The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-03-12
Eight Hour Schedule for all Train
Crews Now Operative on all
Roads in the Country
LOCAL CREWS GET NEW HOURS
Railways in wisconsin viii Make An
Effort to Comply TO Very Spirit
Of the law and Changes
Are Now Being Made
lFrom Fridays Daily. J


mote the safety Of employees and travel
ers upon railroads and limiting the
hours of service Of employees thereon, 5"
went into effect Wednesday, The act,
in brief, is as follows:
That it shall be unlawful for any
comm on carrier, its officers or agents,
subject to this act, to require or per
NIT any employee subject to this act to
be or remain on duty for a longer period
than sixteen consecutive hours, and
whenever any such employe Of any car
rier shall have been continuously on
duty for sixteen consecutive hours he
shall be relieved and not required or
permitted again to go on duty until he
has had at least ten consecutive hours
off duty; and no such employe who has
been on duty sixteen hours in the ag-
gregate in any tWenty-four hours period
shall be required or permitted to con
tinue or again so on duty without hav-
ing had at least eight consecutive hours
off duty; Provided, that NO operator,
train dispatcher on other employe who
has by the use of the telegraph or tele
phone dispatches, reports, transmits, re-
eeives, or delivers orders pertaining to
or affecting train movements shall be
required or permitted to be or remain
IN duty for longer period than nine
hours in any twenty four hour period iii
all towers, offices, places and stations
continuously operated night and day
nor for a longer period than thirteen
hours ii all towers, Offices, places and
stations operated only during the day
time, except in cases of emergency,
when the employee named in this proviso
may be permitted to be and remain
on duty for four additional hours in a
twenty -four hour period and not exceed
ing three days in any week; Provided,
further. The interstate commerce COM
mission may, after full hearing IN a
particular case and for good cause
shown extend the period within which
common carrier shall comply with
the provisions of this proviso as to
such case,
That any common carrier on any
officer or agent thereof, requiring or
permitting any employee To go or remain
IN violation of the second section here
Of, shall be liable to a penalty of not
to exceed $500 for each and every viola
ton, to be recovered in a suit Oh suits
10 be brought by the United States dis
trict attorney ia the district of the
United States having jurisdiction il the
locality whore such violation shall have
been committed and it shall be the
duty Of such district attorney to bring
such suits upon satisfactory informa-
ton, being lodged with him; but no
such suit shall be brought after the ex-
piration of one year from the date of
such violation; and it shall also be the
duty Of the interstate commerce com
mission to lodge with the proper dis
trict attorneys information Of any such
violations as may come to its know
ledge. In all prosecutions under this
act the common carrier shall be deemed
! to have had knowledge of all acts of all
its officers and agents; Provided, that
the provisions of this act shall not APP
ply to any case of casualty or unvoida-
| BILE accident or the act of Cod; nor
where the delay was the result Of a
cause not known to the carrier or it's
officers or agents in charge of such en-
ploye at the time said employe left a
terminal and which could not have been
foreseen: Provided further, that the
provisions of this act shall not apply
to the crews of wrecking or relief
trains
Efforts to have congress repeal or
amend the law have been unavailing.
The interstate commerce commission
has likewise declined to consent that
the enforcement of the law shall be
postponed A few railroads have given
notice to the commission that they are
prepared to obey the law to the letter.
A large majority of the roads, however,
have taken no steps toward complying
with the act and have not indicated
what their plans are 1T is assumed
that now that the law has become opera
tive many roads will apply for permits
sion to conduct their business as here
tofore until they can make ready to
meet the requirements of the new law.
The act gives the interstate commerce
commission power to grant an extension
of time in individual cases where good
cause is shown. The railroads declare
that the enforcement Of the law will
cost them $2o,000,00o year and that
at the present time they cannot afford
this extra expense.
The railroad employees look upon the
new law as the most substantial piece
of legislation they have obtained from
congress for many years, not except
ing the employers liability act. They
regard the law as not only victory
for them, but for the travelling public
Ladies and Gentlemen : clothing
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