Evening star., 1913-10-31
Railway Commissioner Says 1t
Should Be Forbidden in
PopuIous Sections.
SAFETY ON RAIL WAYS
THEME OF DISCUSSION
National Association Also Considers
Automatic Signaling Devices.
Final Session Held Today.

Safety appliances and equipment on
railroads received the principal atten-
tion at the final session this morning
OF the twenty fifth annual convention
of the National Association of Railway
Commissioners in the Offices Of the in
terstate commerce commission. When
all OF the reports had been presented
and the discussions ended the officers
for the ensuing year were installed,
and the convention adjourned sine die
shortly before l o'clock.
Reports on rails and equipment and
on Uniform classification and simplifi-
cation of tariff sheets were submitted.
Commissioner Thorne said that the
matter of safety would be given great
er attention at the next convention.
Commissioner Loveland stated that he
would welcome any legislation which
you'd prevent the construction of any
single track road in any populous part
of the country.
Overlapping System in Signaling.
In submitting the report on steel rails
and equipment, Commissioner Sague of
New York asserted that any automatic
provide for an overlapping system-that
is, system which permitted the train
operator to ascertain the condition Of the
track two bloc"s ahead.
Interstate Commerce Commissioner
Meyer submitted the report on railway
statistics and accounts. Commissioner
Weber of New York submitted the report
on electric railroads.
Commissioner Clark in the course Of the
discussions, said that the cost Of steel
equipment was not prohibitive when COM
pared to the lives saved by the use OF
such equipment.
State Rights Are Debated.
State rights precipitated another long
debate yesterday afternoon at the ses-
sions of the National Association Of Rail
way Commissioners and resulted in the
passage of a substitute for the resolution
of Commissioner Finn, which was tabled
two days ago. The substitute was intro
duced by Commissioner Eshleman of
California and declared it 'the sense of
this association that no legislation by
Congress is at this time necessary or de-
sir able attempting to enlarge the juris-
diction of the interstate commerce COM
mission over commerce purely intra-
state. The vote was unanimous.
Chairman Clark of the interstate COM
mission said that SO far as he was ad-
vised the members of the interstate COM
merce commission were in accord with
the substitute
Il am positive he said. that no
thought is entertained by the members
of the commission of obtaining such new
legislation as has been suggested. We
as a commission heartily welcome and
even solicit the cooperation in our work
Of the commissions of the states.''
Following the discussion of physical
valuation which took up the principal
part of the session yesterday, resolution
was adopted providing for a committee
of fifteen, to be rejected three each from
the five geographical districts fixed by
the interstate commerce commission for
its valuation work. to cooperate with the
commission in this work.
The members of the Dominion board of
railroad commissioners of Canada were
admitted as active members Of the as
sociation.