Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-05-16
ELASTIC
RATE PLAN.
RAILWAY coNGREss"oFFlcIALLY
coNcLUDEs,' QUESTION OF
NATIONAL IMPORTS.
TO DEVELOP. TRAFFIC.
Tariffs Should Be Made With That OBJ
ject in View, the "official concIu.
slons" Assert - Session OF Congress
Considered Highly Successful.

Washington, D. c., May Is. - The
session of the international railway
congress, just closed, is considered the
most successful the organization has
ever held. The most widely interest
ing to the public of the official conclu-
sions," adopted, in view of the pres
ent discussion of the subject in this
country is that relating to railway
rates, on which after a prolonged dis
cussion, in which every country in
which railways are operated was rep
resented, the congress unanimously
expressed it's conclusions as follows:
Freight tariffs should be based on
commercial principles, taking into ac-
count the special conditions which
bear upon the commercial value of
the service rendered. With the reser-
vation that rates shall be charged
without arbitrary discrimination to all
shippers alike under like conditions,
the making of rates should as far as
possible, have all the elasticity neces-
sary to permit the development Of the
traffic, and to produce the greatest re-
suits to the public and to the railroads
themselves"
Preservation OF Ties.
It was determined that some method
of preserving ties was desirable, and
as the problem is pressing one in all
countries, particularly in the tropics,
| 1t was urged that careful records Of ex
Iperiments should be kept with the III.
/ innate purpose of determining the best
| treatment under various conditions. &
j orsI 10 1Dn @ksxy H.
statement is made that "the power OF
locomotives is more limited in Europe
than in America"
Modern methods Of ventilat;ng rail
way trains came up for some consider
alton, particularly the system now In
use on several American railways BY
which cold air is circulated through
the cars, forcing the close air ahead
Of it, and finally letting it out at the
top of the car
About automatic block signal appa
ratus, generally employed for protec
tion on the railways of the United
States, the conclusions are: "Tha+ au
tomato signaling, properly designed
and installed, be recognized as a suit
able means of protecting trains an6
switching movements. The congress
| is not prepared to recomm end auto
matte signaling for general installati "
to supersede existing systems"
The movement toward the lectrif1ca
| ton of certain American railway lines
lends additional interest to the consid
Grafton by the delegates of automotors
The congress declares that the expert
ments with this class Of vehicles
should be continued.
/ 1T may be expected" the conclu
sions say, that from now on automo
bile cars and automotors hauling trail
ers will constitute valuable means o
/ transportation"
Like Free Discussion.
i Ambassador Jusserand Of France
speaking on behalf of French delegates
to the congress Saturday, expressed
deep regret over a rumor that his coun
| trymen were displeased by the injec
tion of discussion of the railroad
4 rate question in the social functions at
tendant upon the congress. He say
the discussion between Secretary Taf
and Stuyvesant Fish of the Illinoi
Central railroad evoked their keen in
terest and impressed them particular,
with the freedom with which ques
tions of this character are discusse,
lin America