The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-03-10
Reports on Delayed Trains.

case will be up to the governor for de- | cision again by the latter part. of next | week.
 Reports on Delayed Trains. | Although practically for the last month 1 the railroad commission has been receiv- | ing reports from the railroads of the | state regarding the number of passenger | trains delayed at terminal and Junction l points, it has not yet taken up the mat | ter for consideration with a view to any | action
 These reports have showed as high as
 140 delayed trains on one system, the | Southern railway, within a single week.
 Other large systems as the Central of
 Georgia and the Atlantic Coast line have | reported 125 or more. A member of the commission stated,
 however, that the very fact of the com- mission having called for these reports of delayed trains has spurred the rail roads up and they are doing better. An l examination of the more recent reports shows, he said that there are fewer late | trains than when the commissions order | was issued, and the long delays are also l reduced.
 Asked what line of action the commis- sion might possibly pursue with reference to the matter. he said the commission had not discussed 1t formally, but that there | had been some talk of trying the New York state plan under which the rail- roads are graded from month to month on the basis of delayed trains, and al- most like grammar school scholar For instance. take a railroad that | has 100 passenger trains week. If 30 of them are late at terminal or june | tion points the road will be given grade of 50 per cent. In other words. | the weekly or monthly percentage of | trains on time on each road is regu- | larly publishedi
 There seems to be a belief that this plan would still further stir the rail roads to better effort. It is argued that prospective passenger in selecting d route would naturally take that line. other things being equal, which was least frequently off schedule. This IS the theory upon which the plan is worked in New York.
 So far, however, the commission does rot seem to have any definitely devel-
 oped ideas with reference to remedying
 the situation. It has hopes, however, probably founded in part, at least, on l the fact that schedules usually improve
 with the summer months when passen- ger traffic is lighter and the through
 passenger trains from the north and
 west begin running on better time.
 The fact that the supreme court has
 wound up its decisions for the October
 term and next. week will begin hear ling argument on the new docket, has | somewhat upset calculations with re-
 gard to the expected decision in the | case of Gray vs. McLendon. involving
 the railroad commissionership. The importance of the case involving the right of possession of a state ofe | flee and the fact that the attorneys on both sides requested when the case was argued In December that the court expedite its decision had given rise to | the belief that if would be handed
 down by or before March 1.
 The prognosticators, however, are doomed to disappointment. It is hard lly likely that the court will hand down any more decisions for a month or | two: not, at least, until it has fn-
 ished the first call of the March term docket together with criminal cases. and cases brought up on fast bills of exceptions.
 | While there is little credence given 1 the suggestion that tn ere will be no decision in the case until next fall and another which went far as to state that the court might let it go by default which would confirm the decision of the lower court in McLen- don's favor, there will still be con | siderable delay, much to the disap- pointment also of those who have been | figuring on the probable pol1tlcal erect
 of the decision.
 | There are many who take the view | that the decision is likely to have l some bearing on the political plans Of
 former Gov. Hoke Smith who suspend
 ed Mir. McLendon from the office or
 railroad commissioner while he was chairman of the board and whose act
 of suspension was confirmed by the leg islature, resulting in his dismissal from the office.
 The conjecture has been that de-
 cision favorable 10 McLendon would probably operate to the disadvantage lof the exgovernor's political plans, while, on the other hand, should the decision sustain his action 1t would be viewed as decided feather In his cap.
 Of course if the supreme court
 should hold up it's decision until after the state primary it is considered the
 status of the case would have no et-
 feet one way or the other upon the
 campaign. notwithstanding the decision
 of the lower court was in MT. McLen-
 don's favor.
 It is still looked upon, therefore, as
 a possible factor in the coming cam
 paign in the event, of course, that MT
 Smith should decide to make the race