East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-03-06

The law enacted by congress to
promote the safety Of employees and
travellers upon railroads and limiting
the hours OF service of employees there
on" went Into effect yesterday. The
act IN brief, Is as follows:
That II shall be unlawful for any
common carrier its officers or agents,
subject TO this act, to require or per-
NIT any empoye subject to this act
60 be or remain on duty for longer
period than l6 consecutive hours, and
whenever any such employe of any
common carrier shall have been con-
tluuOusly on duty for l6 consecutive
hours he shall be relieved and not re-
qulred or permitted again to go on
on duty until he has had at least 10
consecutive hours off duty: and no
such 'employe who has been In duty
16 hours In the aggregate in any "a
hour period, shall be required or per-
mitted TO continue or again go on duty
without having had at least eight con-
secutive hours off duty.
Provided. that no operator. train
dispatcher or other employe who mas
by the use of the telegraph or tele-
phone dispatches. reports transmits,
receives or delivers orders pertaining
to or affecting train movements shall
be required or permitted to be or
remain on duty for n longer period
than nine hours in any 24-hour per-
iod In all towers. offices. places and
stations continuously operated night
and day, nor for a longer period than
13 hours in all towers. offices. places
and stations operated only during the
daytime, except in cases OF emergen-
cy, when the employees named " this
provision may be permitted to be and
remain on duty for four additional
hours in 24-hour period on not ex-
ceeding three days in any week.
Provided, further. The interstate
commerce commission may, after full
hearing in n particular case and for
good cause shown, extend the period
within which a common carrier shall
comply with the provisions of this
proviso as to such cases
That any common carrier, or any
officer or agent thereof, requiring or
permitting any employe to so or re-
main on duty in violation of the sec
ond section hereof shall be liable to
penalty of not to exceed $500 for
each and every violation, To be recov-
cred In suit or suits to be brought
by the United States district attorney
n lat pt nf hn
states having jurisdiction In the local
ity where such violation shall have
been committed: and 1t shall be the
duty of such district attorney to bring
such suits upon satisfactory informa-
-tion being lodged with him; but no
such salt shall be brought after the
expiration Of one year from the date
of such valuation; and 1t shall also be
the duty OF the interstate commerce
commission to lodge with the proper
district attorneys Information of any
such yiOlations as may come to its
knowledge. In all prosecutions under
this act the common carrier shall be
deemed to have had knowledge of all
acts of sll its officers and agents.
Provided that the provisions of this
act shall not apply to amy case of
casualty or unavoidable accident or
the act Of God: nor where the delay
was the resalt of n cause not known
10 the carrier or its officers or agent
in charge Of such employe at the time
said employe left a terminal. and |
which could not have been foreseen. |
Provided, further, that the provisions
Of this act shall not apply to the |
crews of wrecking or relief trains.
Efforts to have congress repeal or |
amend the law have been unavailing.
The interstate commerce commission
has likewise declined to consent that
the enforcement OF the law shall be
postponed A few railroads have giv-
en- notice TO the commission that they
are prepared 20 obey the law to the
letter.
1t is assumed that now that the law
has become operative many roads Will
apply for permission to conduct their
business as heretofore until they can
make ready to meet the requirements
of the new law
The act gives the interstate COM
merce commission power to grant an
extension of time in individual cases
where good cause is shown. The
railroads declare that the enforcement
Of the law will cost them $2O,O0O,OOO
n wear and that at the present time
tha,, connof n fford this extra expense