Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1915-12-13
WOULD INCREASE
MEMBERSHIP OF
|. c. COMMISSION
ANNUAL REPORT SUGGESTS LEGlS-
LATION FOR CONTROL OVER THE
RAILWAY CAPITALIZATION.
RECOMMENDS THAT IT SHOULD
HAVE EXPRESS AUTHORITY OF
LAW TO HAVE ACCESS TO FILES.

Washington. ID. g.. Dee. l3.-Early en-
t~cr>tatc commission with
lareement Of the membership Of the IN
statutory power To act through >ubdi
visions. and appropriate and adequate
legislation for control over railway cap
ltalizatiOn were among the important
Communications made to congress to
Hay in the commissions annual report.
The commission suggested that il
should have cXpreSs' authority Of Law
80 have access To the letter files of ear
ricrS; that the use IF steel ears in pas
>cngcr trains DC required and that the
use in passenger trains IF wooden ears
Between or in front of steel cars h. pro
hibitcd. II was recommended that the
minimum penalty for violations Of the
hours of service act BE- fixed III "A Zine
# 500 and that provision he made that
III actions relating 10 transportation
harecS should be brought within three
years.
For The fiscal year which ended jane
% last the commission spent ei.Ts3. g2J
including -. l3l 80 for phvSi"a, vnlna
Ton work. It's estimates for he year
- hich begins July |. next already have
been submitted 10 congress.
The report is largely devoted TO pre-
>entiug the commissions work for the
YEAR Under physical valuation II rc
ports that since June there nave been u
roadway and track parties in the field
in each If five districts into which the
country has been divided and thai their
total average has been about 1904 miles
per month. BY january |. The report
saws surveys of nearly ~. 900 miles of
railroad will virtually be completed. The
total railroad mileage of the country !
put ut go 900 and the report SAYS that
the POO 900 miles left at the beginning of
the year should be surveyed in the four
following years under the present ar
~rangcmcnt.
lit is doubtful" il adds IF under the
present organization. work can be PROSE
cutcd more rapidly than il is now pro
crcding.''
The report states that the survey oi
500 mile. Of the Chicago. Rock Island
n Pacific viii be- completed by January
| with the exception of Il few hundred
miles in the south surveys NJ ~" B"~tn"
n Maine also will bc completed this year
Before applying the tests Of actual cost
10 reads. hnvcvrr the Scnor declares
thar much more information must be Oh
tanned and has determined to defer the
application of prices and the final state
mcnt in dollars Of the cost of reproduc-
ton anew.
III should be noted" explains the re
port that this will not involve delay
i'll the final coInnlction ~ the work
since rs soon aS the application of pr
ceS can be- properly begun. the WORK
can be- speedily brought up.''
The commission expresses qualification
IA the decrease in the number Of rolli
Sions but says that individual instances
Of unsafe operating methods and viola
ton Of rules ARE still too numerous
1t suggests a standardization of operat
ing rules to assure safety Of railway
travel. to be obtained through federal
legislation. 1t shows hat derailments
have been on the increase and that IL
1915 there were 3.53S collisions and 6.Si!
dcrailments. compared with 50i2 coli
SionS and 1886 derailments in 1907.
: Track conditions which are nnsaf'