The Washington herald., 1907-03-02
FIX RAILWAY HOURS.
COnfereeS Submit Terms of
Compromise Agreement.
PROTECTS THE TELEGRAPHERS
Final Phrasing of Limitation ms 10
Hours Regarded as Likely to Cause
ManaEers-In Conference Bill Is
Improved from Previous Drafts.

The conferees on the hours-of-service
bill agreed yesterday and signed their
report. which was later submitted to the
House. As finally modified. the bin is
far less obnoxious 10 the railway work
ingmen and railway managers than might
have been expected after the strenuous
contest that has been waged over 1t for
weeks past
The section applying to telegraphers
provides that train dispatchers and dis
patehers' operators shall not be required
TO work for a longer period than eight
hours in any Neutrality-suspicious. period,
except in emergencies. when they may be
worked twelve hours.
The conferees inserted the following
clause:
And that no employe who. By the use
Of telegraph or telephone, transmits. re-
ceives. or delivers orders pertaining 20
or affecting train movements excepting
those who issue train orders. or who is
charged with the operation of signals or
switches from towers. Offices, or stations.
shall be required or permitted to be or
remain on duty for a longer period than
twelve hours I'm the aggregate in any
professionalism period"
The section as 10 the liability Of railway
officials in cases Of violation of the law
has been changed. so that the response
bility clause reads as follows:
THE common carrier shall be deemed
to have had knowledge of all acts of ali
It's officers or agents"
The statute-of-limltati0r period has
been reduced from three years to one
year. Prosecutions must be made within
one year from the time Of the occurrence
Of a violation.
Clause on Hours of Service.
The clause as to hours of service now
reads as follows: "No such employe who
has been on duty sixteen hours in the az
gregate in any Neutrality-suspicious. period
shall be required OF permitted 10 continue
or again go OF duty without having had
at least eight consecutive hours of duty. "
In the former draft OF the bill. as passed
by the House, there follows at the end Of
the above sentence the words, within
such twenty-four-hour period" These lat
ter words have been stricken out in con-
ference.
The effect of this, as construed by the
friends Of the bill, will be TO give satisfac-
ton 10 neither employees nor managers.
N the first place the bill, IN clause pre-
ceding. requires that when an employe
has worked sixteen consecutive hours he
must have at least ten hours off duty.
But II he works eight hours. rest two.
four, or eight hours. and again works
eight hours. IL is absolutely necessary to
rest him eight consecutive hours before he
can be ordered on duty again. II a rail-
way manager wants to send a crew out 10
handle a train of freight in times Of con-
gestion, where, the locomotive goes
empty" one way there would be great
difficulty in complying with the law.
Among those who represent the railway
mems organizations the result as now
fixed I'm the conference report is regarded
as more matter Of accident than inten-
ton. The language is spoken OF as a
blunder, and likely 10 make the law a
dead letter or. at least. impossible Of ex-
eCution. likely 10 lead 70 much difficulty
and expense.
In the final section the Interstate Com
merce Commission is given power TO en-
force the act. All powers granted TO the
commission by Congress are extended 10
it in the execution Of the law.
Secretary MOseIey's Position.
In spite OF all reports 10 the contrary,
the fact appears that Secretary Moseley
appeared before the conferees because he
was called by that committee His ex-
pert knowledge was desired He gave his
views on the bill in its original and
amended form. He said that he was in
favor Of an eight-hour law where Il was a
practicable measure, but in the present
case he did not think that twelve hours
was too long. In explanation Of his
views, he said that the Interstate Com
merce Commission was doing all in its
power to extend the use of the block
signal system. There was no law com.
pelsing its use, but there was a move
ment among numerous roads to extend II
several thousand miles this year. This
they were not likely 10 do if an eight
hour shift was MADE compulsory and the
expense were increased to the extent OF
the wages Of one man for each signal
station The hours-of-servlce bill was in
the interests Of the men, but primarily
intended for the protection of the public
and he thought a twelve-hOur law would
serve the purpose better than an eight
hour law under the circumstances