Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-17
PROGRAM OUTLINED
PLANS OF AMERICAN SECTION OF
RAILWAY CONGRESS.
Vice President Fairbanks, Honorary
President, to Make the Address
of Welcome.

I'll. American section of the internal
tlonal railway congress which is to meet
here MAY 4 to IA has made formal an
nouncement of the outline of the program
for the meeting. There will be almost
thousand delegates, representing 1orty-
four nationalities The sessions will be
held at the New willard Hotel There are
five sections of the congress. and these
will meet from day to day to transact
business pertaining to their respective
portion OF the railroad business The
opening and closing session of the con-
gress will be attended by the members of
all sections Vice President Fairbanks
will he the honorary president of the con-
gress and will make the address of well
come. The prevailing language of the
congress heretofore has been French, but
the proceedings will be SO regulated AZ
this meeting that those VINO understand
both languages only will be able to
understand and appreciate all that Is go
ing on.
The honorary presidents. representing
American railways. will be MesSrs. A j.
Csssatt of the Pennsylvania railroad and
Mr.. +. II. Hartman of the Northern "a.
cific railroad while the actual president
will he Mr. Stuyvesant Fish of the I'M
uois Central railroad. The lines these
three gentlemen represent touch eacn
other and form continuous line OF ran
from the Atlantic to the racine. passlnS
extending from the Great Lakes TO tue
gulf
Questions for Discussion.
The object of those who have long man
aged the affairs of the congress is to oo-
tain the most painstaking possible exam
nation into the questions that are dls-
cussed For this purpose these questions
are decided upon several years in advance
of the time of the meeting and assigned
for investigation and report TO careiuliS
selected reporters. The honor OF DeihS
selected as a reporter for the congress -
na Ugbt one and men of eminence. VINO
would not trouble themselves 10 SiNo
their attention to the preparation Oh pa
pers merely for publication. devote niatS
days of valuable time to their reports 10
the congress- These are all printed "eenS
in advance of the meeting ana piaceu ~,
the hands of the delegates for STUDY anu
criticism -. .ba com
gross is so widespread and the number OF
delegates Is so large, 1t Is resolved al.ei ny
opening session. into f1ve sectlons, e.aen "
which considers questions aHectlns q ee
tain branch of railway service. Each sec
ton. is fully organized. having presioen III
secretary etc, so that. practically the
congress is composed of nve separate '.- coi-
yentions All of the delegates. no"eVei;
will meet at the opening ceremonies. anu
listen to the address from vice PresideII
Fairbanks, and will meet again at the CLOS
oil
are general sessions for the transaction OF
routine business will also be held at stated
times.
Large Attendance in London
The largest attendance of American rail-
wsv officials at any of these sessions was at
London in 1895, when out of about eight
hundred delegates forty-nine were Ameri-
can. The great interest that foreign dele
gates take in the operation of our trans
portation systems is demonstrated by the
fact that about five hundred delegates are
coming from abroad to take part in the
Washington session, and to inspect our
railways, for part of the important work
accomplished at these meetings is the IN
spection of work shops, equipment aand
construction in each country visited, with
the result of stimulating inquiry into i'm
proved methods and giving the whole world
the benefit of the work of the brightest
minds everywhere engaged in solving prob
lens which indeed present different phases
In different countries. but which yet have
features of common interest to all alike.