Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-12-26
USE PHONES IN
MOVING TRAINS
NORTHWESTERN TO MEET THE
NEW EIGHT-HOUR LAW.
CHANGE COMES IN JANUARY
EIver Statute Takes Effect With Open
ing of New Year and Local "Block
ing" Will Then Be Done by Speech
Transmtters Instead Of by Morse
System.
Madison, Dec. q

To meet the new conditions brought
about by the EIver law establishing
an eight-hour day for railroad teleg-
rapherS, the Northwestern road has
formulated a plan which involves the
dlscOntinuance of a large number Of
telegraph stations and the extensive
use of telephones in moving trains
in this state. The law goes into Ell
feet on January 1, and the new ar
rangement will presumably be applied
on that day or soon thereafter.
The new statute, which was faith
cred in the last Legislature by Assem-
blyman Gilmore T. Elver OF Madison
and which was duly enacted after
considerable opposition by the rail
roads, makes it unlawful for any rail.
road company to employ a teiegrapher
in the work of dispatching trains for
longer than eight hours in any "a
hour period, It is said that the North.
western road is the first to fix upon
a plan to meet this new condition
without increasing by so per cent. the
number of local teIepTaghers en-
ployed.
It has been customary for local op.
orators, who are in many cases the
local agents as we'll as telegraph op.
orators, to be on duty for twelve
hours, two operators being enough to
manage one such station. In the
larger offices, such as are known TO
railroad men as "dispatcher's Offices, -
the time of service was much less,
but in local service, where not many
trains a day were operated, the teleg
raphers worked on 12-hour shifts. To
cut down the hours to eight would
increase the number of operators by
half unless some of the local Offices
were closed, or the messages trans
mitted by means other than the tele-
graph instruments. This is the al
tentative which, is is said, will be re-
sorted to by the Northwestern, and
it is said the other railroads will for
low suit, waiting to observe the re-
suit of the Northwestern's experiment
and to install the necessary telephone
appliances
Have Phones Already.
Definite announcement of the
change has not yet been made in Mad,
ison and it IS not known just how far
the telephones will take the place OF
the Morse system. In general, it is
understood, the smaller stations will
cease to be attended by biographies
The dispatching of trains will cen
tinue to be done by telegraph, but the
local blocking" will be done by te1e.
phone The Northwestern system has
already used telephones extens
lively to relieve the telegraph system
on local messages, and the extension
of the phone equipment will not in
volve a large immediate change. Il
is said that few if any telegraph op
orators will be thrown out of employ
ment by reason Of the change, for
many of them will be called into the
| larger offices. Wherever at loCal
stations the telephone system is used
| the men can continue on 12-houl
shifts, for the law is not directed al
| telephones. 1t is suggested that II
some cases the telegraphers will re
main at their stations, but will no
| be employed longer than eight hour:
) day at the telegraph key, so tina
violation of the law may be avoided.