The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-08-24
RAILROADS AGREE
TO CARRY OUT LAW
Southeastern Lines Confer on
the New Provisions
MANY QUESTIONS ASKED
At Atlantic City Meeting There Was
Not the slightest Disposition to
Try to Make New Act
Intellectual.

New York, August 23.-S. F. Parrott
vice president of the Georgia Southern
and Florida Railway company who act
ed as chairman at a meeting in this city
July q of executive officers, traffic Of
fcials and legal representatives of all
the important rail and steamship lines
operating to and from the territory south
of the Potomac and Ohio rivers, and east
of. the Mississippi river, today made an
official statement regarding the object and
action taken by the convention as follows;
1.-The object of the meeting was, pri-
marily, to consider the recent changes
made in the act to regulate commerce, ap-
proved June 20, 1906. AS those matters in
volved questions of law the meeting de-
termined to appoint a committee of law
yers consisting of the general counsel of
most of the companies represented at the
meeting, and to refer to said law COM
mittee certain printed questions which
had suggested themselves to the execu-
tive and traffic officials as requiring inn
mediate consideration.
Law Committee Holds Session.
1.-The law committee held it's sessions at
Atlantic City August Ills inclusive, and
took up the questions, most of which re-
lated to the effect of the amendments
made by the Hepburn bill, but a number
of which related to the construction of
the act prior to the passage of the Hep
burn bill
Some of the questions were answered
unanimously, while some of them were
answered only by a majority. The an
swers to some of the questions were de-
ferred, and the answers to a few Of them
were referred to the general counsel of the
respective companies represented at the
meeting The answers to said questions
were reported back by the law commit
tee and traffic committee on August %
with the explanation by the chairman of
the law committee that the answers were
the best opinions that counsel could form
within the limited time allowed for then
consideration, that the answers were
merely advisory and in no sense binding
on any company.
No Effort to Render 1t Effectual.
1.-The chairman of the law committee
further explained that in considering said
questions the committee was actuated
throughout solely by the desire to arrive
at the correct constructions of the vari-
Gus provisions of the act as amended on
the points involved in the said questions.
He stated that there was no desire mani
tested by any member of the said COM
mittee to suggest a construction of any
provision of the act which would tend
to qualify or to render it Intellectual. On
A., Of ba
mittee was actuated by a sincere desire
to express his individual opinion as to
the correct meaning of Congress in en-
acting the provisions of the law involved
in said questions so that the executive
and traffic officials could be advised as
to how said provisions should be car
ried out within the true intent and mean
ing of the act. At the conclusion of its
meeting the law committee unanimously
adopted the following resolution:
Agree to Carry Out Provisions.
Resolved, That now having arrived,
to the best of our ability, with the light
before us and with our opportunities for
considering the questions which have
been submitted to us relating to the
practical operations of the carriers. we
commend this law to the fair and loyal
observance of the carriers in spirit of
full and frank recognition of its spirit
and purpose
ION August % the convention of tfW
executive and traffic officials reconvened
at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel when they
received the report from the law COM
mittee above referred to and adopted the
following resolutions:
Resolved, That this convention re-
turn its thanks to the law committee
for their labors and that aided by the
advice contained in the report of said
law committee. the executive and traffic
officials mere present will, in the admin
istration of the properties confided by
their management use their best en-
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