The Washington times., 1907-03-07
Described as an Act to
Make Travel Dan
gerOuS.
Section for TelegrapherS
Puts a Premium on
Taking Risks.
Friends of the Bill,
Doubling It's Value,
DiSSeCt 1t.

That Congress, in passing the measure
TO limit the hours of service of rail-
road employees. has in fact enacted a
law that in some of its most important
provisions might be described as an act
To make railroad travel more dangerous,
IS the charge that was made by some
of the hes, friends OF this legislation
less than day after Congress had
passed the bill and adjourned.
The truth is that nobody was certain
What sort of a Dill had finally been
passed when the conferces at length
came together and the two houses
finally accepted their report. And the
more the new measure has been studied,
the more uncertainty there is whether
II will be effective.
1t is the section aiming TO limit the
work OF telegraph operators that has
most recently been brought under criti-
cism. An official who has been for years
working 20 get legislation of this kind
said OF this section:
"Tnc most dangt rous thing in the bill
is this section. 1t seems to me to put
q premium. for railroads, on the poliry
Of taking chances with the workings
OF their block signal system. Here IS
what it does. i'm brief: it provides chat
at signal stations of telegraph Offices
where train orders are handled. operat-
ors may be worked not 10 exceed nine
hours in a period of twenty-four, provid-
cd the office is an all-day and all-mgnt
one. Dut if il is operated only as a
Gay OF night OIce-that is. il IL IS
not required TO be kept running the fun
twenty-tou. hours-then men may De
worked in il up to thirteen hours.
Recalls Terra Gotta Wreck.
Now. the effect Of this will be first
10 place a premium on the plan of
running an office for only part of the
day, and then closing il for the re
mairder. With a nine-hoUr maximum
at a Neutrality-suspicious. office. it will be
necessary 10 employ three men. But TIE
company finds that il can run that
office thirteen hours each day with Only
one. man. What is the result2 Every
road viii ne hunting for signal sta
lions and country offices that can be
cut ont at night. The men who run
these thirteen nOur offices Will De work
ed long hours day after dav, and there
viii be- danger IN this. The closing of
the offices at night viii decrease the
effectiveness of the block signals Opsr-
atoms The Terra Gotta wreck was a
perfect Illustration Of this condition.
The difference between one man s wages
and three men viii be 4 strong in
centivc TO the roads TO reduce their
forces of operators and signal men TO
the lowest possible point "
There Is SJronE belief that the work
ings Of this law will not be satisfactory
and that it VIII have to be construed
by the courts on several points before
its eject can be assured. Tie section
which aims 10 secure 10 every man the
assurance that he win not be worked
IN any case more than sixteen hours
without rest and that lie Will have ~
least eight hours rest in every day. is
so complicated that no two cOnStruC-
tiOnlSts seem 10 give IL the same mean
ing. Ii represents the result of q series
OF compromises. some of them demand
ed by sllillful lawyers and experts. some
by people with no expert knowledge
whatever. and with the prOyiSOs and
exceptions that have been attached, its
meaning IS exceedingly involved
Step Toward National Supervision.
on one point. however. there is sub
stantial unanimity- That is, that Il long
step was taken toward Government SUI
pervisian of the physical conduct OF
railroads, when the bill passed. Hereto
fore the Federal Government has I'M
dertakcn nothing of this sort except in
It's activities have been directed to IS
tablishing some measure OF control of
traffic conditions, rates, etc. with Gov
orumenL supervision Of operating con-
diti0us Il very different phase is brought
forward. Because Of their realization OF
the meaning of such a step the railroads
opposed the legislation vigorously.