Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 24.djvu/521

 488 FORTY ·NIN TH CONGRESS. Srzss. I1. Ons. 344, 345. 1887. Printing; and that there be printed thirty thousand five hundred additional copies, of which ten thousand copies shall be for the use of the , Senate, twenty thousand copies for the use of the House of Representatives, and five hundred copies for the use of Mrs John  Logan; and the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is hereby, directed to have Portrait. printed a portrait of the said John A. Logan, to accompany said eulo- _ gies; and for engraving and printing said portrait the sum of five_hun- A,,P,,,p,,,,ti0,,_ dred dollars, or so much as may be necessary, is hereby appropmated out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated. Approved, March 3, 1887. ' KAP -' ‘ t' n o books, accounts, and mghods ot;:3lro:¢; zfliietlilhnogzhleheigednmiiltixgriniOtheflldiied States, and for other P¤¤‘p¤¤=¤- Commission to Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United i¤V°¤*iS¤*° ]>°°K¤» States of A·m erica in Congress assembled, That the President of the United jgjgjf °°"t‘"“ "“1' States, be, and he is hereby, authorized to appoint three commissioners, Coinpeusatiop, Whose compensation shall be seven hundred and ilfty dollars per month ew. to each, and the necessary traveling expenses and board bills, for which . proper vouchers shall be returned, to be approved by the Secretary of the Interior; and said commission may appoint a stenographer, if necessary, and Hx his compensation; and the persons appointed on the said commission shall have power to examine all books, papers, and methods of the companies hereinatter named, employ experts if necessary; and they shall at all times be under the immediate direction and control of the President of the United States, and may at any time be removed Term or office. by him in his discretion. The term of office of said commissioners shall not extend beyond the beginning of the next session of the Senate. If the Senate shall be convened after the fourth day of March, ei ghteen hundred and eighty-seven and before the iirst of December in said year and the duties of the said commissioners shall not then be completed, the President shall by and with the advice and consent of the Senate appoint three commissioners who shall perform and complete the duties prescribed in this act within the time therein specified. s,,,,,,,, oginmm. Sec. 2. That the duty of said commission shall be to examine into the gation. working and Hnancial management of all of the railroads that have received aid trom the Government in bonds; to ascertain whether they have observed all the obligations imposed upon them by the laws of the United States under which they received such aid, or which have been since passed in reference thereto, and complied with all other obligations to the United States; and whether their books and accounts are or have been so kept as to show the net earnings of the aided roads, and what said books and accounts actually show in regard thereto, and what have been in fact said net earnings; or whether there has been a diversion of earnings of aided roads to less productive branches, through constructive mileage allowances, or average mileage allowances between aided and non-aided roads or parts of roads, or otherwise, and also whether such system of constructive mileage allowances is fair and usual, and in practical operation has resulted adversely or otherwise to the aided roads and the interest of the United States; or whether there has been a diversion of earnings of aided roads to wrongful or improper purposes, and, if so, to what extent; whether there is a discrimination of rates in favor of unaided against aided roads; whether any, and, if so, how much, money is due and owing to the United States on account of mistaken or erroneous accounts, reports, or settlements made by said roads; whether any trailic or business which could or should bedone on the aided lines of said companies has been diverted to the lines of any other company or to non-aided lines, and what amounts have been deducted from the gross earnings of any of said aided railroad companies by their gen. eral freight and passenger agents or auditors, by way of rebate, percent.