Troy weekly news. (Troy, Idaho) 1897-1933, 1908-03-06
To new NINE-HOUR LAW FOR
TELEGRAPH OPERATORS.
Railroad Magnates Plead Poverty and
Tell of Many Idle Cars, but Predict
Return of Trade and Prosperity in
Spring-Many Small Offices to Be
CIosed-Many More Operators.

the ''nine-hour law" The observation
of the law will mean the employment G
by railroad companies of several thou
SAND additional operators and the
closing of large number of small
stations on the principal systems. Dis
continuing of railway service at many
points, it is thought, will cause at
least temporary inconvenience to the
travelling and shipping public. In or
der to reduce operating expenses,
which now seems necessary, the oper
ating officials of the railroads believe
that this is the only way that they
possibly can meet the situation with
which they are confronted. The law |
requires employment of an extra oper-
ator when the work requires more |
than nine hours, and is. designed to
safeguard lives of passengers and
trainmen.
During the hearing of applications
for an extension of the nine-hour law
by the Interstate commerce commits
sion, some astonishing statements
were made by the operating officials
of important railways. A good many
railroads, owing to reduction in the
revenues and to their inability to COM
mand the cash necessaryeto meet their
payrolls, have been forced, during the
last four months, almost to the point
of asking for receivers. In the opin-
ion of railway officials expressed at
the hearing under oath and in private
conversation this condition does not
seem to have been due to the enforce
ment of regulative laws or to the in
capacity of railway management. Most
of the railroad officials attribute the
difficulty to the unfortunate banking
situation which developed last Sep
tember The railways did not feel the
stringency in money until about the
first of November. In fact, the month
of October was one of the best in the
history of the business of American
railways.
Slump Sudden and Violent.
H. u. Nudge, vice president and
general manager of the Rock Island
system, said: I'VE were plunged from
prosperity to adversely. A year age
our system could not handle the traffic
offered us. Today we have IL 900 idle
cars. Five months ago we suffered
|, from congestion of freight; now we
: suffer from a congestion of empty
n cars"
d What is true of one road is true o.
scores of other roads. One railroad
It official ventured the statement that il
;. the country today there are 100000
e idle freight cars, and one line which
II he instances was declared to be haul
ing empty cars backward and forward
\ because it had not yard room or sid
ings to accommodate them.
% Expect Quick Recovery.
a Not a single official of single raj
road line who appeared before tn
=, commission, however, expressed tn
n belief that the present industrial dc
" preston would be lasting. In the tie:
lie timony of nearly every witness befor
D. the commission there was note c
70 confidence because nearly every on
~ of them practically believed that tn
o. stringency in the money market fror
h. which the country has suffered is nc
o due to fundamental causes. They poir
out that the crops last year were good
VI that prices were excellent; that indus
~ trial enterprises throughout the coul
III try were fiourishing. 1t was merel
VI the inability to command ready cas-
NC and the boarding of money by pani
stricken individuals which produce
n so suddenly the remarkable depressio
lie from which all have suffered.
DIS They practically uniformly expires
nd confidence that the return Of prospe
ce ity will be almost as sudden as VIZ
the coming of adversely, and in the
in arguments as to the enforcement
ur the nine-hour law they pointed out
as the commission that such a return
er prosperity might seriously embarra
m them in complying with the law, b
,xt cause it would render it difficult
command the services of competel
nd operators in sufficient numbers
a meet the needs of prosperous conc
he tons.
tie, Few Reduce Wages.
ah With four or five exceptions, no II
al portant railroads of the country ha
indicated an intention to reduce &
ON wages of their employees. AS Cha
tn man Knapp of the interstate CONNER
ley commission expressed 1t: so far
ord I am informed, there is no concert