The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-12-13
BIGGER MEMBERSHIP
AND GREATER POWER
Grged by Interstate Commerce
Commission in Its Report
to Congress.


enlargement OF the membership of
the Interstate Commerce Commission
with statutory power to act through
subdivisions. and appropriate and
adequate" legislation for control
over railway capitalization were
among the important recommends
lions made to Congress today in the
commissions annual report.
The commission suggested that ii
should have express authority of law
to have access to the letter files OF
carriers: that the use of steel cars
in passenger trains be required and
that tho use in passenger trains OF
wooden cars between or In front of
steel cars be prohibited. 1t was rec
commended that the minimum penalty
for violations of the hours Of SER
vice act be fixed at fine of 500 and
that provision be made that all &C
lions relating to transportation
charges should be brought within
three years.
Much Money Spent.
For the fiscal year which ended
June 80 :asL the commission sepnt
S3,933.925 including s2,131. 925 for
physical valuation work. Its esti-
mates for the year which begins July
l, next, already have been submitted
to Congress.
The report is largely devoted to
1 presenting the commissions work for
the year. Under physical valuation
work 1t reports that since June there
have been twelve roadway and track
parties in the field in each of five dis
trtcts into which the country has
been divided and that their total av-
erage has been about 1000 miles per
month. BY January ! the report says
surveys of nearly $4,000 miles of
railroad will virtually be completed.
The total railroad mileage OF the
country is put at 100000 and the re-
port says that the 100000 miles left
at the beginning OF the year should
be surveyed in the four following
years under the present arrangement,
I 1T is doubtful" it adds, elf under
the present organization, work can
be prosecuted more rapidly than it
is now proceeding"
To Complete Survey.
The report states that the survey of
$500 miles of the Chicago, Rock
Island and Pacific will be completed
by January ! with the exception OF a
few hundred miles in the South.
Surveys of the Boston and Maine also
will be completed this year. Before
applying the test of actual cost TO
roads, however. the report declares
that much more information must be
obtained and has determined to defer
the application OF prices and the
final statement in dollars OF the cost
of reproduction anew.
1T should be noted" explains the
report, that this will not involve de-
lay in the final completion OF the
work. since as soon as the application
of prices can be properly begun, the
work can be speedily brought up"
The commission expresses gratifi-
cation at the decrease in the number
of collisions but says that individual
instances of unsafe operating meth
DDS and violation OF rules ARE still
too numerous" 1t suggests stand
ardization of operating rules TO as
sure, safety of railway travel, to De
obtained through federal legislation.
1t shows that derailments have been
on the increase and that in 1915
there were 1888 collisions and 6,S49
derailments, compared with 5,042
collisions and 3,6333 derailments in
1902.
Unsafe Track Conditions.
Track conditions which are un-
safe for the operation of trains at
the rate OF speed permitted are too
common" says the report. "In sew
eral of the derailments Investigated
the track conditions were found to be
so bad as to be actually unsafe for
\ the passage of trains even at mod
crate speed. yet no special speed re-
straint action were in force. and IL
was common practice for trains to
be operated at unsafe speed over
such track"
Tho commission suggests the need
OF definite Information as to the
physical properties of wheels. rails
and other materials used in track
and equipment and the strains and
| stresses they are required to sustain
In service. DEPARTMENTS caused by
malicious tampering with track or
switches are reported to be on the
increase and present n problem diff
hcult to solve. better policing and n
rigid enforcement OF trespass laws
suggested as remedies.
Up to June 80 plans for 41s auto
matte train control devices had been
presented to the commission for ex-
animation Of which 342 had been ex-
amined and Isl found impracticable
and crude and twenty-five found pos
sessed OF meritorious features. but
required further developmnt before
being entitled TO serious consldera-