THE ADJUSTMENT OF RAILROAD RATES IN PRUSSIA. 
BALTHASAR H. MEYER, 
Fellow in Economics , University of Wisconsin. 
I. 
On April 1, 1895, the Prussian railroad administration was 
completely reorganized. Previous to that time there had ex¬ 
isted two distinct official bodies (ressorts) immediately below 
the Minister of Public Works, who (then as now) is the executive 
head of the railroad administration. These bodies were known 
as Eisenbahndirektionen and Eisenbahnbetriebsamter, respec¬ 
tively, the one having purely administrative functions, and the 
other having direct charge of the operation of the railroads. Of 
the former there were eleven and of the latter seventy-five. The 
functions of both have now been united in the royal state rail¬ 
road directories, 1 of which twenty have been created. Each 
directory is composed of a president, appointed by the king, 
and the requisite number of associates, two of whom may act as 
substitutes 2 of the president under the direction of the minister. 3 
Each directory has administrative control over all the railroads 
in its circuit. 4 It decides all cases arising out of the action of 
special and of subordinate branches of the administration; and, 
representing the central administration, it may acquire rights 
and assume responsibilities in its behalf. Below and subordinate 
1 Altona, Berlin, Breslau, Bromberg, Cassel, Cologne, Danzig, Elberfeld, 
Erfurt, Essen, Frankfurt on the Main, Halle, Hannover, Kattowitz 
Konigsberg, Magdeburg, Munster, Posen, St. Johann-Saarbriicken, 
Stettin. 
8 Ober Regierungsrath and Ober-Baurath. 
3 Minister of Public Works, unless designated otherwise. 
4 The subordinate administrative organs of the state (Oberprasident, 
Regierungsprasident, Landrath, etc.) have certain powers over con¬ 
cessions, police regulations, etc. 
