El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-12-13
WOULD REQUIRE
CARS Of STEEL
Interstate Commerce Com
mission Urges Steel Pas
senger Cars Required.

Washington, D. G, Dec. 13.-Steel
cars for passengers and early enlarge
nent Of the membership of the inter
state commerce comission' with stat
utory power to act through subdivis-
ions and appropriate and adequate
legislation for. control over railway
capitalization were among the impor-
tant recommendation made to congress
today in the commissions annual re-
port
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
the use in passenger trains OF wooden
cars between or in front of steel cars
be prohibited. It was recommended
that the minimum penalty for viola
tons Of the hours Of service act be
fixed at a fine of 500 and that provis-
ion be made that all actions relating to
transportation charges should De
brought within three yers-
Spends Nearly S4.OOO,OOO.
For the fiscal year which ended June
80 last the commission spent $685.
925 including S2,13IS25 for physical
valuation work
sentiuer the commissions work for the
year Under physical valuation work
If reports that since June there have
been u roadway anr track parties IN
the field in each OF the live districts
into which the country has been DIVIDED
and that their total average has been
about 1000 miles per month. BY jan
uary /. the report says surveys OF near
" $4,000 miles Of railroad will virtually
be completed. The total railroad mile
age Of the country is put at 100000 and
the report says that the 100000 miles
left at the beginning of the year should
be surveyed IN the four following years
under the present arrangement
1T is doubtful" 1t adds If under the
present organization, work can be pros
ecuted more rapidly than it is now pro-
ceeding"
Collisions Decrease.
The commission expresses gratifica-
ton at the decrease in the number OF
collisions but says that individual IN
stances of unsafe operating metnoos
and violation of rules are still too nu-
merous" It suggests standardlZa-
ton Of operating rules TO assure sa1e-
ty of railway travel, TO pc obtained
through federal legislation 1t shows
that detrailments have been on the IN
crease and that in 1915 there were o.
SIS collisions and 6,S49 derailments,
compared with 5.042 collisions and B.
633 derailments in 1902
Track conditions which are UNSAFE
for the operation Of trains at the rate
of speed permitted are too common.
saws the report In several Of the de
railments Investigated the track condi-
lions were found TO be so bad as to be
actually unsafe for the passage of the
trains at moderate speed, Yet no special
speed restriction were in force, and It
was common practice for trains to be
operated at unsafe speed over such
track"
Malicious Derailments Increase.
Derailments caused by malicious
tampering with tracks or switches are
reported to be on the increase and pre-
sent a problem difficult to solve, bet
ter policing of tracks and a rigid en-
forcement of trespass laws being suS-
gested as remedies
Up to June 80 plans for as automatic
train control devices had been presented
to the commission for examination of
which 342 had been examined and
PSI found impracticable and crude and
25 found possessed OF meritorious fea-
lures but required further development
before being entitled to serious con-
sideration. The block system Of Ope-
ration is declared to have proved its
superiority over any other.