The Topeka state journal., 1897-10-06
THEY ASK MORE TIME.
Five Years Has Not Been Long
Enough for Railroads to Com
plv With the Law.

Washington, Oct 6.-The interstate
| commerce commission will hold a full
meeting in this city the latter part of
next week. This will be the first meet
ing held here in some months Chair
man Morrison, who has been taking
testimony in some cases at Chicago and
Kansas City has returned to Wash
ingtOn. Commissioners Clements and
Youmans are at Philadelphia hearing
the case of the warehOusemen against
the Pennsylvania and Reading roads,
which it is alleged gives free storage at
depotS and yards to certain Shippers
and thereby Injuries the business of the
warehouse.
Commissioner Knapp has gone to
Nashville, where he will make an ad-
dress and also serve on the jury of
awards of the exposition. Commission
er PrOuty has just concluded the TAX
ing of testimony at Buffalo in several
cases and is expected here in a few
days.
By far the most important question
which will come before the interstate
commerce commission this fall will be
that of the extension of the time in
which the railroads of the country en-
gagged in interstate commerce must
equip their trains with train brake sys-
TENS and automatic car cOuplers. The
act compelling the railroads to equip
their trains was passed in the closing
hours of the Harrison administration
after prOtracted and bitter contest.
The act was approved March 2, 1898,
and gave the railroads about five years
or until January 1, 1888, to comply with
the law.
The same act provides that the rail
roads should equip their cars with
hand rails and draWbars before July l,
1895. The whole purpose of this legisla-
tion was to insure greater safety for
passengers and to give greater security
to bTakemen and other railroad en-
ployes in coupling and uncOupling cars.
During the five years previous to the
passage of the act, the statistics show
ed that each year one employe in eve
ry 433 had been killed and one in every
81 injured. Before the time for equip
ping the cars with hand rails and draw
bars had expired many of the railroads
pet 't:Oned the commission for an ext en-
sion. This the commission was empOW-
cred to grant and after an examination
extended he ime when the operation
of that portion of the act relating to
hand rails and draw bars should go in
to effect from July 1, 1895, to February
l, 1896
The commission is now beginning to
receive petitions asking for an extern
sion of the time in which the Other sec
tiOnS Of the act providing for autOmat-
ic coUplers and train brakes shall go
into effect and before January 1 they
must decide this important question
The railroads ask for one to ten years
longer than the law provides The last
reports Of the railroads made to the
commission upon their equipment
ger trains We're almost entirely equip
ped as required by law, but that only
about One-thIrd OF the trelghI trains
and cars had been provided with the
proper safety appliances.
The figures on that date showed that
of the %, 326 passenger cars owned by
the railroads of the country. 81. 334 were
equipped with automatic cOuplers and
90 965 with train brake appliances. OF
the 1.217, $40 freight cars, 45S,410 were
equipped with automatic couplers and
$50, 303 with train brakes. OF the 362S5
locomotives, freight and passenger %
1876 We're equipped with the driving
wheel brakes provided for by the act
Since this report the work of equipping
the freight cars has gone steadily on
but it is doubtful whether more than
so or 60 per cent are even now supplied
with the safety appliances required by
law Should the commission decide not
to grant an extension the railroads
whose cars are not equipped January l.
1898. will be liable to a fine of 800 for
each and every offense against the act
BY the terms of the law an emplOye in
jured by any locomotive car on train
in use contrary to its provision shall
not be deemed to have assumed the
risk OccasiOned thereby although con-
tinuing in the employment of the road
after the unlawful use of such lOcOmO-
tive car or train has been brought to
his knowledge.