The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-04-18
WAS RATHER i GOOD
DAY FOR EMPLOYEES
Secured Passage of Bill
Limiting Hours of Con
tinuOuS Work

The "fHll crew bill by Senator Tay.
lor passed The house yesterday with
only thirteen ADVERSE votes There
was little doctorng OF iae bin worth
Swenglc desired TO cut out the flag
man and substitute porter and Ben
Hughes, of Harrison. agreed with him
Trlotson was against leaving out the
flagman and believed The Dill should
Fasa as amended by the committee
Ashby and Vandeyeer spoke at length
on the amendment When the propOsi
tion came to a vote il was defeated
The amendments suggested by the
committee were adopted.
Murdoch again opposed the bill IN a
vigorous argument. reasscrtng that 10
was an encroachment on the powers
of the corporation commission He
submitted an amendment providing
that nothing in the bill should operate
to interfere with the commission in
the exercise OF It's constitutional pow
ers. His amendment was voted down.
Whitson secured an important
change as 20 the line prOviatd for vio-
latiOns Of the act The bin provided
a fine oftnot less than $500 nor moro
than $1,000. The Whitson amendnieh,
makes the minimum fine 500 the
same as the Texas law
The next bin mp was No. IS. by Sen
.ator Brook as amended by the com.
mittee II is an act 10 promote the
safety OF employees on railroads by linz
iting the hours OF service and proyid-
Ing penalties This bill has had a
long and strenuous voyage Il was in
roduced in the senate December 6 and
received by the house Two weeks later
after its passage by the senate Later
~ was the subject OF a long fight In
the house, resulting in 40 definite ac-
ton On April ID was reported out
by the committee on public service
corporations When Il came up in the
house yesterday Farley moved it's in
definite postpOnement but after some
discussion, this was lost The bin aP
plies TO common carriers. their agents
lor employees. engaged in the lranspor-
iation of passengers. Under Section
2 no employe may remain on duty
longer than sixteen hours consecutive
| ly When he has been on duty that
long he must be relieved and have al
least ten hours rest
Hobby wanted to make the limit Of
hours of employment ten instead Of
sixteen. Roll call was demanded on
a motion TO table. and count up
( showed a majority in favor of tabling
There was considerable discussion
as 10 Secion 4 and finally Bryan. Ez-
Yard and Hobby were appointed 10
lconsult on the section. Various amend
lments had been offered, among them
one providing that no operator sh0nld
be amenable To the law for refusing
TO so 20 work when called out on a
strike by his union Finally an amend
ment was agreed on proiding that any
Operator who refuses TO come on duty
I without having first given six hours
lnuiice, OF who shall abandon his post
or go to sleep within nine hours. shall
be fined S2r 10 500.
Tie bin originally applied only TO
operators and dispatehers. but the
house amended y SO as 20 apply 10
IAN employees OF railroads
Whitehursts bill, considered earlier
in The day was placed on roll call and
passed, the minority an voting aginsi
Ii This bin creates the positions OF
sienographers and other assistants in
state offices and appropriates money 10
pay thfm. II was found that such
a measure must he passed before these
peope could receive any more pay
Nandeyenter put through an amend.
ment 70 the bin to the effect taat the
salary schedule in the bin should not
he binding on lnture legislatures.
Hart gave notice chat he would move
TO reconsider the vote by which the
Stettmund bin was Indefinitely post
ponei
Bryan introduced a bin apprOprat
ing S31NOO Tor the construction or a
! building for q law school at the state
university
Other bills by Ellis, eXempting rural
telephone lines from taxation where
owned by mutual companies and no
charge made fer Transmitting mes
sages by Brown, providing for fire es
rapes for school houses. opera houses
etc hy Moflhaney 10 create ana es
iablish state penitentlary and q
branch thereof The bill provides M
detail for The management OF the in
stliniion aud bears the emergenc,
clause
The house transacted a large amount
of rOutine business aud adjourned unit
Monday afternoon