The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-01-15
NEB. Hotel and
FIRE ESCAPE Law
TRAVELLING MEN AFTER WORK
ING FOR, YEARS FINALLY
"LANDED" AT THE LAST SEES
SION OF THE CORN. HuskERs
STATE LEGISLATURE.

For several years the travelling men
of this state worked for a practical
law governing hotels and public build
| ings and were finally successful in the
last legislature" says r. D. McFad-
secretary of the Nebraska Travellers
| associations.
| The accomplishment of a work so
beneficial to travellers and the public
in general required an tnestimable
amount of labor on the part OF those
who had charge and the fact that
so many requests for copies of this
law are coming from organizations of
travelling men interested in promoting
similar laws for their own state will
make the story Of it's enactment in
teresting at this time
A joint conference of committees
from the u. G. T., T. p. A. and the
Nebraska Travellers association was
| called. Almost every member, as well
as each travelling man, had his own
| ideas as to what should be embodied
in such law, but finally the task of
| drafting bill was given to the at
| torney Of the Nebraska Travellers, who
after about sixty days of correspond
ence and reading of similar statues
from other states gave us what he
called a self-enforcing law, covering
the main issue" in B. reasonable
manner.
During the campaign the names If
ali candidates for the Nebraska house
and senate were secured, and to each
one" reason why" literature and a COPY
of the law were sent, asking his pledge
to vote for this bill as it stood
Then a copy OF the bill and other
Ing man in the tate, so everyone
information were sent to each travel
knew what he was working for, and as
many as possible had a personal in
terview with the candidates, asking
support for the measure as IL stood.
We did not want any amendments to
throw its workings out of gear.
Then everybody worked.
u. c. rs, T. p. AS and N. II. AS.
Some of the Nebraska statesmen
could not see why each guest should
have a clean towel, and some thought
twice a week often enough to change
the sheets; but, generally speaking,
they were pretty well informed upon
such matters and voted accordingly.
The bill passed almost as drafted.
ton for inspectors.
This meant more work, so more
committees were appointed by the
state organizations and as a result
of conference held at the Nebraska
Travellers convention the governor
agreed to appoint the secretary of the
N. t. A, who is also u. G. T. and
T.. p. A., as chief deputy, with power
To "a n
The deputies were chosen by the II. |
c. 7. councils and the T. p A. posts,
and at present almost all of them have
been commissioned and are at work.
1t has been stated that the chief
and deputy hotel and fire escape in
spectors would be paid by the three
state organizations of travelling men,
This is not the case. These men do
nate th-ir services, receiving no re-
Enumeration whatever.
OF course we expect the next leg
islature to give us g. appropriation |
to cover this expense.
The work of inspection was put into
the hands of the N. T. A.. and the
expense thereof is paid out Of the
funds Of tat association
The ~. T. A. is the fighting body for |
Nebraska travelling men. It is repre- |
sentative because every man who
makes a business of travelling is ELI |
gible to join.
One dollar a year is the membership
fee.
When our bill had been srafted, |
printed and circulated, we found a. |
candidate for thf legislature in Hall |
county and proceeded to concentrate |
our efforts to elect him and succeeded. |
Then John w. Sink, of Grand Island. |
became the champion of our law. |
which became Known as the bed sheet
BILL" and he will be know as bed
Sheet John" the rest of his life.
He fought q good fight and won, and |
while our bill is not perfect, T. III do, |
with a very little added. It's rea-
sonabie requirements are. adorse by
the better hotel men in every city. It |
is now q popular law, because it
guards public health and safety.
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