Albuquerque morning journal., 1910-12-31
TROLLEY LINES TO
PUT IN BLOCK
SYSTEM
SAFETY OF INTERURBAN
ROADS VITAL TOPIC
Managers Of Illinois Companies
and Railroad Commissioners
Confer With View to Lessen
ing Number of Wrecks,


| ing Number of Wrecks,
| Especial Correspondence to Morning JournalJ
| Chicago, Dec. 23.--Safeguards for
interurban railways in Illinois will be
the subject OF legislation this win
| ter, in preparation for which
a conference between the rail-
| way commissioners and man
| ayers Of the traction systems has been
held to choose committee to repre-
sent the latter in the preparation Of
the proposed statute. One system has
ordered block signal equipment for
100 miles of line and another Is plan
ming to operate its trains by placing
blocks with signals. The big signal
companies have failed to provide au-
tomato safety stop equipment al
though offered to them, the haggling
over price to the poor inventor being
the invariable retarding factor in mat
ters OF this kind. Alcohol was held
responsible for many of the wrecks.
Secretary Kilpatrock OF the railway
commission urged this as a most i'm
portant factor in the selection of
trainmen. In the eastern states where
interurban roads form @ close net
work steps have been taken to re-
quire safety equipment. r. A. Dyer,
Jr., assistant general manager of the
Rochester, Syracuse q Eastern Rail-
road company, reported to the League
for Public Safety: There are some
safety stop appliances such as you
refer to, but these have not come in
to general use in connection with the
block signal systems, ON account or
being more or less impractical and
uncertain, due TO weather conditions,
and it is the opinion of railway men
generally that an appliance which Is
uncertain of operation in winter, may
be an element of danger rather than
safety. Also. appliances. to be reas-
onably reliable, must be simple, as
an intricate mechanism cannot be
depended upon and may only create
an appearance of safety, which, in
reality, does not exist. I believe there
is device The Illinois and Indiana
railway commission have knowledge
OF one device which not only tested
satisfactorily but Is said to meet the
requirements of simplicity and cer-
tainty under any and all weather con-
dtions.
Irrigation has been made a house
hold art in Chicago for the winter
care of potted plants by an ingenious
provision for a water reservoir IN
windows exposed to the sun have be-
come sufficiently convenient in flats
TO give new impetus TO the grow
ing OF geraniums and things. The
wives who live in flats, with little
houseworlS and many allumements to
bridge parties and theaters, now can
go off for week If they want to
and leave the watering of their flow
ers to n sponge which connects the
reservoir below with the soil in which
the flower roots eat, drink and are
merry. The preference of Chicago
ans for flats and apartment build
ings was q blow at many old fashion,
ed customs, dear to feminine hearts,
but by the sub-irrigation method
the window flower custom is reviving.
florists say. incidentally, the inge-
nuity which applied itself to this
homely task promises to be reward
ed as generously as was the vendor
OF the teddy bear and the inventor
of chewing gum.
Additions aggregsting more than
$40. 900, 900 have been made to the |
capital stock of Chicago banks during |
the year now drawing to close and |
the total investment in new banking |
shares is nearly $13.000,000. OF the |
additions to capital stock $4.70O,0O |
was contributed by existing banks, |
$4,000, 900 by new banks and $4,000
600 by stock dividends or the trans
fer of surplus to capital stock ac-
count. Nearly all of the new stock |
issued was sold at premium, some |
of 1t is high as $500 for each 500 |
share. on April l the First Nation
al bank increased it's capital from |
5000, 900 to $1O,000,O00. selling the |
S2O00.000 of new stock at 5000 a /
share. OF the total of $4,0OO,OOO |
which the stock produced $2,0O0,OO0 |
was charged to capital and $4,000 |
600 to surplus. On the same date |
the First Trust and Savings Bank in |
creased its capital to $2,5OO,OOO by |
transferring 100000 from surplus |
to capital account In the combina-
tion of the Continental and the Com
mercial the stockholders of the form
er were not obliged TO put up any new |
capital but had the benefit OF stock |
dividend of 20 per cent. or S1,SO0,OO. |
The First Dearborn National increas-
ed its capital 100000 at par, maxi |
ing total of $1,000. 000. the Western |
Trust and Savings Bank from $1,000 |
900 to s1.250.000. Among the new |
banks started in the city during the |
year those having the largest capital |
are the Standard Trust and Savings |
and the LaSalle Street National. Each
began with $1.000,000 capital and a
paid In surplus of $250,000.
The tribute exacted of the public |
by the Chicago packers for slaughter
ing ,refrigerating and marketing meat
as revealed by Armour & Co.'S annu-
al financial statement. proves to be !
2.33 per cent or less than two cents I
ana half on every dollars worth of |
product sold to the retail butchers. /
The company's sales for the year to- |
tailed $3.50. 600, 900 on which the mar
gin OF profit of 2.33 per cent on sales
earned on the capital investment of /
$50. .9S3.313 the net of S5,S17,721. The
investment I'm the business
now includes s7s.9s3.s1s of surplus
accrued by the expansion of the bus
mess in the half century since II was
founded bv p. ID. Armour. and the
capital stock of sac. .000. 600. The re-
cent report of Morris 4 Co. showed
net earnings after the deduction of I
bond interest and administration ex-
penses. TO be s1402.500, an amount \
which the big fire loss will almost 4
wipe out even when the insurance is