not be compelled to send such notices), and an affidavit made by the officer, bookkeeper, or clerk of any such corporation having charge of the mailing of notices, setting forth the facts as they appear on the records in the office of the said corporation, showing that such notice was mailed and the date of mailing, shall constitute conclusive evidence of the mailing of such notice.

SEC. 12. The fees for filing statements, certificates, or other documents required by this Act, or for any service or act of the Insurance Commissioner, and the penalties for any violation of this Act, shall, except as otherwise provided herein, be the same as provided in the laws of this State relating to life insurance companies, and shall be disposed of as provided by such laws.

SEC. 13. And for all lawful expenses under this Act, or by reason of any of its provisions, in the prosecution of any suit or proceedings, or otherwise, for the enforcement of the provisions of this Act, the Insurance Commissioner must present bills duly certified by him, and accompanied with vouchers, to the State Board of Examiners, who must allow the same, and direct payment thereof to be made; and the State Controller shall draw warrants therefor on the State Treasurer for the payment of the same to the Insurance Commissioner, in addition to the ordinary contingent expense, which warrants shall be payable out of the General Fund.

SEC. 14. The provisions of this Act shall not apply to secret or fraternal societies, lodges, or councils, which conduct their business and secure membership on the lodge system exclusively, having ritualistic work and ceremonies in their societies, lodges, or councils, nor to any mutual or benefit association organized or formed and composed only of members of any such society, lodge, or council exclusively.

SEC. 15. All Acts and parts of Acts in conflict with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed.

SEC. 16. This Act shall take effect immediately.

106 Cal. 101; 117 Cal. 364; 121 Cal. 321; 123 Cal. 110; 129 Cal. 628.

RAILROADS.

POWERS AND DUTIES OF RAILROAD COMMIS-
SIONERS.

[From the Constitution of the State of California.]

Article XII. Corporations.

SECTION 17. All railroad, canal, and other transportation companies are declared to be common carriers, and subject to legislative control. Any association or corporation, organized for the purpose under the laws of this State, shall have the right to connect at the State line with railroads of other States. Every railroad company shall have the right with its road to intersect, connect with, or cross any other railroad, and shall receive and transport each the other's passengers, tonnage, and cars, without delay or discrimination.

SEC. 18. No president, director, officer, agent, or employé of any railroad or canal company shall be interested, directly or indirectly, in the furnishing of material or supplies to such company, nor in the business of transportation as a common carrier of freight or passengers over the works owned, leased, controlled, or worked by such company, except such interest in the business of transportation as lawfully flows from the ownership of stock therein.

SEC. 19. No railroad or other transportation company shall grant free passes, or passes or tickets at a discount, to any person holding any office of honor, trust, or profit in this State; and the acceptance of any such pass or ticket by a member of the Legislature, or any public officer, other than Railroad Commissioner, shall work a forfeiture of his office.

SEC. 20. No railroad company, or other common carrier, shall combine or make any contract with the owners of any vessel that leaves port or makes port in this State, or with any common carrier, by which combination or contract the earnings of one doing the carrying are to be shared by the other not doing the carrying. And whenever a railroad corporation shall, for the purpose of competing with any other common carrier, lower its rates for transportation of passengers or freight from one point to another, such reduced rates shall not be again raised or increased from such standard without the consent of the

governmental authority in which shall be vested the power to regulate fares and freights.

SEC. 21. No discrimination in charges or facilities for transportation shall be made by any railroad or other transportation company between places or persons, or in the facilities for the transportation of the same classes of freight or passengers within this State, or coming from or going to any other State. Persons and property transported over any railroad, or by any other transportation company, or individual, shall be delivered at any station, landing, or port, at charges not exceeding the charges for the transportation of persons and property of the same class, in the same direction, to any more distant station, port, or landing. Excursion and commutation tickets may be issued at special rates.

SEC. 22. The State shall be divided into three districts as nearly equal in population as practicable, in each of which one Railroad Commissioner shall be elected by the qualified electors thereof at the regular gubernatorial elections, whose salary shall be fixed by law, and whose term of office shall be four years, commencing on the first Monday after the first day of January next succeeding their election. Said Commissioners shall be qualified electors of this State and of the district from which they are elected, and shall not be interested in any railroad corporation, or other transportation company, as stockholder, creditor, agent, attorney, or employé; and the act of a majority of said Commissioners shall be deemed the act of said Commission. Said Commissioners shall have the power, and it shall be their duty, to establish rates of charges for the transportation of passengers and freight by railroad or other transportation companies, and publish the same from time to time, with such changes as they may make; to examine the books, records, and papers of all railroad and other transportation companies, and for this purpose they shall have power to issue subpoenas and all other necessary process; to hear and determine complaints against railroad and other transportation companies, to send for persons and papers, to administer oaths, take testimony, and punish for contempt of their orders and processes, in the same manner and to the same extent as courts of record, and enforce their decisions and correct abuses through the medium of the courts. Said Commissioners shall prescribe a uniform system of accounts to be kept by all such corporations

and companies. Any railroad corporation or transportation company which shall fail or refuse to conform to such rates as shall be established by such Commissioners, or shall charge rates in excess thereof, or shall fail to keep their accounts in accordance with the system prescribed by the Commission, shall be fined not exceeding twenty thousand dollars for each offense; and every officer, agent, or employé, of any such corporation or company, who shall demand or receive rates in excess thereof, or who shall in any manner violate the provisions of this section, shall be fined not exceeding five thousand dollars, or be imprisoned in the county jail not exceeding one year. In all controversies, civil or criminal, the rates of fares and freights established by said Commission shall be deemed conclusively just and reasonable, and in any action against such corporation or company for damages sustained by charging excessive rates, the plaintiff, in addition to the actual damage, may, in the discretion of the judge or jury, recover exemplary damages. Said Commission shall report to the Governor, annually, their proceedings, and such other facts as may be deemed important. Nothing in this section shall prevent individuals from maintaining actions against any of such companies. The Legislature may, in addition to any penalties herein prescribed, enforce this article by forfeiture of charter or otherwise, and may confer such further powers on the Commissioners as shall be necessary to enable them to perform the duties enjoined on them in this and the foregoing section. The Legislature shall have power, by a two-thirds vote of all the members elected to each house, to remove any one or more of said Commissioners from office, for dereliction of duty, or corruption, or incompetency; and whenever, from any cause, a vacancy in office shall occur in said Commission, the Governor shall fill the same by the appointment of a qualified person thereto, who shall hold office for the residue of the unexpired term, and until his successor shall have been elected and qualified.

An Act to organize and define the powers of the Board of Railroad Commissioners.

[Approved April 15, 1880.]

The People of the State of California, represented in Senate and Assembly. do enact as follows:

SECTION 1. The three persons elected Railroad Commissioners pursuant to the provisions of section twenty-two of article twelve of the Constitution of this State, constitute, and shall be known and designated as the "Board of Railroad Commissioners of the State of California." They shall have power to elect one of their number president of said board, to appoint a secretary, to appoint a bailiff, who shall perform the duties of janitor; also to employ a stenographer, whenever they may deem it expedient.

SEC. 2. The salary of each Commissioner shall be four thousand dollars per annum; the salary of the secretary shall be twenty-four hundred dollars per annum; the salary of the bailiff shall be twelve hundred dollars per annum; such salaries to be paid by the State of California in the same manner as the salaries of State officers are paid. The stenographer shall receive a reasonable compensation for his services, the amount to be fixed by the State Board of Examiners, and paid by the State. Said Commissioners, and the persons in their official employment, when traveling in the performance of their official duties, shall have their traveling expenses other than transportation paid, the amount to be passed on by the State Board of Examiners, and paid by the State. Said Board of Railroad Commissioners shall be allowed one hundred dollars per month for office rent, and fifty dollars per month for fuel, lights, postage, expressage, subscriptions to publications upon the subject of transportation, and other incidental expenses, to be paid by the State; provided, that all moneys remaining unexpended at the expiration of each fiscal year shall be returned to the State Treasury. Said board is further authorized to expend not to exceed four hundred dollars for office furniture and fixtures, to be paid by the State. The State shall furnish said board with all necessary stationery and printing, upon requisitions signed by the president of said board.