The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-02-17
TRYING TO OBEY
LETTER OF LAW
Interstate Commerce Commits
sion Gratified Over Attitude
of the Great Railways.
NINE HOURS ON THE. B. & O.
REPORTS RECEIVED IN coMPLI-
ANCE WITH RATE MEASURE.

Washington, Feb. disqualification is
expressed by the interstate commerce
commission over two conditions that
have arisen within a day or two. In
concrete form they mean that Ameri-
can railway officials, as class, are
doing all that lies in their power to
meet situations that have developed
under the new laws applying to inter
state traffic.
Information has reached the commits
sion that the Baltimore & Ohio rail-
road proposes to put into effect tomor-
row throughout its system the so-called
'nine-hour law" which by its terms
does not become operative until March
next. The law limits the hours of
service of all classes of train opera
tives, particularly engineers and fire
men, train dispatchers, railway telegra-
piers. towermen and signal operators.
Must Show Good Cause.
Already the commission has set Feb.
q as a date on which 1t will hear for
NAL applications for an extension OF
the time of the operation of the nine
hour provision. The time may be ex-
tended as to the railroads which are
able to show the commission good rea-
son for the extension.
However. the Baltimore & Ohio does
not purpose to await the result of the
hearing. As explained to the commits
sion, the purpose of the officials of
that system is to put the law into eff
feet Immediately in order that both
the officials and the operatives may
become familiar with the new condi-
lions before they are made imperative
by the act itself.
Another source of qualification to the
commission is the very general com
pliance of the railroads with that pro-
vision of the Hepburn act which makes
IL obligatory upon carriers to submit to
the commission monthly reports cover
ing every phase of the operation of in
terstate roads. A few weeks ago it was
announced in tentative way that sew
eral important systems, notably the
New York Central lines, had declined
to furnish reports to the commission
in accordance with the law and in con-
formity with the regulations and forms
prescribed by the commission. 1t was
held by the counsel for the New York
Central lines, for instance, that that
provision of the law was unconstitu-
tional, and 1t was understood to be the
advice of counsel that the railroads
should refuse the reports.
Reports Almost Complete.
Within day or two an understand
ing has been reached between the COM
mission and the New York Central by
which the road has filed with the COM
mission complete reports of its opera
ton for the five months ended Nov
80 last. The commission now has COM
plete reports for five months ended
Nov 80 for SO per cent of the railroad
mileage of the country. Reports for
the month of December are coming in
slowly, perhaps because at this period
of the year the railroad accountants are
busy compiling the annual statements.
1t is expected, however. that by the
LIST of March substantially complete re-
ports from all the railroads of the
United States for the six months ended
Jan. 1 will be In the hands of the
commission.