At a General Session of the INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION, Held at Its Office in Washington, D. C., on the 1st Day of June, 1908. [Figures in brackets on right-hand side of pages indicate folios of original issue.] The subject of a Uniform System of Accounts to be prescribed for and kept by carriers being under consideration, the following order was entered: It is ordered, That the Classification of Expenditures for Real Property and Equipment of Express Companies and the text pertaining thereto, prepared under the direction of this Commission by Henry C. Adams, in charge of Statistics and Accounts, and embodied in printed form, to be hereafter known as First Issue, a copy of which is now before this Commission, be, and the same is hereby, approved; that a copy thereof, duly authenticated by the secretary of the Commission, be filed in its archives, and a second copy thereof, in like manner authenticated, in the office of the Division of Statistics and Accounts; and that each of said copies so authenticated and filed shall be deemed an original record thereof. It is further ordered, That the said Classification of Expenditures for Real Property and Equipment, with the text pertaining thereto, be, and is hereby, prescribed for the use of Express Companies subject to the provisions of the act to regulate commerce as amended June 29, 1906, in the keeping and recording of their [5 accounts of expenditures for property and equipment; that each and every such carrier and each and every receiver or operating trustee of any such carrier be required to keep all accounts of expenditures for property and equipment in conformity therewith; and that a copy of said First Issue be sent to each and every such carrier and to each and every receiver or operating trustee of any such carrier. It is further ordered, That the rules contained in said First Issue of the Classification of Expenditures for Real Property and Equipment are, and by virtue of this order do become, the lawful rules according to which the said expenditures for property and equipment are defined; and that each and every person directly in charge of the accounts of any such carrier or of any receiver or operating trustee of any such carrier is hereby required to see to, and under the law is responsible for, the correct application of the said rules in the keeping and recording of the accounts of expenditures for property and equipment of any such carrier; and that it shall be unlawful for any such carrier or for any receiver or operating trustee of any such carrier or for any person directly in charge of the accounts of any such carrier or of any receiver or operating trustee of any such carrier to keep any account or record or memorandum of any item of expenditure for property or equip ment except in the manner and form in said First Issue set forth and hereby prescribed, and except as hereinafter authorized. It is further ordered, That any such carrier or any receiver or operating trustee of any such carrier may subdivide any primary account in said First Issue estab lished as may be required for the purposes of any such carrier or of any receiver or operating trustee of any such carrier; or may make assignment of the amount charged to any such primary account to divisions, to its individual lines, or to States: Provided, however, That a list of such subprimary accounts set up or such assignments made by any such carrier or by any receiver or operating trustee of any such carrier be first filed in the office of the Division of Statistics and Accounts of this Commission, subject to disapproval by the Commission. It is further ordered, That in order that the basis of comparison between the fiscal year ending June 30, 1909, and previous years be not destroyed, any such carrier or any receiver or operating trustee of any such carrier may, during the twelve months ending June 30, 1909, keep and maintain, in addition to the accounts of expenditures for property and equipment hereby prescribed, such portion or portions of its present accounts with respect to items of expenditures for property and equipment as may be deemed desirable by any such carrier, or by any receiver or operating trustee thereof, for the purpose of such comparison; or during the same period may maintain such groupings of the primary accounts hereby prescribed as may be desired for that purpose. It is further ordered, That any such carrier or any receiver or operating trustee of any such carrier may, in addition to the accounts of expenditures for property and equipment hereby prescribed, keep any temporary or experimental accounts the purpose of which is to develop economies in the purchase of property and equipment: Provided, however, That such temporary or experimental accounts shall not impair the integrity of any general or primary account hereby prescribed, and that any such temporary or experimental accounts shall be open to inspection by the Com mission. It is further ordered, That July 1, 1908, be, and is hereby, fixed as the date on which said First Issue shall become effective. [7 INTRODUCTORY LETTER. To Carriers Concerned: Interstate Commerce Commission, This Classification of Expenditures for Real Property and Equipment of Express Companies, with the text pertaining thereto, is issued in accordance with an order of the Interstate Commerce Commission, a copy of which will be found immediately preceding this letter. The rules which the classification contains should be observed by Express Companies in all matters which it covers. HENRY C. ADAMS, In charge of Statistics and Accounts. [9 |