The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-22
AFFAIRS OF THE DISTRICT
4 Report on the Bill to Protect
Railroad Employees.
The Commissioncrs Forward House
Resolution 1881 to the Committee
With Several SuEgcstions-Wash
inEton IA Warm City-Discomforts
OF the Pupils of Good Hope School.

The Commissioners yesterday forwarded
to the House Committee on the District
Of Columbia their report upon House reso-
.ution 1881, ITO protect employees of the
street railway companies" etc. The at
tention of the committee is called to the
fact that section ! requires the street rail-
way companies operating in the District
Of Columbia to provide vestibules to pro-
tect the front platforms Of the cars after
November /, 1901, and that the second sec
ton makes it unlawful to operate ears
without such vestibules after that date,
between November / and April / of each
year. The Commissioners also say that
section provides penalty for the viola
ton Of either of the sections named Con-
tinuing, the letter to the committee says:
The Commissioners investigated this
question thoroughly a little more than a
year ago, and ascertained that vestibules
are required by State law or municipal
ordinance IN many Northern cities, al
though in several the law or ordinance is
not enforced Massachusetts has a State
law requiring that vestibules shall be pro-
vided during the months from December
TO March. inclusive, upon all street cars
built after January l. 1895 except in the
cities of over Sc, COO inhabitants, 1t being
the theory of the law that cities of over
mat number of population would have such
congested streets that vestibules might
cause accidents
1t was ascertained from the Weather
Bureau that in the ten years between Janu-
airy 1, 1880, and December 81, 1900, there
were only 176 days when the thermome-
ter Indicated lower teSnpera ture than 20 4
degrees above zero. and on but forty-nine
Gays in these ten years was it colder than
10 degrees below zero All of these DAYS
were in the months Of January, February
and March. This shows that the climate
OF Washington is not what could be called
severe, and while vestibues might be used
to advantage, the same necessity does not
exist for their use as in many Northern
cities.
1T was found upon examination that
many of the street car barns and sheds in
the District were designed to accommo-
date cars of the exact size now used upon
the roads, and TO require vestibules to be
placed upon the cars would probably re-
duce the storage capacity of the sheds
quite materially.
The Commissioners would, therefore.
recommend that sections and 2
of the bill be changed so as
by the street railway companies
after certain date TO be SO constructed
that half vestibules could be placed upon
then during the months of December,
January, February, and March. 1t is not
believed necessary to require full vesti-
bules, as it is considered that in the eli
mate of Washington the form of vestibule
which covers the front of the platform
and leaves the sides open is sufficient for
In 1.ftrra s-
cause accidents than full vestibule,
which reaches the body of the car, and
this form is less of an inconvenience to
the public as there are no doors to be
opened and closed.
Section requires that nine hours OF
labor. to be performed within eleven con-
secutive hours, shall, after the passage OF
the act, be considered days labor in the
operation Of street railways. Section )
provides a penalty which shall be inflicted
in the case Of violation of section 4.
THE Commissioners believe that reas-
enable hours for the employees on the
street cars of the District of Columbia
are required not only by considerations
of humanity, but also for the public
safety, inasmuch as men who are over
worked may become unfit to properly per-
form their duties. But in the limited time
within which this question has been pre-
scented to them, the Commissioners have
been unable to furnish to your committee
a solution OF the problem which they deem
entirely just to the roads and employees.
The Commissioners believe it to be
their duty to submit this report without
further delay. confident that your com
mittee will give full opportunity to all +
parties interested to be heard with re-
gard to the merits Of the questions in
volved.'
d. G. Fountain. Secretary of the East
Washington Heights Citizens Association |
has requested of the Commissioners that |
the school building at Good Hope be
opened at least half an hour before school
begins for the benefit of children who
come a long distance and arrive there
early. Mr.. Fountain states that the pa
rents OF many of these children are poor
and their clocks. IL they have any, are un-
reliable and the children, TO avoid being
tardy. must start early, and some of them
being thinly clad reach the schoolhouse
suffering from the cold. Instead of hav-
ing access to the warm room they are
Obliged to stand out and await the coming
Of the teacher. without protection, thus
adding 10 their discomfort and actually
endangering their health.
The association asks that the rules rel
alive to this matter be relaxed, especially