The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-18
RETIRES FROM 0. R (.
CHIEF CONDUCTOR CLARKE
 WRITES MONTGOMERY MAN.
Hs Accepts Appointment m Member of Interstate Commerce Commis- sf0n--1ther News of the
 RafIwav world.

Grand Chief Conductor E. F. Clarke, of the Order of Railway Conductors, has been appointed by the President of the United States as Interstate Commerce Commissioner. the appolnt- r1ient to become effective August 2s.
 Thronghout the United States, Can ada and Mexico members of the Order. while appreciating the honor confer red upon their Chief and their Order. are keenly alive to the seriousness of the loss to the order of leader For sixteen years Mir. Clarke has been at the head of the Grand Lodge of the O, R. c. His last election was in May, 1905. at Portland. Ore, at which time he was reelected for . term of two years.
 s. H. Allen. a passenger conductor between Montgomery and Nashville and Chairman of the Adjustment Com mittee of the Order of Railway Con- ductors of the Louisville and Nashville railroad system. when interviewed yesterday at the union railway station as to what the effect of the change Of ofHcials in the Grand Lodge would have on the local divisions of the Or der said:
 The promotion of Mir Clarke will cause no direct change in the work ings of the order. The older members of the order who have watched the . der his leadership look upon his re- movaI from active service with us as a great calamity for the order MT. Clarke was to the Order of Railway Conductors what P. M Arthur was to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engi- neers. and, while we will continue to xrpw and prosper, we have lost good man.
 s'Mr. Clarke is about so years old and has served the order for sixteen years. The unexpired term of the Chief will be filled by A, B. Garrison. Assistant Grand Chief Conductor.
 s'The Grand Division will meet at Memphis. Tenn. iu May 1907. and at that time new Grand Chief will be elected
 The headquarters of the grand of flee of the Order of Railway conduc- tors Is at Cedar Rapids Ia, and both Mir. Clarke and Mr Garrison make their homes there A letter was re- ceived by Chief Conductor, Frank Brock of the local division O, R C., from Mfr Clarke. which will he of in terest to railroad men throughout the country. It is as follows:
 'sThe President has honored me with appointment as Interstate Commerce Commissioner. 1t does not seem that I should turn away from this oppor- tunity to take up work in broader utAOe HI WAiIkf tt0RCl tO HbAAi hb tANCAt good I have asked the Trustees to arrange to relieve me from the office of Grand Chief Conductor at the end of this month. The Trustees will meet and the arrangements made by them will. in due time. be communicated to you.
 'tThe Order and it's welfare have been the greater part of my life for a number of years I cannot sever my active participation in its affairs with out much and deep regret Naturally feel pretty closely attached to the institution which, since I have occu- pied the position of its chief executive. has grown from about 250 Divisions to nearly 500. and from 13.000 members to 3S,000. In the same period the membership of the Mutual Benefit De- pertinent has increased from less than 1000 to nearly S4.000; we have paid benefits amounting. In round numbers, to eight millions of dollars and have built up reserve fund of $41s.000. and that without any appre- eiahie increase in the cost to members per year. per thousand dollars of in- surance. The flnan1ial condition of the Order itself has been raised from nethins to Its present strong, healthy and satisfactory condition without in- creasing the dues of members. Dur ing this period all of the Orders work as labor organization has been done Immense and inestimable- benefits in the way of increased compensation,