of meeting sixty days previous to the time of meeting, and give notice to all the

members of the Association.

The motion was carried.

On page 198 appears the following:

On motion of Mr. Cleminshaw, the following resolution was adopted:

Resolved, That in accordance with the recommendation of the Executive Committee, as embodied in the report, the question of the selection of the next place of meeting, following the next place of meeting, be referred to the Executive Committee, whose duty it shall be to take under advisement the question of hotel accommodations and special rates, as an inducement for the Association to go to any certain city; and as soon as the selection is made, the Secretary be requested to notify the members of the selection so made.

The resolution was adopted.

Mr. Stephenson If you change your by laws and say the Executive Committee shall select the place of meeting, we are in the hands of the Executive Committee and cannot change it. I understand they recommend Milwaukee. I do not suppose there will be any objections to Milwaukee. I presume we will go to Milwaukee next year; but why say that the Executive Committee shall select the place of meeting, and shall have the power to say whether or not we shall meet in a certain place. Under that proposed amendment the matter will be taken entirely out of the control of the Association. It puts the whole control in the hands of the Executive Committee. The Association should retain the power itself. I move to add these words: "to be approved by the Association at its annual meeting."

Mr. Payne:

It seems to me we all want to get at the same re

sult, and that is, if any city proposes after we have designated the place, to take advantage of the Association, or fails to provide suitable accommodation, that the power rests with the Executive Committee to make a change in the city. I think that is entirely Suppose the Executive Committee designates a certain

proper.

place, and after you have voted to go there, your Executive Committee finds that the hotel people do not carry out in good faith their agreement, there ought to be some power to change the place

of meeting.

Mr. Stephenson: I understand that is already provided for. It

was a

resolution which was intended to apply to all future meet

ings. I think it will bear that construction.

Mr. Bean: May I ask the Secretary if the Committee acted under the motion of Mr. Stephenson, passed at the last meeting,

as it appears on page 197, or under Mr. Cleminshaw's resolution, as printed on page 198?

The Secretary: The Committee acted under Mr. Cleminshaw's resolution.

Mr. Bean: I do not think it is the intention or desire of the Executive Committee to take any powers from the members of this Association; but it seems to me that there ought to be some power put into some hands where the interests of the Association will be properly looked after. The Executive Committee desires to run this Association in the interests of its members. The officers are the creatures of the Association appointed by the members at large. If the members will simply give the Executive Committee power to change the place of meeting, when for any reason it is desirable, without calling the Convention together, it will be proper.

Mr. Stephenson: If the Secretary will read my motion again, I think the members will see that it does not apply to the city of Cleveland especially; it applies to all cities which in the future the Association shall select as places of meeting. If the Secretary will read the motion again, I think it will bear that interpretation.

The Secretary read the motion again.

Mr. Stephenson: It seems to be a little indefinite; it does not seem to go any further than Cleveland.

Mr. Johnson: I recommend that you change the word next to any. Mr. Stephenson: If you change the word next to any, that will overcome the difficulty; and I move that the word "next" be changed to "any."

Mr. McNamara: It seems to me there is a motion already pending. I think there must be some way of clearing the docket. Mr. Bean withdrew his motion.

Mr. Stephenson: I offer the following resolution for adoption: Resolved, That in case the officers of the Association cannot make satisfactory arrangements with the hotels at the place selected for any future annual meeting, that the Executive Committee be authorized to change the place of meeting sixty days previous to the time of meeting, and to give notice to all the members of the Association.

Mr. Lang: I was about to make the point of order that you were substantially amending the By-laws by this resolution.

Mr. Richardson: In what way, I would like to know, do you amend a by-law by giving additional power to your Executive Committee?

Mr. Littell: Mr. Chairman, the by-laws read:

The regular meeting of the Association shall be held on the third Wednesday in October in each year, at such hour and place as shall be designated at the preceding meeting. Special meetings may be held upon the order of the Executive Committee.

Mr. Richardson: In the first place, this is not an amendment to the by-laws; and in the second place, if it was in order to adopt it a year ago, with reference to this meeting at Cleveland, it is as clearly as much in order to adopt it now with reference to all future meetings, without considering it an amendment to the by-laws. It simply gives the power of the Association to the Executive Committee to change the place of meeting under cer

tain conditions.

:

Mr. McNamara I dislike to differ with my venerable friend; I might say preceptor; but we have to differ sometimes. I think the gentlemen who contend that this resolution is in the nature of an amendment to the by-laws are clearly in the right. It is that or it is nothing. I contend that this resolution, if passed, does not amount to anything, the by-laws being unamended, expressly stating that the Association shall determine the time and place of meeting. That is the by-law, and the Association is powerless to delegate to a committee that which the by-law says it shall do itself. The resolution passed at the Pittsburgh meeting did not amount to anything, if anyone saw fit to object. Of course, the American Street-Railway Association is a community. in itself; what you acquiesce in is all right. But it seems to me we ought to go according to the law, and there is no way to confer this power on the Executive Committee except by amending the by-laws; that is, if you pay any respect to the rules of law and construction. The by laws do not say that proposed amendments shall be presented to the Association; it is enough if the amendment is in some way proposed to the Executive Committee, and that Committee reports it to the next meeting of the AssociaIt seems to me that there is a chance to act upon this resolution in the form of an amendment to the by-laws. The Executive Committee has had the matter under advisement, and has reported it to the Association. I always like to see fair play. It seems to me that the amendment is properly before the Associa

tion.

tion.

Mr. Littell: I do not object to any of these resolutions, except

that they

are not in accordance with law.

Mr. Payne: I do not understand constitutional law, but I understand that giving the Committee the power to change the place of meeting has had a wonderful effect on the delegates' pockets. It is simply done to meet an emergency of that kind.

The Vice President: The Chair desires to state that it is convinced that the amendment is properly before the Association. The Secretary: I will read the article in question as it stands : Resolved, That Article VII. of the By-laws be amended by the insertion of the words "by the Executive Committee," immediately following the word "designated" on the third line as printed.

It is proposed to alter it by the insertion of the words "by the Executive Committee" after the word "designated.”

Mr. Richardson: And the words "and approved by the Association" to be added. Notwithstanding the opinion of my friend McNamara, given as a lawyer, although I am only an ignorant layman, I cannot appreciate the correctness of the opinion that this Association is denuded of the power to give any further authority to its Executive Committee unless it does it in the shape of an amendment to its by-laws. It is difficult for me to appreciate the opinion, although I bow to the weight of the authority.

Mr. McNamara: I want to say a few words in defence of myself. I want to have the good opinion of my friend from Brooklyn. I do not want to be understood as saying that this Convention cannot confer power on its Executive Committee; but it cannot confer power on its Executive Committee to do something which the by laws say it must do itself. It can give power to the Executive Committee to do anything which is not provided for by the by-laws.

Mr. Richardson: All I can say is that in the city from which the gentleman comes (Albany) I learned a rule, and it became a part of my education, that whatever a legislative body may do itself, it may authorize a committee to do for it.

The Vice-President: The question is on the amendment to Article VII. of the By-laws. The Secretary will read the proposed amendment.

The Secretary read the proposed amendment, as follows:

Resolved, That Article VII. of the By-laws be amended by the insertion of the words "by the Executive Committee and approved by the Association," immediately following the word "designated" on the third line as printed.

Mr. Stephenson: I offer as an additional amendment the resolution which I offered at Pittsburgh, giving the Committee the power to change the place of meeting on sixty days' notice.

The Vice-President: The amendment of the gentleman from Washington is not presented in proper form. Any amendments not presented by the Executive Committee are out of order.

Mr. Stephenson: It seems that we are entirely in the hands of the Executive Commiteee, and cannot consider the amendment of a by-law unless it is first presented by them. I will inquire if the amendment suggested by Mr. Richardson was offered by five members? Mr. Richardson offered an amendment to the by-laws as read by the Secretary. I think my amendment is properly. before the house. My resolution was made in good faith, and is in order.

The Secretary I rise to a point of order, that this discussion is out of order. The order of business following the election of officers, is the reading and discussion of papers of which notice has been given to the Secretary at least thirty days prior to the meeting. Following that is the eighth order of business, which is "General Business." There has been no action of the Association which would warrant the introduction of this business at this stage of the meeting.

The Vice-President: I decide that the Secretary's point of order is well taken, and must rule out any further discussion on this subject.

ACTION RELATIVE TO STANDARD RATING OF RAILWAY

MOTORS.

The manufacturers

For instance, one

Mr. F. S. Holmes: I wish to thank Mr. Crosby for the persistent manner in which he has been hammering away at this subject of standardizing units and terms. This matter of rating motors is in my mind a very important one. of dynamos have been accustomed to rate them by the number of lights which they will burn at candle power. manufacturer offers his machine to develop four hundred lights of sixteen candle power; and another manufacturer offers his machine to develop the same number of lights; but the difference between these two machines is the difference between six and five, for the lamp of the first manufacturer takes six-tenths of an ampere and of the second five-tenths of an ampere. Now,

gentlemen,

if we can standardize our motors as dynamos ought