TOLEDO, O... .C. A. Dennman, Gen. Man., Toledo and Maumee Valley TONAWANDA, N.Y.... G. P. Smith, Gen. Man., Tonawanda Elec. R. R. Co. TORONTO, Ont. WARREN, (). .J. W. Moyes, Gen. Man., Metropolitan St. Ry. Co. . Frederic Nicholls, Dir., Metropolitan St. Ry. Co. C. S. Bidwell, Supt., Trumbull Elec. Ry. Co. WASHINGTON, Pa.... James Kent, Supt., Washington Elec. St. Ry. Co. WICHITA, Kan.. . Herbert B. Church, Pres., Wichita Railway, Light and Power Co. WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. L. L. Grove, Treas., Buffalo and Williamsville Elec. Ry. Co. REPRESENTATIVES OF FOREIGN STREET RAILWAYS. The following gentlemen were present: Auguste Boissonnas, Engineer, Metropolitan Ry., Paris, France. NEW YORK STATE RAILROAD COMMISSIONERS. The meeting was honored with the presence of the following members of the Board of Railroad Commissioners of the State of New York: Ashley W. Cole, Chairman. Frank M. Baker. Charles R. De Freest, Secretary. REPRESENTATIVE OF THE STREET RAILROAD ASSOCIATION OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. G. Tracy Rogers, President. REPRESENTATIVES OF TRADE PAPERS. The following representatives of the technical press were at the meeting. AMERICAN ELECTRICIAN. W. D. Weaver. E. E. Wood. CANADIAN ENGINEER. E. B. Biggar. MUNICIPAL RECORD AND ADVERTISER. POWER. H. M. Swetland. RAILROAD GAZETTE. John N. Reynolds. Edward A. Simmons. Arthur J. Wood. THE PRESIDENT-The next order of business is the reception of new members. Under this head an opportunity will be given for any street railway company to join the Association, which we will be glad to have done now, in order that the Secretary may enter the names on our list of members. NEW MEMBERS. (ARRANGED ALPHABETICALLY ACCORDING TO CITIES.) The following companies then acquired membership in the Association: ANDERSON, Ind...... Union Traction Co. BROOKLYN, N. Y.. CHESTER, Pa. Buffalo Traction Co. Nassau Electric R. R. Co. .... Chester Traction Co. CLEVELAND, O.........Akron, Bedford and Cleveland R. R. Co. *COLORADO SPRINGS, Col. Colorado Springs Rapid Transit Co. MIDDLETOWN, N. Y. . Middletown-Goshen Traction Co. SAGINAW, Mich.. . Union Street Ry. Co. SIOUX CITY, Ia.. Sioux City Traction Co. WAKEFIELD, Mass... Mystic Valley Ry. Co. WAKEFIELD, Mass... Wakefield and Stoneham Ry. Co. WEBB CITY, Mo. . Southwest Missouri Electric Ry. Co. *[This Company has paid all arrearages of dues after being suspended, and is reinstated as a member in good standing.] APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF LAST REGULAR MEETING. THE PRESIDENT- The next business is the approval of the minutes of the last meeting, which have been printed in our annual report, of which each member has received several copies. We would like to know if there is any point in which they are not correct before they are approved. I might add that the minutes of the last meeting were printed and distributed in thirty days after the meeting. MR. KELLY, Columbus- Mr. President, I move that the minutes be approved as printed. Carried. ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT. PRESIDENT MCCULLOCH read the following address: Gentlemen of the American Street Railway Association: Our Convention Assembly for the Sixteenth Annual period is within the sound of Nature's greatest wonder, but the wonders that are wrought in our own immediate application and appropriation of Nature's resources are even more startling and awe-inspiring than the great Niagara Cataract. If our ancestors of two centuries ago could sit in judgment on our doings of to-day, we would unquestionably be required to involuntarily undertake the feat of the gallant Capt. Webb, and if, perchance, we survived the perils of the raging torrent, the bonfires of our aboriginal predecessor would be rekindled on the cliffs below, and a fat-frying would take the place of our discussions and merry-making, as there could be no escape on our part from the charge of witchcraft. These great Falls were worshipped by our red brother; the venturesome explorer and historian dipped his pen in consecrated fluid as he wrote reverentially of their grandeur; the poet and the maiden everywhere have sung of them in enchanting praise; reverence and poetry and romance have characterized the stories which tell us of them; but the matter-of-fact Yankee of to-day, casting reverence and poetry and romance to the winds, has harnessed them like an old plow-horse, and compelled them, just as subserviently, to do his bidding; they make heat and light, and power for all purposes, they revolutionize the processes of the manufacturer and the chemist, and ere we meet here again they will, without doubt, have been saddled with the menial duties of cooking and washing and tilling the soil of all the country around. The enabling element for the utilization of this wasted energy of the past is electricity, in the development and search for uses of which, the scientist and manufacturer sleep not, neither do they rest. They furnish us with their best and latest devices and appliances to-day, and to-morrow these devices and appliances are obsolete; to keep our place in the procession we must join in the cry of "the King is dead, long live the King;" we must discard the old and adopt the new, or else be ground under the wheels of this Juggernaut of Progress. Unfortunately, if we endeavor to "shun Scylla we are in danger of being wrecked on Charybdis," hence we assemble here to counsel together as to how we may best shape our course. To learn more of this revolutionary factor in our business, to discuss this and other kindred subjects, to compare our experiences, to meet and greet each other, to renew old friendships and acquaintance and to form new ties, to be forced, if need be, to recognize that "there are other pebbles," to find that the American Street Railway Association is filled with men to know whom is both an honor and a pleasure; these, my friends, are some of the things which have brought us together, and it is hoped that a full measure of pleasure and profit will reward all who honor us with their presence. Our local brethren, with a hospitality as abounding and exhaustless as the never-ceasing flow of their great river, have provided for our physical comfort and entertainment. We beseech them not to seduce us from a proper contemplation of the business before us. Our noble ally; our helper in all the good work we accomplish; our always-alert, jovial and genial friend, the supply man, has contributed, as usual, his share to our entertainment and enlightenment. He is here to show us the best of everything he has. He is not, in one sense, a member of our Association. He does not participate in our delibera tions, but he stands at our threshold and the vigilance which he exercises that none may escape is worthy of our emulation in the conduct of our business. Let us show our appreciation of his efforts by inspecting his wares, by loading him with orders, and by fraternizing with him, that his enjoyment of the occasion may be equal with ours. We have still another and a new element in our gathering for this year. Whilst we are here engaged in the discussion of questions pertaining to the construction, equipment and operation of the roads and interests in our keeping, there is assembled near by, and also in deliberative convention, an earnest, intelligent, enthusiastic body of mostly younger men than ourselves. They have in view the same objects which brings us together, a betterment in the performance of street railway work. Their duties, whilst distinct and apart from ours, are just as essential, and the requirement is for the same degree of intelligence, industry and integrity. Their organization is young and they are just starting out in their efforts to enlighten each other by a mutual interchange of information as to methods and ways. I allude to the Street Railway Accountants' Association. Let us extend to them not the right hand, but both hands, and help and encourage them to persevere in their good work. Their interest and efficiency in the performance of their duties is susceptible of the same betterment by conventions as ours. If they find it desirable and convenient to meet at the same time with ourselves, and thus extend the acquaintance and good fellowship between the operating and accounting departments which must result from contact, let that arrangement continue; but if it be considered wiser to have two separate meeting times and places, that may be the plan, but they should have our encouragement and endorsement, and even financial support, if necessary. Our meetings are always attended by quite a number of persons engaged in the same business with ourselves, but whose companies are not members of the Association, and we receive requests for information from the same source, which information is always cheerfully given. We would not like to close our doors against these non-members, but we would be glad to enter their names in our official lists, and their annual dues, which is only a small amount, would fill an aching void in our treasury. There is still another class who, although members of our Association, seldom or never grace our meetings with their presence. Whether this may be from lack of time, a feeling of exclusiveness or a consciousness of a possession of all the knowledge attainable concerning our business, I know not. But if the first, an effort and sacrifice might be made experimentally; if the second is the cause of their absence, a surprise and discovery is in store for them if they will only develop it; and if the last reason keeps them away, a feeling of charity and good-will for their fellow laborers should impel them to come amongst us and show us how to surmount our perplexing obstacles. |