The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-06-25
SEEK To DEFEAT.
EIGHT HOUR LAW
Railroads Want Iele-
graphers Twelve Hours.
THE STATE AROUSED
Eight Hundred kilograms from All
Portions of the state Urge the
CORPORATION Commission Not TO
Grant he petition OF the
Railroads TO Delay Law.
Railroads TO Delay Law

Grant he petition of the
Railroads TO Delay Law.
Eight hundred kilograms in one
dav. and more probably on the way
show the deep interest the railroad
~1elegvaphers L prominent men Of
North Carolina are taking in the put
ting into operation Of the eight hour
law for railroad photographers. Whlle
90 the other hand railroad lawyers
and railroad officials are here In Raj
eigh urging that the operation OF the
law. set by the Legislature to go INTO
effect the fret Of July, 1907, be delay
ed till March, 1903, and annulled for
many places.
From the mayors Of North Carolina
cities, prominent citizens ana teIes-
raphers the kilograms to the Corpora
tfon Commission came go fast yester-
dal that Chief Clerk Brown had TO
use a stencil in receipting for their de-
livery. and last night three great stacks
Of these lay on his desk. Though
sent by telegraphers, none OF the tele-
grams were dead head ones, but
paid was the mark on all. each n
all asking in various terms that the
eight hour law be put into erect,
that public safety demanded 1t, the
expression of one. Enough ives nave
Z Dctl SdCiIIICEu ~ LIZ ~"
being echoed in the expressions OF
Others. About eight hundred tele-
grams in all show that every section
of North Carolina is awaiting the de-
cision Of the Corporation Commission
with anxiety. n that the people de-
,mands that ample protection be
thrown about the lives Of the travelling
public.
The Hearing Took All Day.
- - +Iara yynnt on the
hearing before the North Carolina
CORPORATION Commission the matter of
the petition of the Southern, the At
'lantic cast Line and the boa
Air Line railways asking that at
almost all Of their stations and block
towers their telegraph operators. not
train dispatchers, be allowed to work
as much as twelve hours out of TWEEN
ty-four, in place of working eight
hours as prescribed by the General
Assembly.
The battle Of conflicting interests
yesterday Waged about the Southern
Railway and the stations it wanted
exempted from the law, there being
on the stand for that railroad Mr.. f.
H. Copeman, of Greensboro, general
superintendent of the northern dis
trict; Mr.. George r. Loyal, Of Knox
willie, Tenn, general superintendent
western district: Mr.. j. n. Scale, of
Washington, l.. G., manage eastern
and northern districts, while Mr..
Henry w. Miller made a general ap-
pearance for the road. talked for it
and examined witnesses, there being
also present for the Southern Railway
Mr.. A. Ramseur, of Asheville, super
intendent Asheville division, and Mr..
j. w. Bennett, of Durham, superin-
tendent of the Durham division.
Mr.. James H. Pou was in attendance,
representing the Atlantic Coast Line.
as was also Mr.. William H. Newell,
of Wilmington. superintendent of that
division OF the Coast Line, and for
the SeabOard Air Line Judge 7. B.
WomaCk was the counsel present. The
Order of Railway Photographers and
members of the order was represented
by MI. Z. j. Justice and Judge Il. G.
StrudWick, of Greensboro; Mr.. f. M.
Upchurch, of Cary, and Mr.. r. n.
Simms, of Raleigh. There was pres
ent at the hearing about twenty tele-
graph operators from various sections
of the State, who are urging that the
eight hour law stand and go into eff
feet the first of July. in place of be-
ing cut to pieces and. deferred till
March, 1908, as the railroads ask and
urge.
Among these operators present were
Messrs. \. c. Birmingham, A. c.
Booker. A. P. Chambliss, E. O. Smith.
\. @. Ledbetter, W. L. Moon. E. H.
Moon, n. c. Hines. B. NJ. Edwards,
J. H. Williams, j. T. Benn, A. H.
Hudson. j. F. Lipsey, W. w Jones,
H. G. Alexandria. C. NJ. Coleman, R.
w. Duncan A. L. McDaniels and J.
It. WitherspoOn.
Testimony Under oath.
The Introductory event in the hear
Ing was the appearance of Mr.. Henry
w. Miller, of the Southern Railway,
who urged that the stations, which
the southern wanted exempted be al
lowed to have their operators Work to
twelve hours, that il was a reasonable
and just request, and that the duties
of the operators at certain blocks
were not such as to require that they
work only eight hours, that no ex-
and vitality right along" There's a
reason"
emption was asked for the larger
places and no exemption for the train
dispatchers.
Mr.. Miller then that he
was ready In detail to take UP the
various stations of the Southern in
the State and offered as a witness Mr..
f H. Copeman. At this ju%ncture,
Judge r. {. Strudwick, for the teleg-
raphers, asked that as the matter was
or much importance that all witnesses
TESTIFY under oath. This was granted
by the Commission and the oath was
administered to the Witness.
Mr.. Copeman then starting in with
Pelham. the first block tower station
this side of the Virginia line in North
Carolina, began to go over in detail the
duties and requirements of the op-
orators, the arrangement and bust
ness done at the stations. For
about fOrty-five minutes there was q
dry-as-dust reorganization Of the
southern Railways statement of its
stations, their equipment and the
duties of the operators. Finally Mr.
Justice. representing the telegraphers
seeing that Mr.. Copeman was merely
simplifying the. statement made BY
him in the petition for the South
ern hallway, which he consulted as he
testified, agreed that the written state
ment be considered Mr.. Copeman's di-
rect examination and then proceeded
to cross examine.
Pelham a Hot Box.
Pelham was the basis of the eros!
examination by Mr.. Justice. and as t.
this place. as at others, objection haC
been entered as to Mr.. Copeman testi
flying that his opinion was that twelve
hours work could be done by tn,
railroad telegraph operators Will
safety TO the public, as this is a mat
ter for the Commission to determine
and not the railroads. On the eros
examination it was brought out tina
at Pelham the operator HAD duties t.
perform besides that of t~elegraphing