orders of the commission unless they were in effect confiscatory. INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION. The year 1910 was an active one for the Interstate Commerce Commission. In addition to consider ing evidence on the rate increases asked by the railways, which occupied much of the commission's time during the last half of the year, it disposed of 817 formal complaints on its docket and 671 new cases were filed for future consideration. For criminal violations of the interstate commerce laws 44 new indictments were returned and 43 prosecutions were concluded. Aggregate fines of $63,500 were imposed against 41 defendants found guilty. The commission says in its annual report for 1910: The fight against discrimination is by no means won. Those practices still remaining are more insidious and more difficult of extirpation than open rebating. Certain divisions with terminal railroads, payments for the use of plant facilities, payments to shippers for performing for themselves services not incumbent upon the carrier, arrangements with private car lines and the ownership of industrial corporations by carrier corporations and the ownership of carrier corporations by industrial corporations are the more prominent and lawful examples of the abuses now continuing." The decision against the Pullman Company was of the most general interest of any case considered by the commission. In April the commission held that the sleeping car rates charged by the Pullman Company between points in the Northwest were unreasonable and ordered the company to establish a differential between upper and lower berth rates. The Pullman Company appealed to the courts, but when the hearing was called it announced that it had decided to make substantial reductions in all lower berth rates and also that it would charge about 20 per cent less for upper berths than for lower berths. The reduction it is estimated will amount to nearly $1,500,000 annually. The commission also ordered reductions of nearly 20 per cent. in the freight rates between the Missouri River and Seattle, Salt Lake City, and other western points. STRIKES AND WAGE INCREASES. The year 1910 opened with a strike of switchmen in progress in the Northwest which was quickly and decisively won by the railways. On July 18 a strike of conductors, brakemen, and yardmen was declared on the Grand Trunk Railroad but it was ended with concessions by both sides early in August. Several other strikes were seriously threatened, but all trouble was peaceably settled by arbitration. The trainmen on several Eastern roads demanded standardization of wages in accord with those paid by the Pennsylvania Railroad which are the highest of any railway in the country. In general these demands were met. In the West the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers sought very large increases from 61 roads. Their demands were refused and a strike vote was taken but the matter was finally referred to arbitration and an average advance of 10 per cent. was granted. Railroad wages are now higher than ever before. RAILWAY EARNINGS AND EXPENSES. The increases in wages were made for the most part late in the spring and the results in increased operating expenses did not show in the returns for the fiscal year ended June 30. Up to July 1 the railroads had enjoyed a prosperous year and their earnings both gross and net were the largest ever reported, exceeding even the record figures of 1907. The returns to the Interstate Commerce Commission for the fiscal year 1910, showed gross earnings from operation of $2,787,266,136 and operating expenses of $1,847,189,773 as compared with gross earnings in 1909 of $2,444,694,668 and operating expenses of $1,616,571,846. During the last half of the year gross earnings fell off somewhat and the large wage increases, coupled with increased cost of supplies, lowered net earnings even more sharply. Railroads ceased buying all supplies except those most urgently needed, and pending a decision on the freight rate increases work was stopped on many improvements and extensions. The year closed with improvement work at a standstill and with little prospect of resumption until something definite was learned as to the possibility of increasing earnings through charging higher rates. RECEIVERSHIPS AND FORECLOSURE SALES. The falling off in earnings during the last half of the year did not involve any important roads in serious financial difficulties and only seven properties with a total mileage of 735 and total liabilities of $51,427,500 were placed in the receivers' hands. Of these the Buffalo & Susquehanna Railway with 361 miles of track and $31,568,000 of liabilities was the largest system. Eighteen roads with an aggregate of 1100 miles of track and $93,660,109 of stock and funded debt were sold at foreclosure sale. Most of the roads which were thrown into receivers' hands in 1907 and 1908 have now been reorganized and are out of difficulty. RAILWAY FINANCING. The year was a poor one for floating large issues of securities. Legislation, wage advances, and the uncertainty over the possibility of rate increases impaired the credit of railways generally and this, coupled with a stagnant market and a demand from investors for high interest rates prevented the suc cessful sale of securities. Early in the year sev eral large issues were sold abroad. Among these were $50,000,000 of 4 per cent. debenture bonds of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul and $10,000,000 of 4 per cent. debenture bonds of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis. The aggregate of new railway securities sold during the year was close to $950,000,000 as compared with $1,100,000,000 sold in 1909. Few significant changes were made in dividend rates during the year. The Canadian Pacific advanced its regular dividend rate from 6 per cent. to 7 per cent. and also declared an extra dividend of 1 per cent. The Chesapeake & Ohio increased its rate from 3 per cent. to 5 per cent. and a dividend of 4 per cent. on the common stock of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis was declared. There were important reductions in dividend rates. CHANGES IN OWNERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT. The number and importance of changes in railway ownership and control during the year was less than in 1909. The Chesapeake & Ohio, controlled by Edwin Hawley, acquired the Hocking Valley and the Kanawha & Michigan, giving it an entrance into Toledo, and it also bought the Chicago, Cincinnati & Louisville, which gives it an entrance into Chicago. Phelps Dodge & Company purchased the securities of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific which the Pearson-Farquhar syndicate, composed of Englishmen, was forced to sell after a sharp drop in the market. 621 RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION. The new railway track built in 1910 exceeded the mileage built in 1909 by about 10 per cent., although few new projects were started. Statistics compiled by the Railway Age Gazette show that 4122 miles of main line track were built during the calendar year as compared with 3748 miles built in 1909. The longest single piece of construction was 160 miles between Lubbock and Coleman, Tex., which is part of a cut-off 310 miles long which the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fé is building between Coleman, Tex., and Texico, N. Mex. The Chicago, Milwaukee & Puget Sound built 421 miles in the four States of Idaho, Washing ton, North Dakota, and South Dakota. In Canada work was pushed on both the eastern and western ends of the Grand Trunk Pacific and 772 miles were completed. Other Canadian roads were also active in construction work and the total for the northern half of the continent was 1844 miles as compared with 1488 miles in 1909. The total mileage of steam railways in the United States reporting to the Interstate Commerce Commission for fiscal year ended June 30, 1910, was 239,652 as compared with 233,902 miles in 1909. The railways of the world according to statistics compiled by the Archiv für Eisenbahnwesen had an aggregate mileage of 611,478 at the end of 1908 divided by continents as follows: Europe, 202,109; Asia, 58,813; Africa, 19,211; North America, 274,372; South America, 39,013; Australasia, 17,960. RAILWAYS In March a disastrous snow slide in the Cascade Mountains near Willington carried away four of the six electric locomotives used by the Great Northern in hauling trains through the Cascade Tunnel. The overhead wires were broken down and the locomotives were buried under tons of snow and rock. They were not seriously damaged, however, and were raised and repaired in a few weeks. Electric operation was not resumed until early in the summer. See ELECTRIC RAILWAYS. CAR AND LOCOMOTIVE BUILDING. Late in 1909 the railways ordered large numbers of cars and locomotives in anticipation of heavy traffic to be handled in 1910 and these orders kept the builders busy during the first half of the year. Following the wage increases in the early spring and the uncertainty as to the future as the result of the passage of the Mann-Elkins act, the railways ceased ordering new equipment and by the end of the year the output of the car and locomotive builders had dropped to very low figures. On the whole, however, the output compared favorably with the average of recent years. Statistics compiled by the Railway Age Gazette show that 50 car builders in the United States and Canada built 180,945 freight cars and 4412 passenger cars, or a total of 185,357 cars as compared with 96,419 cars in 1909. The following table shows the number of cars built in each year since 1905: Returns from 12 locomotive builders in the United States and Canada show A total of 16,445 miles were built in 1908 and the increase since 1904 was 61,505 miles. The total capital invested in the world's rail. Year. ways is estimated at $51,184,000,000. ELECTRIFICATION. The most important event in heavy electric traction during 1910 was the completion and commencement of electric operation of the Pennsylvania tunnels under New York City. The terminal station at Seventh Avenue and Thirty-third Street and the tubes under the East River were opened for trains of the Long Island Railroad on September 8, and on November 27 all Pennsylvania Railroad through trains from South and West were operated into the new station. The New York Central extended its suburban electric zone 12 miles north on the Harlem Division to White Plains and on the Hudson River Division to Yonkers. Active construction work was begun in October on the electrification of the Hoosac Tunnel on the Fitchburg Division of the Boston & Maine. This tunnel is one of the longest in the world and great trouble has been experienced in operating trains through it hauled by steam locomotives. The single-phase alternating current system using an overhead wire conductor has been adopted for the tunnel work. The tunnel of the Michigan Central under Detroit River was opened for traffic early in December. It is used both for freight and passenger trains, which are hauled by direct current locomotives. 1905 1906 1907 BLOCK SIGNALS. Nearly 6000 miles of track were equipped with block signals of some kind during 1910 bringing the total up to 69,311 miles. Of this total, 17,365 miles are protected with automatic block signals. RAILWAY ACCIDENTS. The reports of railway accidents compiled by the Interstate Commerce Commission for the year ended June 30, 1910, show a large increase over 1909. The total casualties were 86,178 including 3804 deaths and 82,374 injuries. The increased casualties were from all causes but the largest increase was under the classification "other causes which includes deaths and injuries to trespassers. The detail record for 1909 and 1910 is given at top of page 622. MONORAIL. The gyroscope monorail car brought out in Great Britain in 1909 by Louis Brennan, the inventor, attracted wide attention but no monorailways employing this principle were built or actively projected in 1910. In the United States one experimental monorailway 3 miles long was built in the suburbs of New York City connecting Bartow and City Island. On the first public trip on July 17, the car was derailed while running at 30 miles per hour and several passengers were injured. The derailment occurred on a curve and was due to weak construction of the supports of the overhead guiding rail. The overhead structure was rebuilt and strengthened and regular operation was menced in November. The system employed for this line is known as the Tunis system and was first tried at the Jamestown Exposition. The car runs on a single ground rail and two com either motors are mounted on each driving axle with RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION. WAYS. See RAIL RAILWAY, EIGHT HOUR LAW. See LABOR. RAT-BITE FEVER. Under this name Horder, of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, reported three cases of a previously undescribed disease, adding something to our knowl edge of the rôle which this rodent plays in the dissemination of disease. Each of the cases reported had sustained a bite from a rat, and after an incubation period of three to four weeks inflammation of the lymph channels in the tissues about the bite set in, accompanied by malaise, anorexia, and fever. At the same time, hard, reddened patches appeared, irregularly distributed over the skin, and tender swellings in the muscles. The attack may last from a few days to a week, and a series of similar attacks follow at intervals, sometimes for several months, the intervals varying from three to ten days. No germ was found in the blood, but Horder believes that the infective agent is a protozoön. RATE DISCRIMINATIONS. See RAILWAYS. RATIONS.. See MILITARY PROGRESS. RATE REGULATION. See RAILWAYS. RECALL. The recall is the most modern of the new "checks" on the exercise of administrative powers. is a provision for the removal of an elected In its simplest terms it official (although in some places there is a suggestion that it be applied to appointive officials as well) by an affirmative vote of the electors at a special election called by a formal petition to which a varying percentage (usually 25) of the electors have attached their signatures. in 1903 seems to have been the first city to CITIES HAVING THE RECALL. Los Angeles, have made the recall a part of its city charter. In 1905, San Diego, Cal., San Bernardino, Cal., Pasadena, Cal., and Fresno, Cal., followed. In 1906, Seattle joined the list and in 1907 there were added Everett in Washington and six cities in California, viz: Santa Monica, Alameda, Long Beach, Valleio, Riverside and San Francisco. Of the commission-governed cities, the following have a recall provision: Dallas, Fort Worth, Denison, Austin, Waco, Palestine, Corpus Christi, Marshall and Amarillo, Texas; RAPPAPORT, K. S. See LITERATURE, Leinston, Idaho; Huntington and Bluefield, ENGLISH AND AMERICAN, Biography. West Virginia (the latter through a citizens' RASSAM, HORMUZD. A Syrian Orientalist, board); Haverhill and Lynn, Massachusetts; died September 16, 1910. He was born at Colorado Springs and Grand Junction, ColMossul, in northern Mesapotamia, opposite the orado; Berkeley and Oakland, California; Washington; McAlester, site of Nineveh, in 1826. In 1845 he joined Tacoma, Sapulpa, Austin Henry Layard as assistant in his Enid, Ardmore, Tulsa, Muskogee and BartlesAssyrian researches and lived with him for ville, Oklahoma.* The State commission govmore than two years. When Mr. Layard re- ernment laws which provide a recall for the turned to England, Rassam accompanied him cities availing themselves of the act are: and completed his studies at Oxford. In 1849 Iowa, Kansas (cities of the first class); Illihe was sent by the trustees of the British Museum to accompany Mr. Layard in his second undertaking and he was later placed in charge of an independent expedition. In 1864 he went to Abyssinia and was made a prisoner and kept in chains for nearly two years by King Theodore. From 1876 to 1882 he again conducted Assyrian explorations. During the Turco-Russian War he was sent by the British Foreign Office on a special mission to Asia Minor, Armenia and Kurdistan to inquire into the condition of the different Christian communities. He was the author of British Mission to Theodore, King of Abyssinia; Ashur, and the Land of Nimrod; The Garden of Eden, and Biblical Sages and Biblical Lands. Dakota; South nois; South Carolina and Louisiana. In Minnesota the cities adopting a commission plan may include the recall. Oregon adopted an amendment to its constitution (June 1, 1908) by a vote of 58,381 for to 31,002 against, which provides for the recall of State officials. The amendment, which was proposed on initiative petition, gave "to the voters the power to call a special election at any time to discharge any public officer and to elect his successor.' LOS ANGELES. Los Angeles was the first to adopt a recall provision and the first city to ceedings of the Buffalo Meeting of the National * See paper of Dr. E. S. Bradford in the "Pro Municipal League. |