The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1904-01-08
MAKE FINE SHOWING
Michigan Railroads Are In Very
Prosperous Condition.
ATwooDs ANNUAL REPoR'
Earnings Of Companies Show Large
ncrease-Safety of the Public Well
Looked After-EIectric Roads Are
Also in Excellent Condition.

Lansing, Mich, Jan. 6.-Commis-
sioner of Railroads T. W. Atwood has
just issued the thirty-first annual re-
port of his department. From the in
formation already received there ap-
pears to be no doubt that for the year
1908 the income of the companies will
be in excess of $5O,OO0,O00.
In addition. to this, it should be re-
membered that there are also now
built and in operation in this state
number of electric interurban rail
ways, having a total mileage of about
500 miles and doing both freight and
passenger business, whose income APP
pears to be only limited by the ca
pacity of the companies.
All of the principal roads have
lone great amount of work in the
way of reducing grades, changing
curves and in materially improving
the general condition of their roadbed
and track.
There were seventy-nine railroad
corporations that made regular an
nual reports to the railroad commits
sioner's department for the year 1902,
being decrease of three as compared
with the previous year.
There were 1877 persons killed by
accidents upon railroads in this state
during the year 1902. 1nere were 922
injured. The total number Of acct
dents was 1,119, the greatest number
ever reported in any one year.
1t is especially noticeable that there
continues to be an increase in the
number of accidents occurring that
are reported by the railroad compa-
MES as persons who are neither pas
sengers nor employees and who are,
in a large majority of cases, trespass-
ers upon the railroad trains or tracks,
! and persons who have no right or
| business there.
The most terrible accident reported
during the year occurred upon the
Grand Trunk Western railway at Du-
rand on Aug. T. and was caused by
the second section of Wallace Bros
circus train running into the first sec
! ton of the same train and causing the
death of twenty passengers and two
employees and injuring fourteen pas
sengers and one employee.
| A decision has recently been hand
ed down by the United States SUI
| preme court which sustainS the valid
| ity of the railroad tax law Of 1897, and
affects directly the interests of the
state in requiring the Wisconsin G.
Michigan Railway Co. to pay the taxes
assessed against it since the enact
ment of the law in question.
This decision means that the Wis
consin & Michigan Railway Co. must
now pay to the state its taxes for the
past five years, amounting to $3,467 81,
with interest on the same.
There are twenty-eight states in
| which there are railroad commissions
in the United States, and in fifteen Of
such states the power to regulate
| freight rates Is vested in the commits
sion, this being considered to be the
| principal duty Of the railroad commits
sion. Notwithstanding the fact that
/ there is but little law upon this sub
| ject in the state of Michigan, there
have been but few complaints during
| the past year, tiIueI do W Tic TdleS
charged or claiming discrimination as
between shippers.
| All main tracks show an improved
condition. improvements are contin-
ually being made on nearly all roads
| in the state, special attention being
paid to the reduction of grades and
changes in alignment to reduce the
curvature for the purpose of lessen
| ing maximum grades. The companies
are continually renewing their wood
en- bridge structures. or replacing
them with iron structures or embank-
ments of earth.
| The protection for street and high
way crossing Of railroads is of vital
importance to the public, as well as
to the railroad companies, and they
are source Of great danger Notwith-
standing the cooperation Of the rail-
road officials and their employees,
there are still by far too many acct
dents to persons, killed or injured, at
| grade crossings In a great many in
stances this Is found to be due to the
negligence Of the persons themselves.
The crossings where gates or fiagmen
have been provided by order of this
department, OF otherwise, are cred-
itably maintained
The railroads generally are found
to be satisfactory and equal TO the re-
auirements in point of salty