Evening journal., 1910-06-23
NEW LAWS WOULD
HIT ROADS HARD
Of $4,000 Bills Before Con-
ereSS l22 Effect Trans
pOrtatiOn Companies
MANY OF THEM WOULD
COMPEL ACTS NOW DONE

WASHINGTON. D. c.. June 2S-Of
the thirty-four thousand bills that
Congress has been asked to enact into
law at the present session one hun
dred and twenty-five affect railroads
exclusively. Omitting the so-called
Administration bill" this long list of
proposed measures covers wide
range, restricting the power to make
and collect rates. debating methods of
operation. and in many instances re-
quiring railroads to do things they now
do Of their own free will An example
Of this is found in the bills Of Sen
stors Burkett. OF Nebraska. and Cum
minis Of Iowa, and Representative
Coudrey Of Missouri. requiring the rail-
roads to carry $50 pounds Of baggage
free for an adult passenger. Many rail-
roads have done this for years.
A still more notable example Of com
pelling by law the doing Of something
that is already fully provided for Is
the bill of Representative Mann OF
Illinois. giving the Interstate Com
merce Commission power to formulate
regulations for the transportation Of
| explosives One OF the most note,
worthy achievements of the railroads
recently has been the success of the
Bureau Of Explosives. organized by the
railroads four years ago. in reducing
the danger Of handling the FIVE thous-
and cars containing explosives that are
IN transit every day somewhere IN the
United States
Boiler inspection seems 70 be a pet
subpect this year. no fewer than seven
bills on that topic having been intro
| ducad in the two houses AS all rail
roads employ large and expensive en-
| cineering staffs which keep locomotive
/ boilers under continuous and thorough
| inspection rs part Of the routine es-
sential TO the operation Of the roads,
about the only substantial gain 10 be
effected by the enactment Of one Of
these bills viii be the creation Of sew
eral hundred governmnt Offices. The
President will have the appointment Of
a boiler inspector general and two as
sistants The Interstate Commerce
Commission can appoint the three hun
dred local inspectors without the inter
vention OF the civil service. Incident
ally. the inspectors by exercising their
right 10 withdraw locomotives from
service at any time for tests and in
spection would have It in their power
seriously 10 cripple the operation Of
the railroads
Enjoying equal popularity with the
boiler inspection idea is the attempt 70
restore the pass to its former vogue.
Seven bills have been introduced to
i give certain privileged classes the right
10 ride free. These range from Con-
federate veterans to publishers.
Senator Penrose has introduced a bill
giving certain colleges $4,000 TO use
IN determining the hammer blow. centri
fugal lift and tangential throw Of
counter balances. As various colleges
railroad companies and mechanical en-
gineers have already gone into this
subject pretty fully without waiting
for government aid. the value of this
scheme except 10 the colleges that get
the money. is not apparent.
still another proposed measure is one
providing for full crews" Four bills
have been introduced on this subject
and four more limiting the hours that
railroad man is to be permitted 10
labor. One of these bills. introduced
by Representative Murphy of Missouri
! imposes penalty OF eEVu LOT permit
ting any employe to work more than
eight hours without taking a rest OF
sixteen hours.
Other proposed laws requiring sleep
ing cars TO be equipped with safes
provide for the Federal incorporation
of railroads, the preparation of uni
form freight classification by the In
terstate Commerce Commission, the
! physical valuation OF the railroads by
the commission. prohibit the trans
portation of the products Of convict
labor. and establish a commission 4
investigate labor disputes.
One Of several bills on the subject o
block signals. empowers the Interstate
Commerce Commission to order any
railroad t0~instnll them on -fourtl
of its lines by July 1. 1912. Another
/ introduced by Representative Martin
of South Dakota. specifies dimension
of locomotives. cars and distance o
structures from track.