vice, and my capable assistants,
were not overlooked.

Sir William Goulding was proud of his chairmanship, and well he might be,
for during the long and trying period of the Inquiry he kept his team
well together and (no easy task) discharged the duties of Chairman with
admirable tact and ability. He was well entitled to the Resolution of
cordial thanks which the associated companies accorded to him. I should,
I feel, be lacking in gratitude if I failed to acknowledge also the
invaluable help afforded me by my brother managers, help ungrudgingly and
unstintingly given.

The Irish railways did not stand still. Their march along the path of
progress and improvement continued _sans_ interruption. From 1906 to
1910 (the Commission period) railway business, measured by receipts,
advanced in Ireland by seven per cent., compared with six per cent. in
England and three per cent. in Scotland!

In November, 1909, as was my habit unless prevented by other important
duties, I attended the General Managers' Conference at the Railway
Clearing House in London, and to my surprise and delight was unanimously
elected Chairman of the Conference for the ensuing year, the first and
only occasion on which the Manager of an Irish railway has been selected
to fill that office.

The Conference consists of the General Managers of all railways who are
parties to the London Clearing House, which means all the principal
railways of the United Kingdom. Other Conferences there were such as the
Goods Managers', the Superintendents', the Claims Conference, etc., but
it was the General Managers' Conference that dealt with the most
important matters.

I remember that, in returning thanks for my election, I ventured on a few
remarks which I thought appropriate to the occasion. Amongst other
things I said it was breaking new ground for the Conference to look to
Ireland for a Pope, but that in doing so they exhibited a catholicity of
outlook which did them honor; and I added that, in filling the high
office to which they had elected me, though I should certainly never
pretend to the infallibility of His Holiness, I should no doubt find it
necessary at times to exercise his authority. At ten o'clock in the
morning this little attempt at pleasantry seemed to be rather unexpected,
but it raised a laugh, which, of course, was something to the good. The
Conference was a businesslike assembly that prided itself on getting
through much work with litt