International Railway Congress.

Of immense benefit to one and all is the exchange of ideas and information among railwaymen of every land. It was in recognition of this fact that there was established as long ago as 1885 that influential body known as the International Railway Congress Association, which has recently held its thirteenth session in Paris. The first meeting in 1885, held in Brussels, was attended by the delegates of 19 governments and 131 railway administrations representing 31,500 miles. Today, the Association comprises approximately 126 European railways, 28 members in Asia and Australasia, 24 in Africa, and 25 in the Americas. In all, these administrations control the operation of nearly 319,000 miles of railway. At each Congress the subjects handled come under five sections: way and works; locomotives and rolling-stock; working; general; and light railways. Reporters from various lands, who are experts in their respective subjects, circulate questionnaires prior to the Congress to the various member undertakings, and their summaries and comments are placed before the gathering and discussed at length. The effect is to bring a concise picture of developments in every field in every corner of the railway world before the delegates, thus enabling them to direct future progress along the soundest lines. This year's Congress, held in Paris, was followed by several interesting excursions, including a visit to the locomotive testing-station at Vitry, and the inspection of the crack French liner “Normandie.”