The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-02-29
ARGUE FORSEABOARD
COLONEL HERBERT BEFORE IN-
 TERsTATE COMsIIssNON.
shows that to Comply With Nine-Heur Law Will Cause Financial Em- barrsssmentto Railroad
 Company.

Washington, Feb. 2s.--when the hearing before the Interstate Commerce Commission on the application for an extension of the nine-hour law was re- sumed today, Hilary A. Herbert former Secretary of the Navy, made an argu- meut in behalf of the Seaboard Air Line. f
 He contended that owing to the finan- cial condition of the road. 1t could not comply with the law without embar- rassment in it's opera ting expenses. MT. Herbert pointed out that the Seaboard recently had been placed in the hands of receivers who should have time to adjust itself to the present conditions in order to protect the stockholders and bondholders of this insoIvent line.
 MT. billiard, representing the Union Pacific system, having stated that 1t would be impossible for his line at various remote stations to supply ac- commodations to third operator.
 H. B. Perham, President of the Order of Railway Telegraphers. stated that he had received information from points along the Union Pacific that 1t was en- tirely possible for the extra operator to be provided with extra accommoda- tiops at the stations named by Mir. Dil- Lard.
 E.. l.. Stump, general chairman of tbe Union Pacific telegraphers. also stated that accommodations could be furnish ed for the necessary additional opera tor at all stations.
 F. A. Delano of the Wabash Railroad put the inability of. the Wabash to com ply with the law purely on financial grounds.
 Lucien Cooke of the Norfolk and Western said I've expect to comply with thss law, but we ask time to ad- just ourselves to It's provisions on ac- count of the unprecedented conditions. financial and otherwise, which have arisen since the law was enacted"
 In presenting the case of the Atchi- son. Topeka and Santa Fe Company, c. P. Gaunt. assistant general mana ger. said he could lay before the com mission autographic letters from 1 i,404 operators on that line stating that H. B. Perham was not authorized to rep resent them before the commission,
 q have a score of telegrams," in- terjected Chairman Knapp. From oper- ators on your line which state they signed such letters as you refer to un- der protest"
 "I would like to know" suggested Mir. Gaunt, "who they are"
 T cannot furnish you with that in- formation" responded the chairman laughingly.
 Thereupon, Chairman Knapp read two or three of the .teiegrams in ef- feet stated that the signers had been threatened with discharge if they re- fused to sign letters which were writ ten at. the dictation and direction of officials of the Santa Fe road. Mir. Gaunt presented some of the letters which he had in hand and Chairman Knapp inquired if they had been pre- pared by officials of the company.
 They were not" replied Mir. Gaunt.
 The chairman then read a letter from an operator who said that he had been presented with a letter prepared for his signature by an official of the conn- pany.
 MT. Perham. president of the Order of Railway Photographers. explained that he had in his possession letters from a thousand or more operators on the Santa Fe system authorizing him to represent them at this hearing. He alleged that the Santa Fe endeavored to intimidate its operators; that oper- ators had been discharged for trivial causes, among the cause being mem- bership in the Order of Railway Tele- graphers.
 MT. Gaunt explained that the Santa Fe had had difficulty with the tele- graphers order because of the strike on that line several years ago and that owing to the trouble 1t was experience ing dificuIty now in securing men to man it's wires under the new law. The cases of several other railroads were heard, but in essential details they did not differ from those already present ed. The hearing probably will be con cluded tomorrow.