The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-10
ALL employees MUST SIGN.
SAVANNAH TRACTION co. TO KEEP
TABS ON THEM.


Dany Liable For Amy Injuries They
May Receivc-some of the Em-
DIOycs in DOubt-Director Collins
Says the Plan Is Not a New One.
He Says 1t Does Not Relieve the
Company Where IL Is Negligent.
Company Where 1t Is Negligence.
The Step Found Necessary on Ac-
count of So Much Imposition.
The Savannah Traction Company las
| just issued to it's employees a form of APP
| plication for employment, containing a
contract, the purport and intent of which
seems to be to relieve the company from
any liability to it's employees in case of az
cident
1t is one of the rules now that not only
every one wishing employment by the
company, but those in the service, as well,
must fill out sign in the presence of wit
nesses and hand in one of these applica-
tons or they cannot enter or remain In
| the service. Some of the motormen and
conductors have signed these applications,
while others are holding off, as they think
| the latter part of the contract would in
terfere with their legal rights in case of
accidental injury to them, resulting from
| some negligence on the part of the COM
| pany.
The application reads as follows:
| To the General Manager of the Savannah
| Traction Company: Sir-I hereby make
| application for ...... on your road, pledg-
| ing myself if appointed, faithfully and
| honestly to discharge the duties of the
| position to the best of my ability, and
strictly comply with all your rules and
IN toto ,s,a,
| may hereafter be created, and hereby af-
llrm that the following declarations made
| ana answers given, are the truth, without
reservation of any kind whatever:
Are you in service of this company at
present? If so, in what position and why
DO you desire to change? Hight. Weight
what is your full name, age, and where
| born?
Are you married or single? And whom
| have you to support?
Have you a trade? If so, state what
| Are you nov employed?
DO you use intoxicating liquors?
Where were you last employed? Explain
nature of employment and how long you
| were so employed.
| Were you discharged or did you resign?
In either case, state the reasons
Were you ever employed by any steam
| road, or any city passenger railway? If
| So state when, where, and in what ca
| paclty you were so employed.
| why did you leave?
| Give dates of your employment and
names of employers during the past five
| years.
Do you desire to follow-- as a
| business?
Give names, occupation and address of
as many persons as possible for reference
| not less than three-who are not related
| TO you and not former employers.
| And in further consideration of employ
| in lnh fT,,,, =
| me OF the wages or salary which may be
| agreed upon, and as a condition of en-
! ployment and the payments to me of such
wages or salary. 1 hereby undertake and
| blnd myself to all risks of casualties by
| railway travel or otherwise incident to
| such employment and service, and accord
| ngly hereby release, acquit and discharge
| the said Savannah Traction Company
| from any and all claims or liability of
every nature and character whatsoever
to me or my heirs, executors or legal rep
! resentatives on account of personal in
! jury or otherwise.
Some of the employees do not fancy the
| last paragraph, which seems 10 relieve the
company entirely frcm any liability to
| them in the case of any injury whatso-
| ever. Maneing Director j. S. Collins of
! the savannah Traction Company was ask
| ed about the matter yesterday
| 1t is not a contract, but an appllca-
! tion,' he said, land II Is not by any means
new thing, as many of the companies in
| other cities require the same thing II
| is not that we want to get rid of any Just
| liability, but we are so often imposed
! upon that this has practically become
! necessary for our own protection For
! instance, man may go to work In the
! morning and carelessly step into one of
| the pits where the cars are and sprain his
ankle. He might then be sent to the
| cOmpanyS surgeon, which would mean
| perhaps a bill for $25 and a loss of two
! to three weeks time. Then. again, what
! would you think of a motorman going to
sleep on his car, running into another
car, injuring four or five people, himself
| included, and then suing the company for
| $4,000 damages. And yet that very thing
happened here not long ago. Those are
! the things we have to contend with, and
that's where the trouble largely lies.
With regard to that part of the appli-
cation to which you refer, l do not con-
! slider that II relieves us from all liability
by any means, in cases where the COM
! pany is negligence. It's something like
! bill of lading issued by a railroad which
says it won't be responsible under this
or that condition, and at the
same time it has got to
| comply with the law. 1 do not contend
that 1t would relieve the company If it is
| negligent.
! But then isn't II fair contract? There
it is and the employe knows just what he
| IS doing before he accepts 1t. The condi-
! tions are before him and he can accept or
not just as he chooses. The courts have
| held that where a man enters hazardous
employment Voluntarily, the employer Is
not liable for injuries except such as occur
| through his negligence.
"Ono Of the principal objects of these
applications is to improve the service AS
you see we get a full account and record
of the men, and If there is anything sus-
picious about their answers we make an
| investigation Of the case. The present
employees are required to sign the appli-
cations for the reason that among 125 or
more men 1t Is frequently the case that
some of them get rusty and there has TO
be some wedding out. We have got men
who are violating the rules right along,
some of them drinking on any and every
occasion and going into barrooms in uni
form. If we find any Of the men make
false answers to these questions, why we
don't want them"
Mr. Collins said a great many OF the
present employees had already signed the
applications given them and So far he had