President upon his able and manly report to this Association. The meeting at Montreal did not make any mistake in electing the President. (Applause).

Motion carried.

PRESENTATION OF GAVEL.

Mr. Baumhoff, St. Louis : Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen: This meeting marks a new era in the history of the American Street Railway Association. Fourteen years ago, Mr. H. H. Littell, then General Superintendent of the Louisville City Railway Company, and now Vice-President and General Manager of the Buffalo Street Railway Company, conceived the idea of the benefits which might accrue to street railway managers by the formation of an association of this character, and, after conference with a number of his friends, it was determined to call a meeting for organizing what has since developed into one of the grandest associations in this country. (Applause). Accordingly, invitations were extended to representative street railway managers throughout the country to attend the initial meeting in the city of Boston, in the month of December, 1882. What more fitting place in our great country could have been selected than the "Hub City," for like the spokes extending in every direction from the hub of a wheel, this Association has spread throughout our great land, extending from ocean to ocean, and from the gulf on the South to British America on the North, and has even invaded Canada, where our last meeting was held. "A new era," because we have eliminated the discussions of the care and feed of horses, the construction and ventilation of stables, and other sundry annoyances which at that time tended to make the life of a street railway manager anything but pleasant. "A new era," because for the first time in the history of this Association you have met for the second time in our midst, and we proudly point to the fact that we have transformed the last animal traction road to one operated electrically.

Mr. President, I have a pleasing duty to perform, the more so, because the request comes from Chicago. (Applause). To such of you as are perhaps unfamiliar with

that name, I will state that Chicago is a little hamlet over here in the State of Illinois, extending from the western boundary of Indiana on the East, to the great father of waters on the West (laughter and applause), and from the great lakes on the North to Egypt on the South.

Chicago,

as you all know, was an applicant for this Convention. In fact, it is a cold day when Chicago is not an applicant for something. (Laughter). But, as usual, St. Louis carried off the prize. (Applause). Nothing daunted, however, Chicago desired to have a finger in the pie, and determined to be heard; and now, Mr. President, in behalf of the Chicago City Railway Company, I present to you this handsome. gavel, made of the hardest and most durable wood, enclosed in this handsome box made from the sill of a car which has for many years done service on the Chicago City Railway. May this Convention, as it is called to order by the rappings of this gavel, pass into the annals of history as one of the most pleasant and beneficial gatherings of this Association. (Applause).

President Littell: This, gentlemen, is indeed a very agreeable surprise, and I hope that the gavel will be sufficiently large to preserve order. I thought, when I was elected President of this Association, that my position would be such that I would look down upon you all, but I find upon entering this hall that you all look down upon me; the fact is, I think you have got me in a hole. (Applause).* I am pleased with the prospect that, with the assistance of my friends, it will be possible for me to preserve order with this beautiful gavel. I thank the Chicago City Railway Company on behalf of the Association. (Applause).

DELEGATES AT ORGANIZATION MEETING.

Mr. Bean, St. Joseph: Mr. President, Mr. Baumhoff has pleasantly reminded us of the Boston meeting, in 1882. I would ask that every gentleman present who was at that meeting will rise for a moment.

*The President's Table was at an angle in the lowest part of the hall, the seats of the delegates being in tiers above.

Messrs. Charles Green, St. Louis; H. H. Littell, Buffalo; J. E. Rugg, Boston; Charles H. Smith, Troy, and W. Worth Bean, St. Joseph, Mich., arose.

The President: The report of the Executive Committee is next in order.

REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.

The Secretary read the report, as follows:

TO THE AMERICAN STREET RAILWAY ASSOCIATION,

Gentlemen:-The report of your Execu ive Committee will consist mainly of the minutes of the several meetings held during the past year, which will show what has been done by your Committee:

MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE HELD AT THE SOUTHERN HOTEL, ST. LOUIS, DECEMBER 9, 1895.

President Littell called the meeting to order at 10:30 a. m.

There were present: The President, Messrs. William H. Jackson, J. Willard Morgan, A. Markle, W. F. Kelly, and the Secretary and Treasurer, Mr. T. C. Penington.

Letters were read from Messrs. Granville C. Cunningham, Joel Hurt, Prentiss Cummings and C. G. Goodrich, regretting their inability to be present.

Captain Robert McCulloch, of St. Louis, was invited to meet with the Committee and take part in its deliberations.

Captain McCulloch addressed the Committee, stating that the local street railroad people had formed an organization for the purpose of helping this Committee to make the meeting of the Association to be held in St. Louis next October a great success. The speaker had been elected chairman of that organization and as such stated:

"I will be very glad to help you in every way possible and carry out any plans that you may have made, or may advise for the meeting. What we would propose to do is to take care of everything locally for you and rid you of the care and burden of that work. For instance, we will provide the place for holding the sessions; we will also provide a place for the exhibits; we want the exhibits to be a large feature of the meeting, and we will provide a good place for that purpose without tax to the Association. You shall not have anything to pay for hall rent, meeting place, or anything of that kind. We will guarantee that you shall not have to spend any money for these things and we will make them creditable to you in every respect."

Mr. Littell stated that many of the supply men who had never heretofore made an exhibit would exhibit in St. Louis at the coming conven

tion; that he was satisfied that it would be the largest, best and most complete exhibit of the kind ever given, and he would suggest that every street railroad man constitute himself a committee of one to see the supply men and urge them to make an exhibit; that in this way a very large revenue could be raised, and the majority of manufacturers would be very glad to come in and take space.

Replying to Mr. Kelly's question, the Secretary stated that the rates heretofore charged for space had been fifteen cents per square foot.

General Jackson moved: "It is the sense of this Committee that we cannot do without the revenue which has been heretofore derived from the letting of space to exhibitors, and while we thank the St. Louis Committee for its very liberal offer, we follow the usual custom in this matter."

Mr. Kelly seconded the motion, which was unanimously carried.

Captain McCulloch, having returned to the room, stated that the local people desired the Executive Committee to understand that they were not trying to run the Convention, but were simply auxiliary to the Executive Committee, and that anything they proposed, or any plans they made, were subject to the approval of the Executive Committee; that they had no cranky notions or isms, and that he hoped the members of the Executive Committee would not hesitate to criticise anything they saw fit.

On motion of General Jackson, this matter was referred to the President and Secretary of the Association, with the suggestion that the St. Louis Committee act under the instructions of those gentlemen as to what was to be done.

Captain McCulloch stated that he had appointed the following committees in the local organization, one of which, Mr. George W. Baumhoff, of the Lindell Railway Company, being chairman, would take charge of the exhibits; which committee proposed sending out circulars to the various supply men of the United States inviting them to make exhibits.

WAYS AND MEANS: P. C. Maffitt, President, Missouri Railroad Company.

ENTERTAINMENT AND BANQUET: Harry Scullin, Vice-President, Union Depot Railroad Company.

EXHIBITS: George W. Baumhoff, General Manager, Lindell Railway Company.

HOTEL AND HALLS: Joseph S. Minary, General Manager, Southern Electric Railroad Company.

INFORMATION BUREAU: Robert Lehman, Secretary and Treasurer, St. Louis and Suburban Railway Company.

Another Committee had been appointed to get out a circular to the members of the Association, giving the names of the hotels and their rates, information in regard to railroads, etc.

Other Committees would be appointed as the necessity for such action arose; but that any and all of their proposed actions would first be submitted to the approval of the President and Secretary of the Association; and that any suggestions that they might make, or any changes they had to recommend, would be cheerfully attended to; that the local people did not want to be the Association, but merely wanted to help the Executive Committee to manage the Convention.

Mr. Littell:

Of course we want to make sure that there will be no advance in hotel rates.

Captain McCulloch: Mr. Lewis has posted on the inside of each room the rates for that room, and he assures me that those rates will be strictly maintained, and will not be advanced in any part of the house.

The Secretary then announced that he had prepared a financial statement, and that if the Executive Committee would fix the Secretary's salary he would be able to make an approximate report for the year.

Mr. Morgan: I move that the salary of the Secretary shall be fixed at $1,500 per year, which shall include all expenses for help, and that there shall be further added $35.00 per month for rent, fuel, etc., of the office, and the Association shall pay the salary of the stenographer at the official meetings.

The motion was seconded and unanimously carried.

The Secretary then read a report of the financial affairs of the Association to December 1st, 1895.

After the reading of the report, the Executive Committee discussed the various outstanding liabilities of the Association, and upon motion of General Jackson, the President and Mr. Morgan were authorized to settle the bill of Messrs. Richardson & Hook upon the best possible terms, and the President and Secretary were authorized to settle all other outstanding liabilities, as enumerated in the Secretary's report, upon the best possible terms.

Following the report, the Secretary read communications from various persons.

In regard to the communication from Montreal, relative to the Association's indebtedness there, it was voted that:

These matters be left to the discretion of the President and Secretary, it being the sense of this Committee that any one employed without the authority of the old Executive Committee, or any obligations incurred without such authority, be not paid.

In connection with communications read from exhibitors who are indebted to the Association for space at previous conventions, General Jackson made the motion that,

Any exhibitor who is in arrears for past dues be not permitted again to exhibit until those dues are paid.

Mr. Kelly seconding, the motion passed unanimously.

Mr. Littell presented a letter from Mr. Wm. J. Hammer, Chairman,