Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-09-18
BURLINGTON MEN
In EXPLANATION
GIVEN OUT YESTER.
DAY AS TO THE POSITION OF
THE COMPANY
Letter Was Written BY President Geo.
B. Harris to j. w. Dalton, Chairman
Of the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers-other Railroad News.

From the Chicago Office of the Bur-
lington railroad, letter and statement
were given out yesterday in which the
officials of the road explained the po-
sition of the company in it's negotia-
lions with it's locomotive engineers.
The letter of explanation was writ
ten by President George B. Harris Of
the company to ]. w. Dalton chairman
of the Brotherhood Of Locomotive En-
gineers committee. The statement is
from Daniel Willard, second vice pres
ident. President Harris letter follows:
your letter received, asking for a
written statement of our conclusions.
"Our company takes the ground that
to render satisfactory service and
make it reasonably safe for the travel
ing public and for co-employes, passen-
ger engineers in ctrtain service, which
was specified, must have good vision
without the aid of glasses. The whole
question is one of adequate safety for
the lives and property committed to
our care as common carrier, and for
the safety Of co-employes. You may
recall that we offered to lay this whole
question of adequate safety in respect
to the vision of engine men before the
interstate commerce commission and
abide by the result. Our object in
suggesting the commerce commission
was to put the question before an en-
tirely disinterested tribunal"
EyesIght Tested.
Then follows the statement of Sec
ond Vice President Willard, who gives
in a lengthy account the history of the
testing of the eyesight of employees run
ming fast trains, the use of glasses at
night and where the company wants
greater safety in the running of trains.
"The Burlington company has in it's
employ over 1000 engineers. OF this
number approximately $40 are In
charge of passenger trains. Probably
not more than forty of the passenger
engineers would be affected by this or
der. and, as matter of fact, only two
men were actually changed, and in
each case the test demonstrated clear
ly that it would be better to put them
on runs of less severe requirements.
''The whole misunderstanding, if
there be any (and we do not under
stand that there is any,, has grown out
of desire on the part of the Burling
ton company to bring about, If possible
greater safety for the travelling public
and for it's employees. There can be no
other possible interest in a matter OF
this kind.
Discussion Held.
ga number of discussions concerning
this matter were held between a com.
mittee representing the engineers and
the proper officers Of the company. A
ruling was requested by the men and
it was given them, and we have every
reason to believe, from the manner in
which it was received that it was sat
isfactory to them, and we have still the
assurance Of a large number of men
in fact from all that have been inter
viewed, that they feel that the position
which the company has taken is fail
and proper one and that they have nc
reason to feel that there is any desire
or intention on the part of the com
pany to be unjust or unfair to its engi
neers.
'The men were told during one of the
discussions that if they felt that the
standard which had been established
in this matter by the officers of the
company was an unfair one, the com
pany would be glad to refer the whole
question to the interstate commerce
commission and would gladly abide by
| it's ruling"