The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-03-05
North Western To Follow Demands
of the State Closely in Re.
gard to Operators
PHONE SYSTEMS NOW IN USE
Kenosha County Stations Have Already
Been Fitted Up with Phone
Service To Be Used in the
Dispatch of Trains

The Northwestern road is one of the
few IN the country which has agreed to
adhere to the provisions Of the federal
law under which it will be unable to al
low any Of its operators to work over
nine hours a day. This company did
not apply for an extension Of time as in
the case of large number Of roads who
had hearing before the interstate com
merce commission at Washington vester-
day. A dispatch from Omaha, Neb., is
to the effect that the officials Of the
Northwestern system will adhere to the
law and engage the services Of at least
two hundred additional telegraph oper-
ators to care for the instruments in it's
Offices. These operators will be put on
duty west Of the Missouri river, in
which territory the train service is to be
curtailed wherever possible.
Operators Are Scarce
The roads which applied to the inter
state commerce commission for an ex-
tension Of time from March 4, at which
time the federal law goes into effect,
claim that it is impossible for them to
comply with the law by that time for
the reason that competent operators are
scarce and they would be unable to
equip their lines with efficient men, able
to handle the business of the road.
They also allege that the expense to be
saddled upon them by the new law will
be very great and financial hardship
which they should not be subjected to.
They state that if they are forced to
i've up to the law they will ind it neces-
sarv to cut many small stations. thus
interfering with their service and incon-
venieDcing the travelling and shipping
public.
Northwestern on State Law
While the federal law is declared to
be too drastic, the Wisconsin state
law which went into effect on Jan. l of
this year, is even more so, according to
the railway officials. In this state the
operators who are entrusted with the
dispatching of trains are not allowed to
work over eight hours a day. The
Northwestern company, it was reported
this morning, would equip it's lines in
this state with telephones and in that
way get around the provisions of the
state law regarding the hours of work.
This is denied by officials of the com
pany who have been interviewed in the
matter. as they do not place enough
confidence III tho telephone service when
it comes to the dispatching Of trains.
Some Telephones in Use
Since the first Of the year there have
been number of stations which have
been equipped with telephones. At the
present time there is complete telephone
service between Kenosha and South Mil
Waukee. At Berryville there was for
merly an operator at work twelve hours
a Gay. This was true of Ives and Cal
rollville, north of the city. Now tele-
phones are in use, and the telegraph in
struments are dead, not being in use for
the purpose of dispatchirg trains as for
merly. In Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee
and other large cities the operators are
working but eight hours day, in ac-
cordance with the law. At the small
stations the old operators are working
twelve hours a day, but have nothing to
do with the telegraph instruments ex-
cept for the transmission Of commercial
message.
Refuse Telephone Orders
For some time it has been stated that
the engineers and conductors would re-
fuse to move trains on the Northwest
ern road on telephone orders, holding
that they are net to he relied upon. "A
local man was asked about the matter
today. and he stated that he had heard
such . report, but SO far there had been
no occasion to send an order by tele-
phone. He stated that in case ne wish
ed to give on engineer orders different
from those which he had delivered to
him before he left the Racine station he
would have to call up one of the smaller
stations by telephone and have him stop
the train. Then the engineer or eondue-
tor could refuse to accept>the telephone
order as he would not be sure from
whom he was receiving it. In a case
Of that kind the engineer would find it
necessary to either back up to the next
telegraph station or go ahead as the
case might be, placing no confdence in
the telephone message.
The Kenosha Council Of the knights