Show LIFE AND UM ON RillROAOS HEABING ON EXTENSION OP 1 NEW COUPLER LAW i Delinquent Roads Ask That Time Ba Extended IFive Years to Equip < Their Cars Washington Dee 2The hearing given by the interstate commerce commission to the representatives of the railroads which have petitioned for an extension of time In which to comply with the new coupler law passed In 1893 was resumed today William Brown general solicitor of the Chicago Alton replied at some length to the protest made by Mr Gompers yesterday against any extension exten-sion to roads which had made no effort ef-fort to comply with the law He spoke he said for the stockholders of the railroads who were as much entitled to receive their dividends as the laborers working for the companies their dally wages On behalf of the 3000 employees em-ployees of his road Mr Brown presented pre-sented to the commission a petition for a reasonable extension I was D practical and physical impossibility De said to comply with the law To grant a reasonable extension would i bring every road especially trunk lines into active sympathy with the law and to refuse would be to punish those who had complied Representatives of other delinquent roads rendered their excuses to the commission and in each instance intimated in-timated the time required fr tne fullP equipment of their Individual lines All I united however in the request of Mr J Cowan for a general fiveyear extension exten-sion Lack of funds reduced earnings want of shop facilities and the difficulty difficul-ty of determining the safest and most economical appliance were the main reasons given for delinquencies After the afternoon session President Smith of the L N in course of his explanation of the delinquency of his road expressed the opinion that the time was coming when the people of this country would demand the confiscation con-fiscation and government ownership of s railroads Questions asked by the commissioners J commission-ers developed the fact that 10 per cent S of the freight cars now in service were < not worth equipment Those carsJ would be retired during the period of extension > until The tomorrow hearing was adjourned at 6 p m |