Railroad Economics at Yale.

A propose the recent editorial recommending a course on the above title it may not be out of place to say that such a course already exists at Yale, given by Mr. A. T. Hadley. Its purpose is to cover the history of railroads and the business methods of the same, together with the social problems arising in connection with them. The course also treats of the railway systems of Europe including a careful survey of the German railway union, which embraces most of the German roads and some in Austria and Holland. Among the business and social questions are rates, competition, railroad legislation, strikes, granger movements and railroad commissions. The course is conducted mainly by lectures; but there are free discussions on all knotty problems or difficult questions, and in addition original thesis work is encouraged by the instructor. The purpose of the course is to give the American citizen a correct knowledge of one of the most important factors of modern civilization.

The books used in the course include Adams' "Railroads, their Origin and Problems,' Farrar's "The State and its Relation to Trade," Black's "Letter to the New York Chamber of Commerce," and letters of Mr. Fink of the Trunk Lines Committee. Reference books include Blanchard, Atkinson and Cooley.