The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-01-07
WAITING ROOMS
TO BECOMFORTABLE
Railroad Commission Issues an
important Order.
COMPLIES WITH DECISION
Rooms at Stations Must Be Heated In
Winter and Separate compart-
ments Must Be Provided for
Whites and Negroes.
COMPLIES WITH DECISION

Montgomery January 6.-(Special)-
The railroad commission of Alabama, at
a meeting today issued very important
order relative to the regulation of pas
senger stations on all lines in the State.
The order in full is as follows:
whereas. the Supreme Court of Ala
bama has heretofore held in the cases
of Page VS.. L. and N. r. r. Co., 20 Sou.
Reporter, page 677, that no duty to es-
tablish and maint ain a comfortable wait
ing room at it's stations for persons pur-
posing becoming passengers on its trains
rests upon any railroad unless imposed
by the charter of said railroad or by a
statutory regulation, or by some other
authorization comforting the powers upon
a railroad commission to impose the
duty" and whereas, section 3451 of the
Code of Alabama confers authority on
the railroad commission of this State to
require railroads to maintain sufficient
sitting or waiting rooms suitably heated,
etc, for the comfort of passengers, it is
therefore ordered and directed that the
(naming the railroaD, corporation do
ing business under the laws of Alabama,
at each station named below shall MAIN
tain on the line of road operated by said
corporation a depot with sufficient sit
ting or waiting rooms for passengers
waiting for trains. having regard for sex
and race with separate rooms for white
and colored passengers, which rooms
shall be suitably heated in cold weather
for one hour before the schedule time of
the arrival of any train carrying passen-
gers and for one-half hour after the de-
parture of said train and supplied with
sufficient fresh drinking water when pas
sengers waiting for trains are present
and with sufficient and comfortable
chairs or seats; and connected Herewith
a sufficient number of comfortable privies
or water closets, to be at all times kept
clean; and in conspicuous place at
such station, a bulletin board, showing
the schedule time of the arrival and de-
parture of all passenger trains, and when
there is a telegraph office, If any passen-
ger train is delayed, bulletin must be
posted in a conspicuous place at such
station, showing how much the train is
behind it's schedule time, and continue to
post such bulletin each half-hour until
the train arrives, and at all said stations
such railroad company shall keep the
platform and approaches thereto suitably
lighted when necessary for the accommo-
dalton of passengers for one hour before
the schedule time of the arrival of any
train carrying passengers and for one
half hour after the departure of said
train. Provided that the duties of this act
as to heating and lighting the depots and
posting bulletins as to schedule time shall
not be required of the railroads as to fast
trains that only stop at these stations
when tagged
1t is further ordered and directed that
a copy of this requirement be served upon
the agent of the said railroad and spread
upon the minutes of the commission. 1t
is further ordered that the several rail-
road companies shall have ninety days
within which to comply with this order.
Done at the office of the railroad COM
mission of the State of Alabama this the
9Th day of January, 1902
This order does not impose any new
liability upon the railroads, neither does
st require them to do more than they are
supposed to do in the absence of the Or
der. 1t Is simply made because the Su-
preme Court in its decision points out a
defect which this order is intended to
cure. So far as known the railroads have
made no fight against making the order
effective. The order simply carries out
the orders of the statute upon the various
subjects embodied.