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Show m m Asks Access To . Carriers' Files Increases In Powers and Membership Suggested by Commerce Commission Washington, Dec. 13. Early enlargement en-largement of tin. membership of tho Interstate commerco commission with statutory power to" act through subdivisions sub-divisions and appropriate nnd adc-quato adc-quato legislation for control over railway capitalization, woro among tho Important recommendations made to Congress today In tho commission's commis-sion's annual report. Tho commission suggested that It should have express nuthorlty'br law to liavo access to tho letter flies of carriers; that tho uso of steel cars In passenger trains bo required and that tho use In passenger trains of woodon cars between or In front of steel enrs bo prohibited. It was recommended rec-ommended that tho minimum penalty for violations of tho hours of service act bo fixed nt ft flno of $100. nnd that provision bo mado that all notions no-tions relating to transportation charg co should bo brought within threo years For tho llBcal year which ended on Juno 30 last, tho commission spent $3,933,92:., Including $2,131,025 for physical valuntlon work. Its estimates esti-mates for tho year which begins July 1 next, already havo been submitted to Congress. Tho report Is largely dovotcd to presenting tho commission's work for tho year. Under physical valuation valua-tion vork It reports that since Juno thoro havo been twelve roadway and trck parties In tho field In each of dvo districts Into which tho country has been divided) and that tholr total average has been about 4000 miles por month. Ily January 1, tho ro-port ro-port Bys, survoys ot nearly C0.000 mtlos of railroad will virtually he completed. The total railroad mile-ago mile-ago of tho country is put nt 2ri0,000 nd tho roport says that tho 200,000 miles loft at tho beginning of the year should bo survoyed ! tho four following years under tho prcsont arrangement. "It Is doubtful," It adds, "if under tho prcsont organization, work car bo prosecuted moro rapidly than II la now proceeding." Tho roport stjites that tho Biirvoj of VC00 miles of tho Chicago, Iloek Island & Taclflp will bo completed by Janunry 1 with tho exception of a fow hundred miles In tho south. Surveys of tho Uoston & Malno nlso will bo fimri'Ptcd this year. Ilofore -ipnivini' ' ' " of nctupt cost to -oada, hunuvur, tho roport declares that much moro Information must be obtained, and has determined to do for the application of prices and tho final statemont in dollars of tho cost of reproduction anew. Tho commission expresses gratification gratifi-cation at tho docreaso in tho number num-ber of collisions, but says that Individual Indi-vidual instances ot unsafo operating methods and violation of rules nro still too numerous. It suggests n plondardUallon of operating rules to nssuro safety of railway travel to bo obtained through fe'-ral legislation. It shows thnt do al'enta havo been on tho Incrcaso and that In 1915 thcro were 3538 collisions and C819 derailments, compared with C042 collisions col-lisions nnd 3033 derailments In 1902. "Track conditions which nre unsafe un-safe for tho operation of trnlns at tho rate of speed permitted nro too common," says the roport. In several sev-eral of tho derailments Investigated tho track conditions wcro found to bo so bad ns to bo nctually unsafe for the passage of trains oven at moderate speed, yet no special speed restrictions wero In force, and It was common practice for trnlns to bo op-crated op-crated at unsafo speed over such trnek." |