Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1907-08-08
No. 107, Al Published July 10, 1907
CHAPTER 575, LAWS OF 1907.

AN ACT to create a new section to the
statutes Of 1898, to be known as section
1816m relating to railroads.
The people of the State of Wisconsin. rep
resented in Senate and Assembly, do
enact as follows:
Section l. There is created and added
to che statutes Of 1898 new, section to
read Section 1816m. It shall be unlaw-
full for any corporation or receiver operat-
ing a line of railroad, in whole or In part,
In the state of Wisconsin, or any officer,
agent or representative of such corpora
tion or receiver, to require or permit any
operator to remain on duty for more than
one period of eight consecutive hours, and
when said operator shall have been on duty
for said eight hours he shall be relieved
and not required or permitted again to go
on duty until he has had at least sixteen
consecutive hours of duty In any twenty
four hours; provided this provision snail
railroad In which case said operator may
be required or permitted to be on duty not
more than one period OF twelve consecu-
tive hours In any twenty-four hours, or
not to exceed three days of said twelve
successive hours each at one time.
2, The term Operator" shall include
train dispatchers, and shall be defined and
construed to mean an employee who, by
the use of the telegraph or telephone dis
patches, or reports, transmits, receives or
delivers orders pertaining to or Affecting
the movement OF cars, engines, or trains, or
who handles such cars, engines, or trains
by or under what is known and termed
the block system the term "block sys-
TEN" shall be defined and construed to
mean reporting cars, engines, or trains to
another Office or offices and to the train
dispatcher registering the same and operat-
ing one or more order or signal DEVICES
and manipulating signal devices affecting
the movement Of cars, engines, or trains
from stations or towers In railroad yards
or on main tracks.
g. Whenever the railroad commission
shall learn Of any violation Of this sec
ton by any company or by an officer or
agent of any such company, 1t shall be the
duty of the railroad commission to inves-
tigate such violation at once and 1t shall
have the power to require such company
to Immediately provide such additional en-
ployees as are necessary to comply with
the provisions Of this act.
f. The failure to comply with any OF
the provisions of this section shall subject
the corporation or receiver or any officer,
agent or representative of such corpora
ton or receiver to O penalty Of not less
than one thousand dollars nor more than
FIVE thousand dollars for each offense, to
be sued for and recovered in the name of
the state, with the costs of prosecution, by
the attorney general or under his direc-
ton, or by the district attorney for any
county In which the violation may occur,
and in the circuit court for such county,
and such penalty, when recovered, shall
county in which the violation occurred, for
the benefit Of such county.
Section 2. All acts and parts Of acts
inconsistent with the provisions of this act
are hereby repealed.
Section 3. This act shall take effect and
be In force from and after January 1, 1908.
Approved July II, 1907.