OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Hoaomblo~Joha D. Rood, 0~1rrrloo.r 

Bureau of &bor btrtlrtlo8 

Awtio, 2uar 

hourr 

OF 0r •~ r-0 80pw80m 0~ 

in aa oit7 or 8ore than twoat 

5,000) lmMbltmtr ahall ba hduty more t&n rlx (6) days in atg 

"'I?. rho proohlag rubditision shall not l p017 t0 00008 or me 

l *). -oh moeor, 0r w ruoh depcrrt8ent la 

aa7 oity of mom th8a tkirt 

I 

thoouad 

fftooa (15 I 

30,000 1 ialnbitrat8 -11 bo alloued dap vaaatlon in -oh 7err vith ~7j protldo4 that the 
Honorable John D. Reed, page 2 

~ovlalon of thI8 Motion of thlr Aot ah611 uot 

be applied to any membar of any euah department 

in any city of.more tlnaa thirty thowand (30,000) 

Inhabitants unle88 8uoh member adall have been 

regularly employed in rush department or departments r0r a period 0r at leart one (l)!yoar. 

“‘4. I&oh preording Federal aensu8 8bsll determine the population. 

“‘5. The city orrioial8 having supervision 

of tha rlre~depsrtt8otIt and polloe department ah811 

cleslgaate the da 

ruoh member s&l I 

8 ot the reek upon which eaoh 

not be required to be on duty, 

aud the day8 upon vhioh each 8uoh member 8-11 be 

alloved to be on vacetiOa.l (Under8oorlng ours) 

"As far a8 I am able to determine, the statutes above quoted are the only laws ve hwe goterm10g the hour8 0r poliooreo in a oity 0r rirty-eight 

thowsand (58,000) as 8houn by the laast Federal con8US. 

"Thin Departmsut I8 in reaelpt of an inquiry 

from a cltg or the abovr slae oonosroing vhethsr 

or not it would be within the lav in ltutltutlng 

a propo8ed plan of work and 8alarlea for It8 polloe 

orrioera for the dwatlon or the war emergenoy. At 

the present time the pollee oitiOer8 are vorklng 

eight (8) hour8 per da six (6) dayr per reek, 

and are rsoelrl a 8a 

($5.00) 

ii ry 0r one Siundretd and sixtp 

Five Dollara per month. 

“Bocaum the City 18 &bls to replroe It8 

per8onnel who h8ve entered the armed servlow, 

both the remaining orrioem and the city OffiOial8 

have tentatively agreed to a tvelve-hour day during the emergency period and tar this they are to 

receive compenrratlon for the extra four (4.) hour8 

at the MLP~O rata or py a8 regularly received. 

"Police departments, like many Industries, 

are faced with a problen or findlug quallfisd uorkers, ati this plan 18 to only be used during the 

war emergency ror the proper protection oi llfs and 

property. 

. 
Honorable John D. Rood, paga 3 

"will you plum oculdsr ths above proposed plur and advISe m Uh&hOr or not It oan 

b0 put ita0 Orr80t vithout viomirrg ouc ratutes?" 

222 

Ths olvll and penal statutes you hro quoted ~8 

ths only l pplloablo ones t0 pollossea~s hour8 oi labOr In a 

aity or 58,000 popumlw. In both oodss the lav my not be 

relaxed sxospt ln a m l msrgswy insofar as It lirits hour8 or 

work. What oonstitutss aa l mrgonoy is a qwstioa or raot 

la the aase of roh city of tha oUsa. We thlak the olty 

orrloials are ooqmtslrt to doternina whether an surgraoy la 

raOt SXi8tS. It IS a mttor or universal knorledgo that the 

d61~ndr or wr upon our mmapouer br orratsd amwpnciss 10 

all walks 0r lit0 and it 40s~ not seem raasouabl* to sap so 

that the cities or the State ars any Uceptioa to the r tar 8. 

If the oity l uthorltlos 80 dstsrrrine, it 18 our oplaioa tbat 

aa l rraugeasat ror six twelve-hour dais per ussk vould not 

violate the statutes refsrrd to. We rurther point out that 

thsro Is nothing in the statutas to prohibit a voluntary arraugswnt rush as you have outllnod even in the ab8enos Oi 

an 6mergeaoy. 

Vary truly yours 

ATTOlum OEHERAL OF TEXAS 

I5,db 

.