Railway Material in the Columbia Libraries            31

view, found its way into the collection. Attention has been freshly
focussed upon the regulatory structure in recent years because of
the growth of competition among the various forms of transport.
Some of the old issues have been forgotten while others assume a
different aspect in the search for solutions of ptesent regulatory
quandaries. Hence there is a tendency to look back into the
formative stages—fot which few libtaries aft'ord more abundant
material.

So extensive are the collections relating to railroads that no
brief account can do more than touch upon a few gems. The student
of railway history or of railway economies will find in the Columbia
Libraries much virgin material as well as a comprehensive working
library covering all aspects of the railway conquest ot the continent.