The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-03-07
A Split Is Expected Because of
Sixteen Hour Law.
Railroads and Labor Chiefs Diff
fer as to Enforcement.
MEN FACE WAGE LOSS.
Conference to Smooth Trouble
Called for Chicago April 2.
Other Items of Interest in
Railway Circles.

Committees representing the general
and the various labor brotherhoods will
meet in Chicago April 2 to take UP dis
putes arising under the operation OF
the new stxteen-hour law, which is now
IN effect. A preliminary conference was
held in the rooms of the General Man
ayers association in the Railway Elk
change building Wednesday and Thurs
day. at which the date for the general
meeting was set.
Under existing schedules the men in
train service are under pay from the
time they take a train out from the
starting point until 1t reaches the end
of the division, unless they voluntarily
lay off to take rest.
AS many of the divisions cannot be
covered inside of the sixteen-hour limit.
set by law, the question Of compensa-
ton has arisen. The managers say that
II trains are side-tracked to comply
with the law they cannot pay the en-
ployes continuous time, as in the past.
Railroad officials say they are trying
to arrange the divisions so that the
prospect of train crews being laid out
on account Of the operation Of the law
will be minimiZed. That there will be
many instances, however, where crews
will be compelled to go on side tracks
and be tied up for ten hours is recog-
nized by both sides.
The labor men want to know just how
much changing of division headquarters
there is to be in order to make 1t rea-
sonably certain that train crews on
freight trains will be able to make a
division headquarters within sixteen
hours. To abandon division headquar-
tiers means large financial loss to a
railroad and also a serious loss to the
men on account of decrease in the
values of real estate. Many of the men
have obtained their homes and property
rights at division headquarters, which
are growing towns, simply because
they are division headquarters. To up
root such a town is a calamity which
both the men and the railroads desire
to avoid as much as possible.
There are also many divisions over
which the men run, and after taking a
few hours rest double back home. On
scores of such divisions hereafter the
men will have to lie over at the end of
their outward-bound runs and thereby
be away from home a great deal and
under expense. 1t is estimated by the
railroads that the earning ability of
train and engine crews will, Temperate
ly, at least, be reduced from IL to Is
per cent by the operation of the new
law. The labor chiefs are anxious to
have this reduction n1inimized as much
as possible.
On most of the large systems, it is
claimed, the regulations are such that
the crews do not work more than six
teen hours, except in case of emergency
The new law, however, makes no ex-
captions for emergency cases. and
makes impossible the common practice
of doubling back by crews after few
hours rest to the home headquarters,
where they are given twenty-four or
thirty-six hours rest.
Little trouble has been apparent thus
far in the workings of the nine-hour
for telegraphers in any part of the
country. The roads have in many cases
closed small stations, but even at that
a large number of new operators have
been hired.
In the South more offices were closed
than elsewhere. About % per cent Of
the Southern Pacific telegraph offices
have been closed.
The Seaboard Air Line announced
that none of its offices would be closed
and that no trouble was being exper-
fenced in the operation Of the law.
The New York, New Haven and Hart
ford road hired forty-nine operators
and decided that all offices should be
kept open.