^ *5. T\ ^ NEW ENGLAND MILWAY CAR ACCOUNTING ASSOCIATION. Boston, Feb. 11, 1880. Pursuant to the call of the Executive Committee of this Association, the members convened, at one o’clock p.m., at the Stockholders’ Room of the Boston and Providence Railroad Company, the following Roads being represented : Boston and Albany; Boston, Barre, & Gardner; Boston and Maine; Boston and Providence; Central Vermont; Cheshire; Connecticut River ; Connecticut Western; Eastern; Fitchburg; Housatonic; Nashua and Lowell; New York and New England; New York, New Haven, and Hartford ; Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain ; Old Colony; Pennsylvania; Providence, Warren, and Bristol ; Provi- dence and Worcester Red Line and National Despatch Line. Mr. A. A. Folsom of the Boston & Providence R.R. called the meeting to order; and, on motion of Mr. Lansing Millis of the Central Vermont R.R., Mr. Folsom was elected Chairman of the meeting, Mr. E. C. Robinson of the New York, New Haven, & Hartford R.R. being elected Secretary. Mr. Folsom of the Executive Committee stated that Auditors had been appointed to examine the accounts of the Manager, and that they had made a report, which he would present for the action of the meeting. This report is as follows : — Messrs. William Bliss, A. A. Folsom, & G. W. Bentley, Executive Committee of the New England Railway Car Accounting Association. Gentlemen, — At your request the undersigned have made a thorough examination of the books, accounts, disbursements, and management of the New England Railway Car Accounting Association, and we would respect- fully report, — First, We have examined the books and accounts of the Manager from date of organization (May 1, 1878) to Jan. 1, 1880, and the balance-sheet of the last date, and find them to be correct. Second, We have examined all the vouchers paid, and find them to be correct. Third, Wh find the cash account to be correct up to the date of examina- tion (Jan. 22, 1880). In closing this report your Committee beg leave to bear their unanimous ■£■ 2 . 5 & 2 . 4 testimony to the economy of management, efficiency of organization, and the practical development of the purpose for which this Association was formed. Your Committee would also recommend that the Manager be furnished with a larger working capital in order that still greater economy can be attained, and that the Manager may be relieved from most vexatious annoy- ances, arising from inability to promptly liquidate his indebtedness. Respectfully submitted. M. E. BARBER, Auditor, B. & A. R.R. E. C. ROBINSON, Auditor, N. Y., N. H., & H. R.R. JAMES DAILY, Auditor, B. & P. R. R. Auditing Committee. Boston, Jan. 22, 1880. Mr. Folsom stated for the information of the meeting that the recommendation of the auditors had received attention, the working capital having been increased $1,000 by a loan of $500 from the Boston & Lowell R.R. Co., and $500 from the Boston & Providence. The report was, on motion, adopted, and placed on file. The Manager, Mr. E. B. Hill, being called upon, read the following MANAGER’S REPORT. In submitting this my first report of the operations of this Bureau, it will not, perhaps, be amiss for me to refer to the circumstances under which the Association generally known as the “New England Railway Car Accounting Association” was organized. A few years ago, when freight-cars were seldom if ever allowed to go off their own line, Car Accounts were virtually unknown ; but as the interchange of cars became more frequent, and the method of settling for their use on foreign roads at a certain rate per mile became general, every Railroad Company was obliged to adopt some system by which they could ascertain the mileage of foreign cars on their line, and render an account of the same to the owners. This at first was an easy matter to do ; bat as the business increased, bringing with it the constant demand for information as to the disposition of foreign cars, it required more and more clerical labor, necessitating, on many roads, the formation of a new department, with a number of clerks doing nothing else. Many different devices or systems 5 had been introduced to make the work more effective, to enable a road to keep better track of its cars, and to have some check on the car-service. The Western roads have heretofore been very far in advance of the Eastern roads — those in New England, especially — in recognizing the importance of this branch of the railway ser- vice, and the necessity of having some system about it. A good system of accounts in any department involves clerical labor, and clerical labor cannot be had without its costing money. Now, every railroad official knows, that if he can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the management of his road that he can increase their receipts, or decrease their expenses, by having a good system of accounts in any department, the money will be forthcoming. But these car-service accounts had some peculiar features. A good system meant additional expense incurred for clerk-hire, and additional expense for the use of cars, without apparently any corresponding gain. A road with the most elaborate system of car accounts that could be devised could not increase their income one dollar. It might, perhaps, give them a little satisfaction to know that they were paying every dollar they owed for the use of cars ; but it did not give them the greater satisfaction of knowing that they were getting all that was due them: so most of them thought it best to “ let well enough alone.” It is not to be wondered at, that, under these circumstances, we found it a very difficult task to get enough roads into this arrangement to make a test practicable. We found very few who objected to the proposed new system because they were opposed to it in principle ; but they thought we never could get all the New-England roads, or even a majority of them, into it; and they argued that it was not for their interest to join this move- ment if their neighbors kept up the old system, and made up the accounts from their way-bills. They said it was too much of a “ heads } t ou win, tails I lose ” arrangement ; and they always ended the argument with the encouraging remark, “ You get all the other roads in, and we will come in.” I will not take up your time with an account of all the dis- couragements Wie met with. Suffice it to say, that, after nearly seventeen months’ hard work, we succeeded in inducing fifteen Companies to sign an agreement to pay the expense of trying the thing for six months, a majority of the other Roads agreeing 6 to give us a duplicate of their conductors’ reports in order to make the test practicable. On the 11th of April, 1878, the representatives of the fifteen Roads held a meeting here in Boston, and it was decided to give me authority to go ahead, and put the plan into practical operation. In two weeks from that time, we had found suitable offices, had desks and other furniture built, books and blanks printed, engaged clerks, and on the first day of May commenced operations. The six months given me to demonstrate the practicability of this scheme passed. The fifteen Roads with which we started seemed satisfied ; others came in to try it, and they remained; and to-day we have in the Association 47 Roads and five of the freight Lines. From the day we commenced operations up to the present time, not a single road has withdrawn from the Association, — a fact which will require no comments, as it tells its own story. I think there can be no question now but that this idea of concentrating the work of a large number of roads at one cen- tral point is, at least so far as New England is concerned, no* longer an experiment. It has been practically demonstrated, and has been proved to be a success. This result has not been attained, however, without meeting with many difficulties, which, so far as they have been overcome, it is not necessary for me to refer to here. But others still exist which have caused me much embarrassment, and which I have been unable to surmount, and to these I beg leave to call your attention. The first is the lack of a thorough working organization. During the twenty-one months that this Bureau has been in operation, I have had no rules or regulations to guide me, by which I could hold others. I have been left to manage the affairs of this institution as my judgment dictated ; and, as I acted without any specific authority, I have often been greatly embarrassed to know how to decide the many questions which were constantly presenting themselves. I have done the best I could under the circumstances; but whoever has the manage- ment of this institution in future should be relieved from the embarrassments I have been subjected to. A proper working organization is imperatively necessary , if this work is to continue ; and I would respectfully ask that a committee be appointed to present for adoption at this^meeting a form of Constitution and By-Laws by which the operations of this institution shall be governed in future. 7 The Apportionment of the Expenses is a matter which I hope will be adjusted at this meeting. The present basis of settle- ment is unsatisfactory to many of the Roads in the Association, and is certainly not an equitable one, as some Roads pay more than they ought to, and others not enough. This has been a great source of embarrassment to me ; has kept me in hot water, so to speak, ever since we commenced operations. YVhen the subject is brought up, I will explain in detail the method we have of dividing the expenses, and shall be prepared to answer any questions which the gentlemen may wish to ask. The next point to which I wish to call your attention is the illegitimate use of cars, or, in other words, the use of foreign cars in local service. Looking over our books, which are as good as a bird’s-ej^e view of New England, we see to what ex- tent this evil is practised everywhere. No road that I know of is free from it. But, while all are guilty, some are more guilty than others. To a great extent this can be prevented, if you teel so disposed, by attaching a penalty which will be so heavy ♦that no road will be tempted to use a car in local service, except in cases of great emergency; and then whoever so uses them will have to pay roundly for the privilege. I have here a copy of an agreement which was entered into by all the New- England Roads some ten years ago. It was intended to pre- vent these same abuses ; but the trouble was, it could not be carried out. This agreement can be revived, or rather one of similar intent can be drawn up, and, if agreed to by the repre- sentatives of the New-England Roads, I will guarantee that it can be carried out. My idea is, that a certain rate per mile, say five cents, be charged for the use of cars in local service, and perhaps a certain rate per diem in addition, if, after having been . so used, they are allowed to stand at a station over twenty-four hours. By means of the records we have in this office, the facts are known*, and there is no reason why such an arrangement is not practicable. I leave the matter for your consideration. Cars are often hauled empty by a wrong route towards home, and, being stopped at some junction station because they did not come that way, are hauled back, and finally sent home by the roundabout way they came. I think in doing this the New- England roads often make a serious mistake, and subject them- selves to a greater expense than is necessary. Let me give you an illustration of this. Northern Railroad Car No. 133 was 8 loaded from some point on its own road to Ansonia, Conn., on the New Haven and Derby Railroad. It was delivered to tlie Concord Railroad at Concord, to the Worcester and Nashua at Nashua, to the Norwich and Worcester at Worcester, to the New York and New England at Putnam, to the New York, New Haven, and Hartford at Hartford, and to the New Haven and Derby Railroad at New Haven. On its return, the New York, 1 New Haven, and Hartford Railroad took it to Springfield, and delivered it to the Connecticut River Railroad, and it went straight north until the Central Vermont stopped it at Bellows Falls, within eighteen miles of Claremont Junction, where it would have been home. They returned it to Springfield, where the New York, New Haven, and Hartford refused to receive it from the Connecticut River Railroad, claiming that the car was originally received from that road. They finally telegraphed me, and we told them by what route to return the car, and it was then returned as it came. Now for a few figures. When that car stood at Bellows Falls, it was, as before stated, within 18 miles of home by the most direct route, and 273 miles by the way it came. It is a very low estimate to say that it would cost two cents a mile to haul that car back, or 15.46 for the entire distance, to which must be added the car-service at one cent per mile, making the actual cost to the companies that hauled that car back not less than |8.19. It was seventeen days after the car arrived at Bellows Falls before it was delivered to the Northern Railroad at Concord, during which time that Company, of course, lost the use of the car. The roads that hauled the car back that 273 miles could have well afforded to pay enough to make it an object for the Central Vermont to haul it from Bellows Falls to Claremont Junction ; and the Northern Railroad would, no doubt, gladly have waived the 18 cents car-service, rather than been deprived of the use of the car for seventeen days. The car, of course, should have been returned in the first place by the route it came ; but you will see that the point I wish to make is, that if, as often is the case, a car gets off the right route, and so near home that it would be cheaper to pay a fixed rate per mile for hauling it the remaining distance than to haul it by the roundabout way back, this rate should be paid, and assessed on the roads that would have to haul it back. I do not think there would be much objection to this arrangement from any quarter. f 9 There is another point in connection with this same subject that should be understood. When a car is hauled empty to a junction station to be delivered to a connecting road, and that road refuses to receive it, and the car is hauled back to be sent by some other route, some roads do not allow any mileage, and others — a very large majority of the roads — do allow it. The argument of the Roads that do not pay the mileage — that they derive no revenue from the use of the car, and therefore ought not to pay mileage on it — does not hold, ^.o'od, if we may judge any thing from the fact that nine out of ten roads here in New England take the opposite view, and always allow the mileage. I would respectfully ask for an expression of opinion on this point from the members, present. I have been asked a number of times during the past year when it was proposed to settle the balances for car-service through this Bureau. It would add greatly to the usefulness of this institution if this could be done ; and I would be glad to see it organized as a Clearing-House *at as early a day as prac- ticable. The settlements can be made without the slightest risk of loss, and it will certainly be a great advantage over the present system. I would respectfully request you to give this matter your consideration, and would be glad to give my views more fully, if called upon. And now, gentlemen, this institution has been in existence as an experiment twenty-one months-. It is for you to say whether the work shall be continued. I believe the establishment of this Bureau has filled a want which has long been felt,- and that it gives you the only system by which the work can be done efficiently and economically here in New England. Take a railroad map, and with Boston for a centre describe a circle of fifty miles radius. There are 20 separate and distinct Railroad Companies, over 1,400 miles of road, and 600 stations where cars can be left standing, within the small territory described by this circle. One sees at once how difficult it is to keep track of cars kept constantly moving from place to place over this network of railroads. You can find no section of the country which presents the same difficulties we have here. It therefore requires a system especially adapted to this section of the country to work to advantage. This system I believe you now have. I believe that concentrating the work as much as possi- ble at one point is the true principle, and that in no other way 10 can it be done economically and efficiently. I think the judg- ment of those who advocated this movement two years ago has been sustained, and that, with proper management, this institution can be made a source of information to the New- England Roads which will be invaluable to them. Jt is not per- fect yet by any means. It needs more hearty co-operation on the part of the New- England Roads to make it what it should be. And, too, it has been operated too economically. I speak advisedly when I say this. In trying to keep the expense down to the lowest possible figure, I have had to employ cheap help and not enough of it to do the work as it ought to be done. It should have a better class of help, and perhaps a better Manager ; but in principle it is right. Respectfully submitted. [Signed] E. B. HILL, Manager. The many points covered by this report brought out con- siderable discussion ; but as it was apparent, that, without a prolonged session, it would be impossible to give them the con- sideration necessary before any decided action could be taken, it was, on motion, Resolved , That the Manager’s Report be referred to a committee of three, to be appointed at the will of the meeting ; said committee to take into con- sideration the organization, by-laws, and code of rales, and also the division of expenses, &c., for the future government of the Association, and to report at a future meeting. The Chairman, declining to nominate such a committee, at the request of the meeting appointed the following gentlemen to act as a Nominating Committee : — Mr. J. R. Kendrick of the Old Colony R.R. Mr. James T. Furber of the Boston & Maine R.R. Mr. J. E. Bacon of the Providence & Worcester R.R. Mr. Arthur Mills of the Boston & Albany R.R. Mr. E. C. Robinson of the New York, New Haven, & Hartford R.R. The Committee retired for consultation, and, on returning, reported the names of the following gentlemen to act as com- mittee, as provided in the foregoing resolution : — Mr. William Bliss of the Boston & Albany R.R. Mr. F. L. Parker of the Fitchburg R.R. Mr. E. C. Robinson of the New York, New Haven, & Hartford R.R. 11 The report was, on motion, adopted by the meeting ; and the Manager was directed to notify the gentlemen of their election. On motion of Mr. Lansing Millis of the Central Vermont Railroad, it was voted, that, when this meeting adjourns, it adjourn to meet on the first Wednesday in March next, at the same place, at eleven o’clock A.M. ; and the Manager was directed to notify all members of such meeting. Mr. C. S. Gauntt of the Pennsylvania Railroad, addressed the meeting on the subject of the detention of their cars in New England. On motion of Mr. Bacon of the Providence and Worcester Railroad, the meeting then adjourned. E. C. ROBINSON, A. A. FOLSOM, Secretary . Chairman . 12 Boston, March 3, 1880. In accordance with the Resolution passed at the meeting of Feb. 11th, the members of the Association met at the Stock- holders’ Room of the Boston & Providence R.R. Co. on the above date at 11 o’clock a.m. The meeting was called to order by the Manager Mr. E. B. Hill. Mr. Wm. Bliss of the Boston & Albany R.R. was nom- inated for Chairman but at his request his name was with- drawn and on motion of Mr. Bliss, Mr. C. S. Turner of the Worcester & Nashua R.R. was elected Chairman, Mr. E. B. Hill being elected Secretary. In the absence of the minutes of the last meeting Mr. E. C. Robinson, Secretarj' of that meeting, made a brief statement of the action then taken. The Committee appointed at the last meeting, to take into consideration the organization, By Laws, and Division of Ex- penses &c., &c., for the future government of the Association, being called upon, Mr, Bliss of the Boston & Albany R.R. read the report of the Committee. On motion of Mr. J. W. Hobart of the Central Vermont R.R. the report was received, and the Secretary was requested to read the form of Constitution and By Laws as presented in the report, so that action could be taken on each section sepa- rately. The Constitution was then read and the following action taken. Voted , that Article 1 be amended by adding in conclusion the words “ that may so desire and make provision for the same.” All the other Articles were acted upon in succession and on motion approved as read. On motion of Mr. E. C. Robinson of the N.Y. N.H. & H. R.R. it was voted to have the By Laws read and approved as a whole. Being read by the Secretary it was voted to insert the words “ and complete ” between the words “ true ” and “ inventory ” in Article 7. With this exception the By-Laws as presented by the committee were approved. 13 On motion of Mr. E. C. Robinson the Constitution and By- Laws as amended were adopted. The Constitution and By Laws as adopted, are as follows. CONSTITUTION. ARTICLE I. This Association shall be entitled the “ Railway Clearing-House Associa- tion.” The objects of its organization are, — To keep a record of the movements of cars, and report to each company the mileage thereof on the line of all other roads in the Association, and to provide for the settlement of balances between the roads in the Association that may so desire, and make provision for the same. ARTICLE II. This Association shall be composed of Railroad Companies of New Eng- land, and such other Companies as may be admitted to membership by the act of the Board of Control, and which subscribe to the Articles of Associ- ation, and contribute to the expenses thereof. Each company shall be represented by a duly authorized person. ARTICLE III. Any co-operative Line, Despatch or Car Company, not owning or con- trolling a line of railway, may be admitted to the benefits of the Clearing House upon the payment of such sums as may be agreed upon between the Association and such Lines or Companies. ARTICLE IY. Section 1. The affairs of the Association shall be administered by a Board of Control, of thirteen members, who shall be elected every year at the annual meeting. They shall submit at each annual meeting of the Association a report of the operations of the past fiscal year and of its financial condition. Any member of the Board of Control ceasing to be the representative of the Company for which he was appointed shall cease to be a member of said Board. Sect. 2. The said Board of Control shall organize by the election of a Chairman selected from its own members, and a Secretary, who shall not be a member of said Board; and the Chairman and Secretary shall be also President and Secretary of the Association. A majority of the members of said Board present at any meeting shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Sect. 3. The said Board shall have power to fill the vacancies in its membership occasioned by death, resignation, or other cause, and to make By-Laws for its own government. 14 ARTICLE V. Section 1. The animal meeting for the election of the Board of Control and the transaction of such business as may properly come before the Association shall be held on the last Wednesday in October, at such time and place as may be designated by the President, and the fiscal year shall terminate on the 30th of September. Sect. 2. Special meetings of the Association shall be called by the President at the request of two members of the Board of Control, or at the written request of not less than five members of the Association. The representatives of ten Companies shall constitute a quorum at all meetings of the Association, each Company to be entitled to one vote for every 100,000 miles, or major part thereof, changed against it during the preceding year. ARTICLE VI. Section 1. It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all the meetings of the Association. In his absence, a President pro tem. may be appointed; and the presiding officer shall appoint all special committees, unless otherwise ordered by the Association. Sect. 2. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the meetings of the Association, and shall have charge of the records. He shall notify each Company of any meeting of the Association, in writing or by printed notice, at least ten days prior to said meeting. ARTICLE VII. Any Company may withdraw from this Association by giving notice, in writing, to the Secretary, provided such Company shall nevertheless be liable for its portion of the expenses for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, next ensuing. ARTICLE VIII. This Constitution may be altered or amended by a vote of two-thirds of the members present at any regular or special meeting, provided due notice of said alteration or amendment shall have been given in the call for said meeting. 15 BY-LAWS. ARTICLE I. The General Offices of this Association shall be located at Boston, Mass. ARTICLE II. The Board of Control shall, at the first meeting after election, organize by electing from their own members a Chairman and Executive Committee of five members, and a Secretary who shall not be a member of said Board, Seven members of the Board of Control shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. ARTICLE III. It shall be the duty of the Board of Control, at its first meeting after election, to appoint three Auditors, whose duty it shall be to examine the accounts of the Manager as often as once in three months. ARTICLE IV. The Chairman of the Board of Control shall preside at all the meetings of the Board. In his absence, a chairman pro tern, may be appointed. ARTICLE V. The Secretary shall have charge of all papers and documents of the Board. He shall be present at all meetings, take minutes of all proceedings, and record the same in a suitable book kept for the purpose. He shall also notify the members of all regular and special meetings. ARTICLE VI. The Executive Committee shall organize by the election of a Chairman and Secretary (the Secretary not to be a member of said Committee) ; and a majority of the members of said Committee present at any meeting shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The Executive Com- mittee shall provide a suitable place for the offices of the Association, shall appoint a Manager, and fix his salary, and have a general oversight and control over the management of the Association. Meetings of the Executive Committee may be called at any time by the Chairman, and it shall be his duty to call a special meeting whenever requested to do so by two members of the Committee. ARTICLE VII. The Manager shall have immediate charge of the work for which this organization is formed. He shall give his time exclusively to this service, and shall receive therefor such salary as the Executive Committee may fix. The office is one of trust and responsibility, and the Manager will therefore 16 be required to furnish bonds which will in the opinion of the Executive Committee be sufficient to guarantee the faithful performance of his duty. He will have authority to appoint such clerks and other subordinates as the Executive Committee may approve. At each meeting of the Executive Committee the Manager shall make a report of the receipts and disbursements of his office in such form as the Committee may direct. At the annual meeting in October the Manager shall submit a report of the financial condition of the Association, and a detailed statement of the receipts and expenditures of the past fiscal year duly audited. He shall also present a tabulated statement of the mileage made upon each road, and the proportion of the expense allotted to it. The Manager shall, at the call of any company a member of this Asso- ciation, give a true aud complete inventory of its cars and the place where last reported, the report to be made up from the records of the Association, and not to be furnished oftenerthan once in six months. ARTICLE YIII. No alteration in or amendment to these By-Laws shall be made until presented at a stated meeting, and adopted at a subsequent meeting by a majority of the whole Board of Control. The Committee having in their report made certain recom- mendations, these recommendations were then acted upon sep- arately. The first, being read by the Secretary, is as follows : In regard to the Division of the Expenses, your Committee recommend that the apportionment be made on the basis of the miles run by all the cars on each road. This is the best measure of the work done on each line, and seems to be the most equitable method of division. A discussion in which nearly all the members present took part followed. The Manager presented a statement showing how the new basis on which it was proposed to divide the expenses would affect the sums paid by each Company for the month of January 1880. This statement which gave a very fair idea of the amounts each Road would be called upon to pay, met with a very favorable reception. Mr. Bliss speak- ing for the Boston & Albany R.R. Co. said that he thought the amount allotted to that Co. seemed to be fair and just, although it increased the proportion which that Co. would have to pay over fifty per cent and that he was satisfied so far as that Road was concerned to accept the new basis of settle- ment. Other members spoke in a similar strain and it was finally on motion voted unanimously to adopt the recommen- dation of the Committee as read by the Secretary. 17 Mr. F. L. Parker of the Fitchburg R.R. then presented the following preamble and resolution. Whereas , It being necessary for the purpose of fairly apportioning the Expenses of this Association between the different Companies parties hereto, that a uniforjp system of reports be adopted, Resolved , that on and after April 1st next each Railroad Co., party hereto shall report the movement of its own cars on its own road without regard to whether in business of a local or through character as well as the entire movement of all cars other than its own. The preamble *and resolution was read by the Secretary and unanimously adopted. The recommendation of the Committee on the subject of the settlement of balances was read by the Secretary, and is as follows : Your Committee are not prepared to recommend the settlement of cash balances for car-service through the Clearing House at present. There seems to be some opposition to this plan on the part of some members of the Association. Your Committee are inclined to favor it, still they do not deem it advisable to make this a condition of membership. The machinery of the Bureau, however, is so perfected, that these settle- ments can be made through the Clearing House, and, should any road so desire, arrangements can be made with the Manager. Inasmuch as these points are covered by Article 1 of the Constitution no further action was taken. The Secretary then read the recommendation of the Com- mittee in reference to preventing the use of foreign Cars in local service, which is as follows : Your Committee would recommend that some action be taken to prevent the use of cars of foreign roads in local service. No road should send a foreign car beyond the point to which it is originally destined, or use a car of another company in local service, except in a direction towards home. Some penalty should be exacted from the companies violating this principle. The Manager should, at all events, be directed to report such violations to the company owning the cars (if the company is a member of this Asso- ciation), for it to take such action as it may deem expedient. Considerable discussion followed, nearly all the members present making some remarks on the subject, after which, the following Resolution was offered by Mr. Bliss, and unanimously adopted. Resolved, that no Road in this Association should send a car of a foreign Road beyond the point to which it was originally destined, or use a Car of another Company in local service except in a direction towards home, with- 18 out the consent of such Company, and that the Manager be instructed to notify every Company (if a member of this Association) of the misuse of their cars, according to the terms of this resolution, and that the question of penalty be deferred until the annual meeting. On motion of Mr. E. C. Robinson it was voted that the Con- stitution and By Laws as adopted at this meeting go into opera- tion at once, except that the election of a Board of Control be deferred until the annual meeting in October, and that the present Executive Committee be continued in power with the authority of the Board of Control, until the annual meeting. On motion of Mr. F. S. Stranalian of the National Despatch Line it was voted that the name of Mr. J. W. Hobart of the Central Vt. R.R., be added to the Executive Committee. Mr. F. L. Parker of the Fitchburg R.R. offered the follow- ing Resolution, which was on motion adopted. Resolved that the Manager be authorized to have the Constitution and By Laws of this Association printed and issued in a convenient form, and at least three copies sent to each Co , party hereto, — and that the proceed- ings of this meeting, and the meetings of the Board of Control or Executive Committee, be so published and distributed as soon as convenient after each meeting. Mr. Robinson of the N. Y. N. H. & IL, made some remarks to the effect that the Roads in this Association were now un- questionably making an accurate return for the use of foreign Cars, that every New England Road was being benefited by this organization, and that the Roads in New England which were not now members should be induced to join the Association and that each member ought to take it upon himself, to bring the matter before the Manager of those Roads, ’and endeavor to gain their co-operation. Remarks of a similar import were also made by the Chairman, by Mr. C. E. Paige of the Nashua & Lowell and others, after which the meeting adjourned. C. S. TURNER Chairman. E. B. HILL Secretary. 19 ROADS AND LINES IN THE ASSOCIATION, March 1st, 1880. Bangor & Piscataquis R.R. Boston & Albany R.R. Boston & Lowell R.R. Boston & Maine R.R. Boston & New York Air Line R.R. Boston & Providence R.R. Boston, Barre & Gardner R.R. Boston, Clint. & Fitch. & N. B. (now Nor. Div. O. C. R.R.) Central Vermont R.R. Cincinnati, Hamilton & Da}i;on R.R. Cheshire R.R. Chicago, Burlington & Quincy R.R. Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, & Indianapolis R’y. Concord R.R. Connecticut Central R.R. Connecticut River R.R. Connecticut Western R.R. Detroit, Grand Haven & Mil- waukee R’}\ Eastern R.R. European & North American R’y. Fitchburg R.R. Grand Trunk R’y. Great Western R’y of Canada. Hartford, Prov. & Fishkill R.R. (NowN. Y. & N. E.) Housatonic R.R. Knox & Lincoln R.R. Maine Central R.R. Nashua & Lowell R.R. Naugatuck R.R. New Haven & Derby R.R. New Haven & Northampton R.R. New London Northern R.R. New York & New England R.R. New York, New Haven & Hart- ford R.R. Northern R.R. of N. H. Norwich & Worcester R.R. Ogdensburg & Lake Champlain R.R. Old Colony R.R. Penns 3 T lvania R.R. Philadelphia^ Wilmington & Bal- timore R.R. Portland & Ogdensburg R.R. of Maine. Portland & Rochester R.R. Providence & Worcester R.R. Providence, Warren & Bristol R.R. Springfield & North Eastern R.R. Vermont Valley R.R. Worcester & Nashua R.R. Red Line. White Line. Blue Line. Canada Southern Line. National Despatch Line.