The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1909-04-12
NEW RAILROAD
LEGISLATION IN EFFECT
First Aid to Injured Must Be Placed
On All Trains-Headlights Must
Now Be Placed on Both Ends of
a Switch Engine, Which Must Also
Have Footboards and Grab Hooks.

There is something new in railroad
circles in Indiana today.
1t will be brought home to you in
hurry when you haven't time tc
buy ticket and pay cash fare on the
train.
Under the new railroad fare law OF
the recent legislature the day has pass
ed when 1t is as cheap and as easy to
pay a cash fare as to buy ticket. The
man who boards a train without tick
ct henceforth will have to fork over an
extra dime, which will not be refund
ed to him.
The recent Legislature passed a num-
Der of laws pertaining to the railroad
business, but this was the most inter
esting as far as the accommodation of
the public is concerned, and the law
was passed largely through the efforts
of the conductors of the state. The old
law provided for a rate of cents a
mile where a ticket was purchased
and a charge Of az cents where cash
was paid, with a provision that the
company should give a rebate check
for the extra half cent a mile, good
at the station where the passenger left
the train.
The complaint OF the conductors was
that the law did not stop the payment
of cash fares. as it was aimed to do
for the reason that it was often easier
for passenger to pay cash and col
lect the difference at the station where
he left the train than to purchase his
ticket in advance because the ticket
office where he boarded the train was
often crowded. The conductors believe
that the provision of the recent law
which is effective now in Ohio. will
really prevent the payment of cash
fares except in rare cases.
other Railroad Laws.
All told six other laws were passed
which affect steam railroads directly
The only other one which is of direct
interest to the general public is one
which provides that eevry train shall
be equipped with at least one first aid
10 the injured" case, provided with
bandages and absorbent cotton
Probably the most important law to
the railroad men is that pertaining to
the equipment of switch engines. 1t
like most of the rest of the laws which
were passed for the primary purpose
of making the service safer to the
men, is really of some benefit to the
general public. too, for it provides for
headlights on bot hends of a switch
engine Provision is also made for the
equipment OF switch engines with prop
er footboards, grab hooks, etc, and the
changes provided must be made by the
railroad companies by Jan. 1. 1910. An
other headlight law, applying to all
trains, will be enforced after the rail-
road commission has an opportunity to
study the headlight question and to
decide what kind OF headlights are best
ADAPTED to use.
The other laws provided for ash
pans that can be dumped without the
necessity of an employe going under
an engine. for automatic bell ring
devices and for a full train crew as
provided under the former full crew
law, without counting the porter or
baggageman Of a train as a brakeman.
The railroad employees who brought
about the passage Of this law COM
planned that some OF the roads evaded
the law by putting brakeman's badge
on the porter's cap.