dependent upon Wisconsin and Illinois for their supplies, whereas with the communication proposed to be effected by the construction of a road between the points above mentioned, and the completion of the Grand Rapids & Indiana, and the Jackson, Lansing & Saginaw Railroads to the Straits, they can draw their subsistence directly from the southern portion of our own State. But with a restrictive tariff-law in Michigan, outside capital will be unwilling to come to our aid in the building of these roads so necessary to internal communication. It would seem, therefore, that a tariff-law to be just to all roads, could only be made in such a way as to apply to each road separately,-to regulate rates from station to station,to distinguish between the directions in which traffic is carried, to allow for the competition of other modes of transportation, to regard the influence of the season upon business and travel, and to take into account the distance of the freight from its destination. These are some of the more salient considerations in the framing of such a law. After many years of experiment, it is the testimony of men who have acquired the most skill and experience in practical railway management, as well as of those who have studied the subject in its relations to government, that they are unable to contrive any general regulation which shall be equitable in all its parts

AIR BRAKES.

The first of the provisions classed as the police regulations of the General Railroad Law adopted at the session of 1873 provides as follows: "On and after the the 31st day of October, 1873, no regular passenger train shall be run in this State without an air-brake attached thereto, or some like or equally effective device, to be approved by the Railroad Commissioner, which may be applied by the engineer of the train for checking the speed of a train of cars." The air-brake may be regarded as one of the most important of the modern improvements in railroad equipment, and as a safeguard that should be adopted by all companies so far as practicable. In

their report for 1872, the Board of Railroad Commissioners of Massachusetts, speaking of the precautionary means used for the prevention of accidents to trains, say, "As far as this Board is competent to judge, no appliances now in use secure them at all in the same degree as the train-brake, as an auxiliary to the hand-brake and the Miller platform and buffer. The Board has not failed to recommend the adoption of these improvements to the corporations of this State whenever an occasion has offered." A large proportion of the roads in Michigan were already furnished with the air-brake before the enactment of this law; at the present date only four companies are unprovided. Of these four, two are supplying themselves as rapidly as possible; the other two are for the most part running mixed trains upon which the adoption of the airbrake is impracticable. The four roads now lacking the equipment, represent only 233 miles of track, and on the completion of the work already begun upon two of them, there will remain but 103 miles unsupplied,―i. c., about 3 per cent of the total length of road included within our boundaries.

ACCIDENTS.

The accidents occurring during the year, as shown by Tables X. and XI., resulted in either death or personal injury to 146 persons. Descriptive statements of all but three of the casualities accounted for, are given in the returns of the different companies. From these it appears that 64,-or 45 per cent of the whole number,-were killed, and 79 slightly or seriously injured. Eighteen of them were killed and fortythree injured from causes over which they had no control, while forty-six were killed and thirty-nine injured through their own misconduct or carelessness. In eight cases the person hurt was, or was supposed to be, intoxicated.

The whole number of employes killed or injured was 73, and of others not connected with the railroads, 41.

As regards passengers, only two were killed, both in consequence of attempts to get on or off a moving train.

Twenty-three sustained injury from causes beyond their own control, and four from their own carelessness. A large proportion of casualties, amounting to nearly one-fourth of the aggregate, arose from being upon the track in the way of moving trains. Another fruitful source of injury is in the coupling of cars; but many accidents from this cause may be avoided in the coupling of passenger cars at least, by the use of the Miller Coupler, or some other similar device. Until such time, however, as the use of the "link and pin" is discarded in the coupling of freight cars, and some improved method adopted, casualties from this cause will undoubtedly be of frequent occurrence.

The Massachusetts Commissioners, in their report for 1872, submit a suminary of the causes of all accidents reported by the "Railroad Gazette" as having taken place throughout the United States during the six months of that year between May and December. From this summary they deduce the fact that 36 per cent of the killed and 55 per cent of the injured were the victims of collisions. But of the casualties occurring that year in Michigan, it will be noticed that the reports herewith submitted show that collisions were answerable for only one per cent of the killed, and seven and six-tenths per cent of the injured. This may be partially accounted for, probably, by the general use upon our trains of air-brakes, and of the Miller platform, as it is believed that the former improvement, at least, is more extensively adopted in Michigan than in any other State, in proportion to the extent of road operated.

COMPLAINTS.

In the course of the year several complaints against railroad companies have been submitted to this office. In some cases they have been made by persons unfamiliar with the law, and have related to matters over which the Commissioner has no control under the law; but where they have fallen within his

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jurisdiction they have received due attention, and it has been found that in most cases it has been sufficient to call the attention of the railroad company concerned to the defect complained of, to secure its remedy by their own action. Requests made by the Commissioner to erect gates at highway crossings where it has seemed to him to be necessary, have been readily complied with by the companies so requested.

It seems proper to submit to the attention of the Legislature the following

SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.

1. There are certain requirements of the General Railroad Law which do not seem to be supported by any penalty for a failure to observe them, or by any other specific provision for their enforcement. Among them, the following are especially to be noticed:

a. Section 15 of the act establishing this office (see Appendix, page 272) declares that "every corporation owning a road in use shall, at reasonable times and for a reasonable compensation, draw over the same the merchandise and cars of any other corporation," and also provides that if the corporations cannot agree upon the stated periods at which, and the compensation for which, the cars shall be so drawn, the Commissioner of Railroads shall, in due form, determine both of these questions, and his award shall be binding for a certain time thereafter. But there seems to be no distinct provision made for securing the obedience of the corporations, either to the general requirement, or to the Commissioner's award.

b. Subdivision Fifth of Section 9 of Article II. of the revision of the general railroad law (see Appendix, page 279), permits railroad corporations to construct their roads across streams, highways, etc., but requires them to "restore the stream, water-course, private road, street, alley, lane, highway, plank road, railroad or canal to its former state, as near as may be," and to "construct suitable road and street crossings for the passage of teams by fitting down planks between and

on each side of the rails of such road," etc., but no limitation as to the time within which this is to be done, is prescribed, and no penalty for neglect is imposed. The consequence of this omission is, that corporations that are so disposed, may evade the spirit of the law by needless delay in restoring roads which they have crossed, to a condition for travel, thereby seriously incommoding all who live in the vicinity of the crossings.

c. Section 13 of Article IV. of the General Revision (see Appendix, page 302), peremptorily requires every railroad corporation to erect and maintain at each public road or street which it crosses at grade, sign-boards upon which the words "Railroad Crossing" shall be painted, but no penalty is prescribed for neglect or refusal to carry out this provision, although by the same section, neglect to sound whistles or to ring bells when crossing highways, is punished by a fine of one hundred dollars for each offense, and the corporation is also made liable for damages in case any injury should follow such neglect. If it should be deemed desirable to enforce the law as to "sign-boards," upon which point there is some difference of opinion, it will be necessary to attach a penalty.

2. While there are only 132 highway crossings over or under railroads in this State, there are 2,599 at grade. To preclude accidents to persons or property at these points, the signal given by the locomotive engineer upon approaching a highway crossing should consist in sharply sounding the whistle twice, 40 rods from the crossing, and in ringing the bell until the crossing is passed. This mode of signaling is used upon many of our roads, and would seem to be best suited for general adoption. The blast of the whistle can be heard when the bell cannot, and will give teams an opportunity to stop. The requirement as to sounding the whistle may be modified for crossings within the limits of cities and villages so as to conform with municipal ordinances.

3. At junctions, joint termini, crossings, and all points from