, 1874-05-13
Seventh Annual Meeting, Of
the Association.
Rcport Of the Prcsidcnt---llis views
of Railways and lhe GraIl-
g0rs.
He Is Opposed to an Inflated currency
and Expensive Railroad ma''"'
agement.
Iseports Of Committees snbm'ttca'

Reports Of Committees snbm'tted'
,er,,o .,vort,, onnual sosson of the American
p.,i.s,, sfaato .Nrcclauics' Association was be-
.x,,,, Knyab,ry Nuetc Hall ut O'Clock yester-
9ov n,orninr. The President, Mr. II. II. Brit
ton. occupied tile clair. and Mr. J. II. sesohel
was Secretary. :.
THE DELEGATES.
Tho following responded to tho call OF the
roll. II. 4. Alden, II. II. Driston. A. ". brit
ton, Fl. L, Brown, j. &. Beatty, r. ". Dushnoll,
V'iJlinm II, Bryant, N. E. Chapman, q. ".
Cushing, A. II. DeC1oreq, William Fuller, Charles
Tellovg. E. 3. Gibbs. o. Graham, +. Garfield,
A, aosld, r. Gould, 8. ). .1Iayes, Y. s. Hudson,
O, W. IIolliatcr, ". L. Jordan, Robert King,
T, N. Loaee, J; N: Lauder. Lyoil T. Mead, Ezra
Osborn, r. B. puryer, ". a. Robinson, a. Il.
soumors, ". T. smith, ". NJ. Strong, N. H.
sprngue, John Thompson, MN. Foraey, j. 0.
D. Lilly; F.B. Niles.
Tho SECRETARY read the provisions Of tho Con-
stitutiou relating to membership and explaining
how to become member, for the benoht OF those
presont who desired to Join. A number OF gem
tlei1nen ayai1ed themselves Of the opportunity
afforded to eign tue Constitution. ...~. !:
TIE PRESIDENTS REPORT. &. =,
Tho annual report Of President Brltton was
read. and was substantially a. follows: Each
returning year had added to tho strength OF
their number, to tho vigor Of tho organization,
aud to the usefulness which, had boon tho aim
and object OF their Society. Although yet quite
young, they could point with pride to whnt lad
been donc. It Asa tinted what lad become
profession. It. had mingled tho thoughts, tho
ideas, tho o1perimonts, and the ascortained
results spbtained by tho members OF tho
profession,- aiftod them, oulled what
wnB good, thrown away tho chalf.
collated tho facta, aud given their benefits, 30
far rs can bo ascortainod, to tho world. Still SO
much fomains Jet to be done TINT they could not
boast of having accomplished very MUCH =
TIE FARMER,
deceived into donating Lis money for tho build
Ing Of railway, finding he had received no such
benefit as he expected from itH construction aud
operation, Ind booome d Granger. The Granger
had become 4 Legislator, and ratios OF freight
reference to tlio cost Of transportation: Thus
tho framing ot, practical railway tnriGe, the most
difficult task to which tho Experienced railroad
managers bud to addross themselves, had boan
solved by. tic legislators, BY the passage Of
some general ouaotmeut which: haa had but 4
fow houAa consideration.
A great variety Of causes had combined to
ombarrass or bankrupt many Of the railways Of
~
vention to exanlino into these aauses-to ascer-
tain, If possible: the measure OF it's own respon-
sibiIity aud, 30 far as 1t had the power to apply
relnedy. The principal cause Of tue
of many of the railways was that tie business
had beon overdone. ThiB professionally tley.
had no part In doing. But disaster always fol-
lowed tito overriding Of any busnoss and Ia that
sparaclY settled regions OF the coun-
try--in building 80 many unnec-
essary md connecting soadgreat
its cost when 1t was obliged to rely for its traffic
on the simple bulky farm -produota Of the
country through which 1t passed. Tho railway
largo manufacturing or mining interest on It's
lno to euable it to earn the interest on its cost
Tho overriding Of the business by building feed
ors not eolf-sustatutng and parallel through
lines not required for the transaction OF legtti-
mato business, was the great CAUSE Of tho pros-
ont diatr11st in all Railway enterprises,
THE WIDESPREAD DISASTER AND D1srRusT
which now oxietod would DO more easily over
moro honestly administered. The roads had
mostly bocn built from tho proceeds Of bonds
eold At heavy discount and by contractors who
built for. their own profit; 80 the bonded debt
the road. and tho road itself had to DO thorough
" rebuilt by those who operated It during tho
first two yoa,a OF ita oxistcnco. somo would say
that they. as mechanics, bud nothing to do with
those unttors But their attention should bo
called to them. Thpy. as practical mon who
were to mako the carnlngs OF the railway.
SHOULD know whotler it's dobts repreYented
lis cont. or double its cost. They should
know when they wont on q new road,
whetbor it Ind to be rebuilt nfterr
Dishonest contractor and whether It waa .
road which, by the best management could ba
jected by some Interested poraon for bis private
profit in its construction and could not bo made
to nav. and thay vera oalled to waste tlejr en-
crey lid ti,nn IN attempting an impoauibility.
' TsiE TNAvF11xd PUBLIC,
like every other portion Of the community.
sought ease mud luxury. ThoBe things tho1yg
paid tor With moro willingness than they did
for their railroad faro This public domand for
luxury had created rolug-Htock as great it,
weight aa It was beautiful IN ease: They,
as mechanics, know tho cost OF such
rolling-Btock thoy know the weight Of tho
locomotive required TO move it, they knew the
coudition Of tie track Indispensable to operating
it at a high rato OF speed with safety. Had they
studied carefully whether the road with: which