Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1908-03-04
LAW ENACTED BY CONGRESS, AT
FEcTING RAILROADS, GOES
INTO EFFECT TODAY.
L|M|TsHOURs OFsERWCE
OF Employees In Service of compa
nies-Railroads Say 1t Will Be
Very Costly LaW-Em-
pIoyees Are Pleased.
Special to the Herald.

Special to the Herald.
Washington, D. c., March 4.-The
law enacted by congress to promote
the safety of employees and travellers
upon railroads and limiting the hours
of service of employees thereon" goes
into effect today. The act, in brief,
is as follows:
That it shall be unlawful for any
common carriers, its officers or agents
subject to this act, to require or per-
NIT any employee subject to this act
to be or remain on duty for longer
period than sixteen consecutive hours,
and whenever any such employee of
any common carrier shall have been
continuously on duty for sixteen con-
secutive hours he shall be relieved
and not required or permitted again
to go on duty until he has had at least
ten consecutive hours off duty; and
no such employee who has been on
duty sixteen hours in the aggregate
in any twenty-four hour period shall
be required or permitted to continue
or again go on duty without having
had at least eight consecutive hours
off duty; provided, that no operator,
train dispatcher, or other employee
who has by the use of the telegraph
or telephone dispatches, reports,
transmits, receives, or delivers orders
pertaining to or affecting train move
ments shall be required or permitted
to be or remain on duty for a longer
period than nine hours in any twenty
four hours in all towers, offices,
places and stations continuously OPP
crate night and day, nor for longer
period than thirteen hours in all tow
ers, offices, places and stations operat-
ed only during the daytime, except in
cases of emergency, when the en-
ployees named in this proviso may be
permitted to be and remain on duty
for four additional hours in a twenty
four hour period on not exceeding
three days in any week; provided,
further; the Interstate Commerce Com
mission may, after full hearing in a
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 case
That any common carrier, or any
officer or agent thereof, requiring or
permitting any employee to go or re-
main on duty in violation of the sec
ond section hereof, shall be liable to
a 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
in the district court of the United
States having jurisdiction in the To-
cality where such violation shall have
been committed; and it shall be the
duty of such district attorney to bring
such suits upon satisfactory informa-
ton being lodged with him; but no
such suit shall be brought after the
expiration of one year from the date
of such violation; and it shall also be
the duty of the Interstate Commerce
Commission to lodge with the proper
district attorneys information of any
such violations 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 all its officers and agents;
provided, that the provisions of this
act shall not apply to any case of
casualty or unavoidable accident or
the act OF God; nor where the delay
was the result of cause not known.
to the carrier or its officers or agent
in charge of such employee at the
time said employee left terminal,
and which could not have been fore
seen; provided, further, that the pro-
visions 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 Civ
en- notice to the Commission that they
are prepared to obey the law to the
letter. A large majority of the roads,
however, have taken no steps toward
complying with the act and have not
indicated what their plans are. It is
assumed that now that the law has
become operative many roads will APP
ply for permission to conduct their
business as heretofore until they can
make ready to meet the requirements