petition will be deemed admitted. A copy of the notice must at the same time be filed with the secretary

of the Commission. The filing of an answer, however, will not be deemed an admission of the sufficiency of the petition, but a motion to dismiss for insufficiency may be made at the hearing.

VI.-Service of papers.

Copies of notices or other papers must be served upon the adverse parties, personally or by mail; and when any party has appeared by attorney, service upon such attorney shall be deemed proper service upon the party.

VII.-Affidavits.

Affidavits to any pleading or application may be made before any officer of the United States, or of any State or Territory, authorized to administer oaths.

VIII.-Amendments.

Upon application of any party, amendments to any petition or answer, in any proceeding or investigation, may be allowed by the Commission in its discretion.

IX.-Adjournments and extensions of time.

Adjournments and extensions of time may be granted upon the application of any party, in the discretion of the Commission.

X.-Stipulations.

The parties to any proceeding or investigation before the Commission may, by stipulation in writing filed with the secretary, agree upon the facts, or any portion thereof involved in the controversy, which stipulation shall be regarded and used as evidence on the hearing. It is desired that the facts be thus agreed upon whenever practicable.

XI.—Hearings.

Upon issue being joined by the service of an answer or notice of hearing on the petition, the Commission will assign a time and place for hearing the case, which will be at its office in Washington, unless otherwise ordered. Witnesses will be examined orally before the Commission, unless their testimony be taken or the facts be agreed upon as provided for in these rules. The complainant must in all cases establish the facts alleged to constitute a violation of the law, unless the carrier complained against admits the same or fails to answer the petition. Facts alleged in the answer must also be proved by the carrier, unless admitted by the petitioner.

In case of failure to answer, the Commission will take such proof of the facts as may be deemed proper and reasonable, and make such order thereon as the circumstances of the case appear to require.

XII.-Depositions.

The testimony of any witness may be taken by deposition, at the instance of a party, in any proceeding or investigation before the Commission, and at any time after the same is at issue. The Commission may also order testimony to be taken by deposition, in any proceeding or investigation pending before it, at any stage of such proceeding or investigation. Such depositions may be taken before any judge of any

court of the United States, or any commissioner of a circuit, or any clerk of a district or circuit court, or any chancellor, justice, or judge of a supreme or superior court, mayor or chief magistrate of a city, judge of a county court, or court of common pleas of any of the United States, or any notary public, not being of counsel or attorney to either of the parties, or otherwise interested in the proceeding or investigation. Reasonable notice must be given in writing by the party or his attorney proposing to take such deposition to the opposite party or his attorney of record, which notice shall state the name of the witness and the time and place of the taking of his deposition, and a copy of such notice shall be filed with the secretary. When testimony is to be taken on behalf of a common carrier in any proceeding instituted by the Commission on its own motion, reasonable notice thereof in writing must be given by such carrier to the Commission itself, or to such person as may have been previously designated by the Commission to be served with such notice.

Every person whose deposition is taken shall be cautioned and sworn (or may affirm, if he so request) to testify the whole truth, and shall be carefully examined. His testimony shall be reduced to writing, which may be typewriting, by the magistrate taking the deposition, or under his direction, and shall, after it has been reduced to writing, be subscribed by the witness.

If a witness whose testimony may be desired to be taken by deposition be in a foreign country, the deposition may be taken before an officer or person designated by the Commission, or agreed upon by the parties by stipulation in writing to be filed with the secretary. depositions must be promptly filed with the secretary.

XIII-Witnesses and subpœnas.

All

Subpoenas requiring the attendance of witnesses from any place in the United States to any designated place of hearing for the purpose of taking the testimony of such witnesses orally before one or more members of the Commission, or by deposition before a magistrate authorized to take the same, will, upon the application of either party, or upon the order of the Commission directing the taking of such testimony, be issued by any member of the Commission.

Subpoenas for the production of books, papers, or documents (unless directed to issue by the Commission upon its own motion) will only be issued upon application in writing; and when it is sought to compel witnesses, not parties to the proceeding, to produce such documentary evidence, the application must be sworn to and must specify, as nearly as may be, the books, papers, or documents desired; that the same are in the possession of the witness or under his control; and also, by facts stated, show that they contain material evidence necessary to the applicant. Applications to compel a party to the proceeding to produce books, papers, or documents need only set forth in a general way the books, papers or documents desired to be produced, and that the applicant believes they will be of service in the determination of the case.

Witnesses whose testimony is taken orally or by deposition, and the magistrate or other officer taking such depositions, are severally entitled to the same fees as are paid for like services in the courts of the United States.*

* Fees of witnesses are fixed by law at $1.50 for each day's attendance at the place of hearing or of taking depositions, and 5 cents per mile for going to said place from his place of residence and 5 cents per mile for returning therefrom.

XIV.-Proposed findings.

Upon the final submission of a case, each party must, unless otherwise directed, prepare and submit for the consideration of the Commission, proposed findings, embracing the material facts and propositions of law claimed to be established by the evidence.

XV.-Rehearings.

Applications for reopening a case after final submission, or for rehearing after decision made by the Commission, must be by petition, and must state specifically the grounds upon which the application is based. If such application be to reopen the case for further evidence, the nature and purpose of such evidence must be briefly stated, and the same must not be merely cumulative. If the application be for a rehearing, the petition must specify the findings of fact and conclusions of law claimed to be erroneous, with a brief statement of the grounds of error; and when any recommendation, decision, or order of the Commission is sought to be reversed, changed, or modified on account of facts and circumstances arising subsequent to the hearing, or of consequences resulting from compliance with such recommendation, decision, or order which are claimed to justify a reconsideration of the case, the matters relied upon by the applicant must be fully set forth. Such petition must be duly verified, and a copy thereof, with notice of the time and place when the application will be made, must be served upon the adverse party at least ten days before the time named in such notice.

XVI.-Printing of pleadings, etc.

For convenience in reading and filing, it is requested that pleadings, depositions, briefs, and other papers of importance be printed or in typewriting whenever practicable, and that, when not printed, only one side of the paper be used.

XVII.-Copies.

Copies of any petition, complaint, or answer in any matter or proceeding before the Commission, or of any order, decision, or opinion by the Commission, will be furnished without charge, upon application to the secretary by any person or carrier party to the proceeding.

Copy of testimony will be furnished in the discretion of, and upon such terms as, the Commission shall prescribe.

XVIII.-Address of the Commission.

All complaints concerning anything done or omitted to be done by any common carrier, and all petitions or answers in any proceeding, or applications in relation thereto, and all letters and telegrams for the Commission, must be addressed to Washington, D. C., unless otherwise specially directed.

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