number of them two or three times, and all of them have been as well kept up as could reasonably be expected from knowledge of their respective resources, and many of them are in a better condition than they were two years ago.

Our railroads have felt heavily the depression of the times that has affected all business enterprises, yet they have, in part, made up their losses by retrenchment, and by opening up new sources of traffic and travel, and we trust that their future prospects will be brighter and better than the past.

They have met with no great disasters during the past two years; but some accidents have occurred which will doubtless be reported by the officers of the companies on whose roads they occurred. I will mention in detail two of the more serious. One occurred on the Harlem Extension, caused by the breaking of a rail, in consequence of which a sleeping car was precipitated down an embankment, the car at the same time taking fire, by means of which two persons lost their lives-a father and son-and a number of others were seriously injured. I was at that time confined to my house by sickness, and could not make a personal inspection; but from all the facts ascertained, no blame could be attached to the employes of the road in charge of the train. The other accident occurred in the month of August last, on the Missisquoi road, in the town of Sheldon, and was caused by the person killed putting his head and arms out of the car window, and their striking against the posts of a wood car standing on a side track. I was on the car when the accident occurred, and I stopped at a station near by (South Sheldon), and went back to the scene of the accident, and from the appearance of the track and wood car, and from what I could learn from persons on the ground, I came to the conclusion that the person was killed through his own carelessness; but the employes of the road were not entirely blame

as to

less, as the wood car was stationed too near the main track. Although the rails on the side-track were five feet from the main track, the posts of the wood car leant over so scratch the side of the passenger car. I would here suggest the need of the enactment of a law, making it the duty of all managers of railroads in this State to report immediately to the Railroad Commissioner on the occurrence of any accident, giving location, when it happened, and the nature, and making it the Commissioner's duty to investigate the same and report all the facts in each case to the Legislature. I think great good might be accomplished if this was done.

I have not known of any railroad in the State refusing to make all proper railroad connections with other roads. No complaints have been made to me in regard to this subject.

Since making my last Report there have been opened for travel and transportation of freight, the following railroads: The Montpelier and White River, from Montpelier to Barre, a distance of six miles; the Woodstock, from White River Junction to Woodstock, a distance of fourteen miles. The Lamoille Valley Railroad has also completed their road from St. Johnsbury to Lunenburgh, on the east, and from Hyde Park to Johnson on the west, making in all a distance of twenty-six miles. This road has struggled through almost all manner of discouragements; but I am informed that officers of the company have made arrangements for the early completion of the road to Swanton, on the northwest, and a branch line from Cambridge to Burlington, on the southwest, and when this is completed it will form another main line from the seaboard at Portland, on the east, and the lakes on the west.

The Montpelier and Wells River Railroad and Central Vermont have each been engaged in litigations as to the management of their respective roads, and the former road has been

placed in the hands of receivers, who are having the control and management of the road.

The litigation of the latter company grew out of the election of directors at the annual meeting of the company in 1875. Two boards of directors claimed to be elected, one board was declared to be elected by the inspectors of election of the company, and a petition by the contestants for a writ of quo warranto was denied by the Supreme Court of the State, after a full hearing, and the action of the board of inspectors of election was affirmed.

I received several complaints from citizens of the State, that certain railroads were out of repair and unsafe for travel. I at once notified the roads complained of, and made thorough inspection, and found that the complaints were groundless, as the roads seemed to be in a safe condition. Yet, if it had proved otherwise, and upon examination the complaints had been found to be well-founded, and the roads, or a portion of them, or a bridge or culvert had proved unsafe, and accidents liable to occur, there is not power enough vested in the Commissioner to compel the companies to repair their roads and make them safe for travel.

I would suggest the propriety of enacting a law similar to those in force in the States of Maine and Missouri, and in quite a number of other States, which on trial have proved to be beneficial. The law in Massachusetts requires that no railroad, branch or extension of a railroad, shall hereafter be opened for public use, until the Board of Railroad Commissioners, after an examination, shall certify that all laws relating to the construction thereof have been complied with, and that the road. appears to be in a safe condition for operation.

And in the laws of Maine is the following provision: "If the Commissioners at any examination find the track, culverts,

bridges, or rolling stock in use, so out of repair as to be unsafe for travel, they shall immediately notify the managers of said road of its condition, and the time in which repairs shall be made; and may require them to reduce the speed of all trains until such repairs are made." The next section provides for the enforcement of said article.

Missouri has a law, the provisions of which are the same, except that it makes it a penal offence to neglect to make the repairs.

During the last session of our Legislature there were bills introduced with a view to abolish the office of Railroad Commissioner in this State; but wiser counsels prevailed, and they were not enacted. If this had been accomplished and the office abolished, it would have been, as it seems to me, a retrograde step, and one that would have been injurious, not only to the people of this State, but of all the other States. Until within

а

few years past the office of Railroad Commissioner was unknown to all but two or three States in the Union; but railroads were then regarded as purely private enterprises, managed by corporate bodies, in the business affairs of which the holders of the company's stock and bonds alone were interested, or had the right to question its management.

They were considered in their rights analogous to turnpike corporations, and enjoyed exemption from public supervision, nominal returns only, if any, being made by them; but, gradually, the public character of the functions they exercised became better understood, and now all of the New England States, New York, and nearly all of the Western States, and some of the Southern, have one or more Commissioners, whose functions and duties vary; but it is, I think, made their duty in all of these States to see that the railroad companies do not exceed their authority or violate their charters; and, also, the various

companies are required to make sworn statements of their doings and condition, which are now published as a part of the records of the State.

This duty of obtaining complete returns from the railroad companies has been very difficult, especially where roads in one State are operated by corporations in another. This difficulty could be wholly obviated if there could be a uniform system of reports and returns adopted by the Commissioners of the different States.

This has been done by the States of Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan, so I have been informed, and I have a copy of reports adopted by those States.

But in order to accomplish this, it would be necessary for each State to adopt the same form of return, especially so as far as the New England States and New York are concerned, for all of the roads in these States are so closely connected, and intersect each other, terminating on the east at the sea-coast at Portland, Boston, etc., and on the west with the water communication of the great lakes.

Some roads, in nearly all of these States, are managed and operated by corporations in other States, and now, when reports are asked for according to the forms prescribed by the State where the roads are located, the answer comes that they cannot furnish the information desired, but refer to the report made to the Commissioner of their State, etc.

This evil has been so seriously felt by Commissioners of other States, and the need of some remedy for it, that it finally resulted in the calling of a convention of the Railroad Commissioners of the New England States and New York, to meet in Boston, September 6th, A. D. 1876.

The following communications were received by His Excel