The Red Cloud chief., 1908-03-06
9-HOUR LAW UPHELD
RAILROADS READY TO COMPLY
WITH PROVISIONS or ACT.
Heads Of Railway Systems Believe
This Is only Way They Can Meet
the situation--Means Inconvenience
to Travelling Public.

the tuation-Means Inconvenience
to Travelling Public.
Washington, March 2.-American
railways have made arrangements to
comply with the provisions Of the
%nine.hour law. The operation of the
law will mean the employment by rail-
road companies of several thousand
additional operators and the closing
OF a large number of small stations on
the principal systems. Disseminating
telegraph service at many points, 1t Is
thought, will induce at least temporary
inconvenience to travelling and ship
ping public. In order to reduce operat-
ing expenses, which now seems nee
essary, the operating officials of the
railways believe that this is the only
way that they possibly car meet the
situation with which they are con
fronted.
During the hearing Of applications
for an extension Of the nine-hour law
by the interstate m commits
sion some astonishing statements
were made by the operating officials
of important railways. A good many
lines, owing to a reduction in their
revenues and to their inability to com.
mand the cash necessary to meet their
payrolls, have been forced, during the
past four months, almost to the point
of asking for receivers. In the opin.
ion of railway officials expressed a.
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 railway officials attribute
the difficulty to the unfortunate bank
ing situation which developed last
September. The railways did not feel
the %stringency in money until about
the LIST of November. In fact, the
month of October was n Of the best
in the history of the business OF Amer
lean railroading.
Then without the slightest warning"
II. u. Nudge, vice president and gen
eral manager OF the Rock Island sys-
tenn. expressed 1t, W were plunged
from prosperity to adversely. A year
ago our system could not handle the
traffic offered us. Today, We have H..
900 idle cars. Five months g We
suffered from a congestion OF freight,
now we suffer from a congestion OF
empty cars"
What is true of the Rock Island Is
true also OF scores of other railroads.
Depression Not Believed Lasting.
Not a single official of a single rail.
way line who appeared before the
commission, however, expressed the
belief that the present industrial de.
preston would be lasting. 1t was
merely the inability to command ready
cash and the boarding of money By
panic stricken individuals which pro.
duced so suddenly the remarkable de.
preston, from which all have suf.
fered. They practically uniformly eN-
press confidence that the return of
prosperity will be almost as sudden
as was the coming OF adversely. and in
their arguments as to the enforce
ment Of the nine-hour law they pointed
out to the commission that such a re-
turn OF prosperity might seriously n
barrass them in complying with the
law, because it would render difficult
to command the services Of competent
operators in sufficient numbers to
meet the needs OF prosperous condi.
tons.
With four or five exceptions, no i'm
portant railroads in the country have
indicated an intention to reduce the
wages OF their employees. AS Chair.
mar Knapp Of the interstate com
merce commission expressed it.: $50
far as | am informed there is no con-
certed action on. the part OF Amer
lean railway companies to reduce
wages. Instances Of an intention to
change the scale of wages have been
given, but they can be said to be In
no sense general