The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1907-08-21
MONTANA RAILWAY LAWS.

Among the laws passed Oy tne lentn
assembly were several that affect the
management of railway business in
Montana. A summary of these enact.
ments is presented in the Railway Age
of recent late, which includes the fol.
lowing:
The time of labor of locomotive en-
gineers and fremen, conductors. train
men, operators aud agents acting as
operators, employed In operating
trains, is limited to sixteen hours in
any twenty-four, and at least eight
hours must elapse before they may be
required to return to duty: provided,
that the act shall not be construed to
allow any employe to desert his loco.
motive or train in case Of accident,
storms, wrecks or unavoidable delay
arising from like causes, or to allow
employees to tie up any passenger or
mail train between terminals.
Any railway company or agent per.
hitting cattle to be shipped from a
station or siding without having been
inspected is made guilty of q misde-
meanor.
Any railway company storing and
distributing goods, except in its ca.
pacity of common carrier. must pay a
license of SlO.25 in each county in
which the business is carried on.
The Board of Railroad Commits.
sioners of the State of Montana is
created, with three members, who are
named in the act 90 follows: B. 7.
Stanton, GaIlatin county; Nathan
Godfrey, Lewis and Clark county; E.
A. Morley. Silver Bow county. The
successors of these commissioners
shall be elected in November 1908,
one for two, one for four, and one for
six years, and one commissioner shall
be elected every two years thereafter.
The board is required to hold sessions
at least once q month in Helena and
at such other times and places as may
be %expedient.
It is made unlawful for a railway to
Obstruct for more than fifteen minutes
any public highway which it crosses
outside of incorporated cities and
towns. by stopping q train of cars.
Railways are required to maintain
good and legal fences on both sides
OF their tracks and property and at
all crossings cattle guards over which
cattle or other domestic animals can.
not pass. If they fail to do 80 and
cattle, in consequence, are injured or
killed, the owner must be paid a fair
market price unless the accident oc-
Cured through his fault.
1t is made unlawful for any common
carrier to contiscate fuel in transit,
except for the preservation of life or
property or for the movement of trains
and burden of proof that such confs.
cation was legal under the act is upon
the carrier. Any carrier confscating
fuel is made liable for double its
value to the owner, the consignee
must be notified Immediately.
Every railroad, telegraph or ex-
press company is required to install
or allow to be installed In its ticket
Office, public office and freight Office
in all cities and towns one or more
telephones of each public exchange in
the city or town, and to cause all calls
over such telephones to be promptly
answered during business hours: pro-
vided, that the companies shall not,
in the absence of agreement to that ef-
feet, be required to bear the expense
of installation. Any company failing
to comply with the act is made guilty
of a misdemeanOr.