Permit me, also, to express my gratitude to our worthy Secretary for his untiring devotion to the varied interests of the Association. As our car wheels cease not to revolve from the beginning to the end of the year, so he has known no rest, but has ever been vigilant and progressive. My acknowledgments are also due to the members of the Executive Committee for their wise oversight and intelligent action. And now, gentlemen, permit me to welcome you, one and all, from every part of our wide land and the sister dominion of Canada, to the feast of reason and the flow of soul, and the stores of experience which have always characterized these gatherings, and which we hope to find in full measure in this Convention; and in it all, and through it all, let us renew the friendships and strengthen the bonds of mutual good-will and helpfulness so deeply and happily planted in former days. Perhaps all of us have at some time in our lives climbed to some lofty mountain top, and looked in joyful wonder upon the outspread scene: the crowded city, the quiet hamlet, the green hills, the valleys of beauty, the majestic river and the silver creeks, all bathed in the sunlight of the Eternal, and have descended filled with lifelong sense of the vastness and beauty of the earth. What such a standpoint and such an outlook is in the realm of nature, this National Capital, to which we have come from all parts of our land, is to you, gentlemen, who think and plan, and give your lives and your best endeavors for all the people. [Applause.] Looking from such a standpoint, we are impressed at once with the national importance of the vast interests here represented, and this feeling grows deeper and broader as we consider the financial relations of our calling with the millions involved; the varied, useful and indispensable relations it sustains to the well-being of every person in every city and every town of any importance in the whole land; the mighty factor it has become in making or unmaking values in properties of all kinds; and especially does this feeling become almost overwhelming when we consider to what grand proportions this industry has grown during the lifetime of the youngest of our members. And when we behold the present hour, throbbing with the mighty energies of newly-discovered forces, and leaping with exultant progress, who dares look into the future and attempt to draw the limit lines to which this business of yours and mine shall yet attain. What comforts for the weary and over-burdened, what newness of strength and of hope for the vast populations of the coming years; what material prosperity and individual well-being! Let us, then, address ourselves with earnestness to the themes to be presented, and let every member contribute the riches of his experience, and the result of his ripest thought to the fund of information and inspiration; and while we consider practical subjects, while we seek to find that fine economy which reduces the cost of each revolution of every wheel; while we search for the reliable and the useful, and the attainable among the multiplex forces we would seek to use; while we seek for the most of physical comfort and swiftest speed; while we probe for every opening to discover the ways and means of securing the largest returns upon the capital entrusted to our care, let us never forget, but ever strive to promote the comfort, hope, liberty and manhood of that vast army of worthy men, whose happiness and the happiness of whose families is so largely in our keeping, involving responsibilities, the height and depth, and length and breadth of which, can be measured only by Omniscience. I thank you, gentlemen, for your kind attention, and will no longer detain you, especially as our Executive Committee has prepared a report which recites the history of the past year, and touches upon the manifold interests of the Association. We will now listen to the report of the Executive Committee. [Applause.] REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. The Secretary read the report, as follows: WASHINGTON, D. C., October 17, 1888. THE AMERICAN STREET-RAILWAY ASSOCIATION: STREET-RAILWAY BUSINESS. As has usually been the case in the year of a Presidential election, the streetrailway business, indicative, as it always is, of the general state of trade, is more or less depressed and unsettled by reason of the coming election, and has not shown the increase in receipts which has marked other years. The expenses of operation have been no less, and as regards labor, in many cases, increased. So far as supplies generally are concerned, their cost has been a trifle more than heretofore, and hence the cost of operation has been somewhat increased. Notwithstanding these conditions, street-railway properties, in most cases, have continued to maintain the high consideration as an investment, which they have in recent years enjoyed. We also take occasion to note the manifest increase during the year over any preceding year, in the construction and equipment of new street-railway properties, as well as in the extension and development of heretofore existing roads. MEMBERSHIP. At the commencement of the meeting in Philadelphia the membership of the Association numbered 152 Companies. At that meeting and during the year, it has been increased by the addition of the following Companies : Sandusky Street Railway Company, Sandusky, Ohio. St. Clair Street Railroad Company, Cleveland, Ohio. Capitol, North O Street and South Washington Railroad Company, Washington, D. C. Pavonia Horse Railroad, Jersey City, N. J. York Street Railroad Company, York, Pa. Citizens' Railway Company, Baltimore, Md. Mt. Auburn Cable Railway Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. Christopher and Tenth Street Railroad Company, New York City, N. Y. North and East River Railroad Company, New York City, N. Y. Hoosac Valley Street Railway Company, North Adams, Mass. Harrisburgh City Passenger Railway Company, Harrisburgh, Pa. Eckington and Soldiers' Home Railway Company, Washington, D. C. The following changes in membership have taken place by withdrawal, consolidation and change of name : The Companies that have withdrawn are : Binghamton, N. Y.-The City Railway Company. Concord, N. H.-The Concord Horse Railroad. Dayton, Ky.-Newport and Dayton Street Railroad Company. By consolidation, The Cambridge, Metropolitan, South Boston and Boston Consolidated Street Railway Companies, all of Boston, were merged into The West End Street Railway Company, of Boston, which became a member in place of the others. The Montreal City Passenger Railway Company, of Canada, has changed its name to The Montreal Street Railway Company, and retains its membership under the new name. The Citizens' Passenger Railway Company, of Pittsburgh, has been changed to The Citizens' Traction Company, and retains its membership under the new name. The Pittsburgh, Oakland and East Liberty Passenger Railroad was purchased by The Pittsburgh Traction Company, which latter Company became a member in place of the former. By consolidation of the Worcester Street Railway Company, formerly a member, and the Citizens' Street Railway Company, not a member, the Worcester Consolidated Street Railway Company, of Worcester, Mass., was formed, and became a member in place of the first named Company. Resulting from the foregoing changes the present membership is 157 Companies. REPORTS OF Committees. 64 Immediately following the last meeting of the Association, the Executive Committee decided that reports should be provided, in addition to that which had already been arranged for by a Special Committee, namely, "Street Railway Mutual Fire Insurance," upon the following subjects, viz: "Conditions necessary to the Financial Success of the Cable Power;" Location and Construction of Car House and Stables;" Progress of Electric Motive Power" and "Street-Railway Taxation." The Committee believes that reports have been prepared upon all but one of these subjects, namely, "Progress of Elec tric Motive Power." By reason of the comparative novelty of the subject, some difficulty was experienced at the outset in assigning the work of the preparation of that report to any gentleman connected with the Association. Our highly esteemed friend, Mr. Calvin A. Richards, a former President of this Association, and at the time General Manager of the West End Street Railway Company, of Boston, finally consented to prepare the report, he having given, as was well known to most of us, much thought and attention to the subject. The retirement of Mr. Richards from the management of the West End Street Railway Company, as well as from the street-railway business, resulted in his desire to be relieved from the preparation of the report. The officers of the Association knew of no one who was then willing to pre. pare the report, and as it was not deemed expedient to have it presented by any one who could not be a delegate to this meeting, this subject will not be treated otherwise than by discussion. There will, we trust, be considerable discussion upon this very important subject, which is at the present time receiving so largely the attention of street-railway men all over the country, both as inventors and operators. It has come to our knowledge that a number of gentlemen prominently connected with several electrical systems intend to be present at this meeting, and the information which may thus be obtained need only be limited by the length of time which the Association may be able to give to the consideration of the subject. JUDICIAL OPINIONS AND DECISIONS. The following Judicial Opinions and Decisions have been issued during the year: 1887. November, H. B. McCurdy against Pittsburgh, Allegheny and Manchester Passenger Railway Company. December, Pittsburgh and Birmingham Passenger Railway Company against Monongahela Bridge Company. January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, 1888. Nathan Lorie against North Chicago City Railway Company. The City of Montreal against the Montreal Street Railway Com pany. The People of the State of New York ex rel. The West Side St. James Black against Brooklyn City Railroad Co. Charles Dibb against Dry Dock, East Broadway and Battery September, James M. Bradshaw against Citizens' St. Railway Co. of Indian October, apolis. City Railway Co., of Trenton, against William H. Lee. AMERICAN STREET-RAILWAY DECISIONS. At the last Annual Meeting there was considerable discussion upon the question of the collation and publication of all obtainable legal opinions concerning street-railways. The question was finally referred to this Committee. Your Committee determined to go to the expense of ascertaining whether the Association was justified in undertaking the publication of such a work A letter was therefore sent to every officer of every street-railway company in the United States, Canada and Great Britain, accompanied with a sample copy of the work, covering sixteen pages, and a blank subscription order form. The following is a copy of the letter: OFFICE OF THE AMERICAN STREET-RAILWAY ASSOCIATION, Dear Sir:-I take pleasure in sending you herewith a few pages from the proposed compilation of American Street-Railway Decisions of the Courts of the United States and Canada. This is in pursuance of a resolution referring the subject to the Executive Committee, after a lengthy discussion at the Annual Meeting of the American Street-Railway Association in October, 1887, at Philadelphia, Pa. It is proposed in this work to make a collection of all reported cases (and of as many unreported cases as practicable), with the Opinions in full. As will be readily understood, the larger the number of subscribers the less will be the cost to each. The volumes will average 500 pages each, and be bound in law sheep. The index will be complete, and table of cases cited accurate. If an edition of five hundred copies can be safely published, each volume can be sold for $5.00. The amount of street-railway litigation already reported is large, and it is impossible to state at present how many volumes will be required to bring the subject-matter to date. It is, however, probable, that five or six volumes will contain everything. In the discussion referred to, some of the gentlemen thought a digest was all that was needed, while others desired the opinions and cases reported in full. If a digest only were issued, it would be necessary for every owner of the digest to own also copies of all the reports, or, at least, have access to them in some large library, while if the cases are reported in full, and a digest of them prepared, the whole subject will then be contained in, and covered by, the volumes intended to be issued. It is in the power of railroad officers and lawyers to make this collection of decisions unique by forwarding to the Secretary important unreported cases. These will be incorporated in the work, and add largely to its value. As the edition in any case will be limited, and will hence become more valuable year by year, it is hoped that those who appreciate its utility (and what street-railroad manager or lawyer will not), will be prompt in acknowledging the receipt of this letter, and forward at once the enclosed subscription blank, duly filled out for one or more copies, that the work may be proceeded with immediately. It is possible to have the first volume issued in two months after a sufficient number of subscriptions shall have been received to warrant the publi cation. Awaiting your reply, I remain, Sincerely yours, WM. J. RICHARDSON, Secretary. |