The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1909-05-26
WANT A FORMAL CON-
STRUCTION OF LAW
PROFOUND Many Questions Answers
to Which Shall Serve as Guides in
Cases of Emergency-Would Like
to Learn the Source of Information,
But State Officials Say No.
TIMES BUREAU,
AT STATE CAPITAL.


indianapolis, Ind May 26.-The IN
diana railroad commission announced
today that it proposes to enforce the
full crew law and that it will not per-
NIT continuous violations of the statute
The announcement was made in a re-
port made by Commissioner Bowling
in regard to the conference held recent
ly between the commission and repre-
sentatives of many of the railroad oper-
ating in this state. The supreme court
recently handed down a decision sus-
tanning the full crew law, and the COM
mission intends to see that it is en-
forced. Commissioner Bowling says In
his report that the case recently de-
cided by the supreme court will prob
ably be carried to the supreme court
of the United States. He says also that
the following roads agreed at this con-
ference to obey the law: Louisville &
Nashville, Wabash, Lake Shore &
Michigan Southern Baltimore & Ohio
Southwestern, Big Four, Michigan Cen
! trail. Chicago, Indiana 81 Southern, In
diana Harbor Belt, Illinois Central, In
dianapolis Southern, and Glover Leaf.
Correspondence from the Elgin, Joliet
& Eastern and the Chicago. Lake Shore
&Eastern indicate also that these roads
will obey the law.
Ask for Laws Construction.
At the conference the representatives.
of the railroads denounced the law as
unwise, unnecessary and harmful The
conference also asked the commission to
issue some formal statement constru-
ing the law so as to relieve the car
riers from its most onerous features
in exceptional cases. which are said to
arise in the following instances:
l. Where a train after it leaves a
terminal desires to pick up one or more
cars en- route, about which the train
authorities knew nothing when the
| train left the terminal Must an ex-
ira man be provided where the addi-
tion of such car or cars makes the train
one on which the additional man
should have been provided, if the train
| had included all the cars when it left
the terminal?
.. Where the train is composed
wholly or largely of express cars.
8. Where one of the crew is sud
denly incapacitated as his train is about
| leaving the station, or while it is en-
route, and no opportunity exists for
supplying his place. with a hagman
| having the statutory qualifications
More Hypothetical Questions,
4. Where delayed or special trains
are delivered from one road to another
under circumstances rendering it diff
! fcult to secure a man of statutory
qualifications as a member of the crew.
! s. Whsre a following train. in q
regular or special case, desires to pick
up a ca ror cars of a preceding train
but comes under the letter of the law
| :
other man at the point where the cars
are picked up.
! g. Where an officials car is at
tached to a four-car passenger train.
I. Where the passenger traffic Is
unduly great, necessitating the running
of two or more sections of the same
train. and no lagman of the statutory
qualifications is available
s. Where the road runs for a short
distance only in Indiana, and conditions
are such that no danger is to be ap-
pretended from failure to have an ex-
ira man.
9. Where train starts with a given
number of cars, requiring a crew OF
six but drops below fifty after it is be
gun. Eggs
10. Where competent men can be
obtained as 1agmen. but they lack on,
years experience in train service.
Want to Know Source of Information
There was a sugges ton made at TIL,
conference that the commission furnish
the carriers respectively with the for
mer's source of information concerning
all alleged violations alleged to hav,
been committed by them. There wa.
also a suggestion offered that as tn,
law does not prescribe the qualif1ca
tions for a brakeman the commission
might construe the law so as to allow
a competent brakeman to perform the
duties of a flagman, though not havine
had one years experience in train serv.
ice.
Commissioner Bowling makes the fol
lowing recommendations, which are ap.
proved by the commission:
That the commission issue no state
ment in any wise relieving the carrier:
from the duties imposed by the clean
intent of the law.
That the commission reissue its cir
cular of June 3. 1907, constituting tn,
full train crew law. and therein speci
fy certain classes Of cases where tn.
law would probably apply. but in which
the commission would not be disposed
ito insist upon prosecutions; viz. where