Norwich bulletin., 1913-07-26

New York, July 25--Howard Elliott, president of the Northern Pacific, was elected preSi ient and director of the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad at a meeting of its directors today and a new plan adopted for the adminiskra45on and operation of the entire New Haven system. This pro- vides that as soon as the by Jaws of the road can be changed the new president shall become chairman of khe board of directors and that each division of the system, the New York, New Haven and Hartford proper, the Boston and Maine, the New England EaEigzGiOn company and the network Of trolley lines. shall each have an ope1ing executive, a president with defined duties,' who will be subordin- ate to the chairman. MT Elliott is to become chairman also of the boards of directors of each of these divisions.
 Representation for Interested Com
 munities.
 The plan provides further that the boards of directors of the New Haven and the Boston and Maine shall in clude sufficient number of the intiuen 1ial residents of the several states in which the properties are situated, ade- quately to represent the interests of the communities served
 Mfr. Elliott will assume his new du- ties on September L succeeding Charles S. Mellen. and will be elected chairman some time In October, when a regular meeting of the directors oc- CUTS, at which it is proposed to make the necessary changes in the by laws
 New Presidents Statement.
 T take up this work with a very solemn sense of duty to the owners of f0 the T0eOrlo that n be served, and to my family and my eSlf, said the new president tonight If any experience, talent, strength, courage and judgment that l may have acquired in the west can be applied to making a better and more satisfactory transportation machine to serve the people of New England and to build up and be part Of Greater New Eng land, and to bring return to the many owners Of it's securities, l shall feel that Thave done something to help, and be satisfied and gratf1ed-
 Who tho subordinate operating ex- ecutives for the four properties would be- Mir Elliott said that he was not prepared to say at present. as he had not had time to consider the matter. Timothy E. Byrnes, now vice president of the New Haven, was mentioned to- night as the possible president of the road
 Recommended by Stockholders.
 The new plan is based on recom- nnendations Of the committee of stock holders headed by George Won l.. Mey- CT. which was constituted to suggest reforms in the management of the New Baven road during the recent agitation against the road which cuimfnated in the resignation of NIT. Meiien- The recommendations were embodied Tn a report of the subcommittee or direc- tors appointed to elect Mir Mellen' s xxbf fch S.If131TfftAd with the approval Of the committee to the frM board of directors today and by them adopted.
 These included further the sugges- tions that the local organization of the system be siInpIified and that efforts be made. in conjunction with the gov e-nors' conference of the New England States recently called together to con- sider the New Haven situation, to se- cure uniformity in the railroad laws throuEhout the New England States, espe~ ially in those affecting the issue Of shares and securities"
 Conservatism Advocated.
 They also emphasized that the fu- lure policies of the road should be founded and carried out on ccnserVa- tive and constructive lines
 Probably much of the distrust and classification which exists and nnosS Of the complaints which have been
 
 aee read are due to the fact that there have been no distinct hneS between the functions Of general administration Of The whole system and the functions of operatin of each separate property.
 We would therefore suggest that tae future organizatf on should correct this. and that the tftular head of the New Haven system should give his at 1eut1or to the general administration and supervision of the associated prop critics while there should be %eSpon- sibie operating head for eacch separate property who would be responsible for effciert service We think that thls could be probably done best by ere stiue- the position Of chairman Of the board for the New Haven and for each separate property, to be filled by one who would be chief executive of the entire system. while the president of each company should be the operating head. subordinate to the chairman of the board of directors
 No Action on Criticism.
 ITO put in effect the suggested or rsuizat ton a change in the bylaws must be made. which could not be completed before the stated meeting of tNe board in October. The exigencies of the situation require more immedi- ate action. We would suggest that while the necessary changes in the by laws are being made, that a president be elected who would. as soon as pos sihle. be made chairman of the board and the position of president should be filled by one whose duties would be defined aS suggested.
 No action was taken today, so far as could be learned, on the recent re- port of the interstate commerce com mission criticisinR the New Haven, particulally as to it's ownership of trolley lines. It had been understood that Mir. Mellen was 10 submit an an svyer to those criticisms aft today meeting. and that if approved this an- rxer would be made public. ]. P. Nor ran. a member of the executive com unfttee. said that the report had been Informally discusse bat passed over"
 ~AH Must Work Together"
 v-biia MT. Elliott would not admit tonight that he had any plans in view ir regard to meeting the criticisms, 1t is believed that the future policy or New Haven will be administered with a view in some respects at least To