September 30, 1894, as an example, more than made up by reduction in the number of employes, and reduced operating expenses in other directions.

It is gratifying to be able to state, notwithstanding the peculiar condition in which the railroads found themselves placed as the result of the World's Fair, and the vain expectations regarding the volume of business it would produce, no reductions have been made in the wages of employes of any importance, and no trouble has arisen upon any of the steam roads of the State resulting from this or any other cause arising between the companies and their employes.

The second volume of this report will be found to contain in detail the earnings and expenses of the individual companies, from the aggregates of which these comparisons are made. A brief summary of the business of the years 1893 and 1894 is given in the table following:

*Includes' respectively interest and dividends paid by lessors from rentals received from lessees, as follows:

Indicative of the continued falling off in business since June 30, 1894, a comparison of receipts and expenses, not including dividends, for the quarters ending September 30, 1893 and 1894, is herewith submitted. The decrease in gross earnings from operation for the quarter ending September 30, 1894, was $4,239,246.21. This was more than made up, however, by a decrease in operating expenses of $4,938,218.05, leaving an increase in earnings from operation of $698,971.84. The total receipts and disbursements show a decrease in gross income of $4,426,411.43, and a decrease in gross expenses of $4,682,009.51, leaving an increase in net income available for dividends of $255,598.08. These comparative tables include only the principal roads operating in this State, but three of which show a deficit in their operations for the quarter.

Increase in net income from operation 1894.

$698,971 84

Constitutional Changes.

Section 5 of article 13 of the Revised Constitution provides that "No public officer or person elected or appointed to a public office, under the laws of this State, shall directly or indirectly ask, demand, accept, receive or consent to receive for his own use or benefit, or for the use or benefit of another, any free pass, free transportation, franking privilege or discrimination in passenger, telegraph or telephone rates, from any person or corporation, or make use of the same himself or in conjunction with another." By section 18 of article 1 of the new Constitution, it is provided that "the right of action now existing to recover damages for injuries resulting in death shall never be abrogated, and the amount recoverable shall not be subject to any statutory limitation." As is well known, the limitation imposed heretofore by statute upon the amount of damages recoverable in such actions has been $5,000. The effect of the constitutional amendment is to supersede section 1904 of the Code of Civil Procedure which contained the limitation. By section 7 of article 7 of the new Constitution, it is also provided that the lands of the State constituting the Forest Preserve as now fixed by law shall be forever kept as wild lands, and that they shall not be leased, sold or exchanged, or be taken by any corporation, public or private. This will in effect hereafter prohibit the construction of railroads thereon.

Legislative Enactments.

The various enactments of the year relating to subjects within the jurisdiction of this Board will be found sufficiently treated in the reports made to the Governor upon the bills referred by him to the Board. (See references from the Governor, in this volume.)

References, Complaints and Applications.

During the past year the Board has considered and disposed of twelve references by the Governor; fifty-three complaints of rail