The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-26
RAILROAD NEWS.
Mr.. Mudge's Speech Before the
Congressional Committee.
Directed Against the Proposed
Sixteen Hour Law.
FAVOR SHORTER HOURS
Only Trouble Is in Providing
Against Emergencies.
Items of Interest to Employees
of Railways.

The arguments which were recently
| advanced against the proposed sixteen
| hour law by H. L. Nudge second vice
president of the Rock Island. in charge
of the operation of the system, in his
| recent speech before the railroad COM
mittee of the U. S. house of representa-
| tives. have just been made public in a
little booklet which has been issued by
Mr.. Nudge. The arguments follow in
part:
The title of this bill. and its object
looks so reasonable that few, even of
the railway officials. have given it the
consideration that its Importance war
rants If made effective at once. or
even in six months from date, its re-
suits Will be far reaching and will add
to the many difficulties confronting
those who have in charge the movement
of the present enormous commerce of
the country.
The elimination of wrecks is the sub
Ject of more anxiety and consideration
on the part of railway officials than
any other one thing, and if any officer
believed that the proposed law would
prevent one disaster, the officials, and
those financially interested in the prop
erty, would be the first to ask for such
legiSla ton.
las the basis of pay of employees on
all western roads is by the mile, the
railway company has no interest in re-
ducing the number of men on the pay
roll. On the contrary. it will cost them
less to provide a sufficient number of
men so that no overtime will be neces-
sary- But under the present prosperous
condition of the country, it is impossible
to increase the number of men Suffi-
GENTLY to handle the crops with the
dispatch required or to handle the
large increase in coal production during
the winter months.
In the construction of many west
ern railways, division points were To-
Gated long distances apart for various
reasons. In many cases it was sought
to establish them at towns where the
employees could have the benefit of
because no adequate ~ water supply
could be obtained at other places, and,
in all cases, the traffic was then so
light that long runs could be made
with comparative ease. As traffic in
creased. delays in meeting and passing
trains required faster runner time be-
tween stations, and. finally, the estab-
iishment of new terminals and shorter
runs. Many new terminals have al
ready been esta blished,y and others are
under construction. and a large num-
Der are under consideration, but it
will require time and MANY millions of
dollars to accomplish this. 1--s
cit is not the general provisions of
difficulty of providing sufficient mar
gin to keep absolutely. at all times,
within the requirements.
Railway operating officials are in
accord with the general movement to
regulate the hours of actual service of
employees engaged in the. handling of
trains, and are now enforcing, under
normal conditions, restrictions prac-
tically as rigid as those proposed in
this bill: but with the varying condi-
tons under which freight transporta-
ton is performed in a large section of
this country, 1t has been found i'm
possible to keep strictly within these
rules in all emergencies without seri-
ously delaying the traffic of the coun-
try.
TT is the belief of the writer that
the hours on duty have practically no
bearing on the matter of accidents;
that the cause is deep-rooted and that
It will require action on the part Of
the constituted authorities to eradicate
"A glance at the records of the inter
state commerce commission will show
that only a small percentage of the |
wrecks reported have occurred to |
trains that had been on the road Is |
hours. and of this small number only |
A small proportion could. by any pos
sible stretch of the imagination, have |
been the direct result of such hours |
Of service.
The shipper of a train of live stock
should be tied up practically within |
sight of his destination on account of /
such a provision this. particularly /
4 he has already met with some I'M /
usual delay; and the train crew will /
consider 1T equally as absurd that .hev |
should be required to tie-up under
such conditions.
Railway officials would prefer to |
rust their own lives to an engineer |
IT conductor of long service and good |
habits for a longer period than 16
hours, than with the transient men
Who will be picked up to move the
raffic in times of heavy movement
10 matter how few hours such men
nay work. because the records will |
how that men of the former character
rery seldom sleep and run by signals
Inder any conditions. while the tran
lent men do this with no reason what
.ver, and when on duty only a few
lours. For this reason, a law that
will increase the necessity for frequent
editions to the service will increase
he hazard of accident"
VIEW ROCK ISLAND EQUIPMENT.