The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-12-17
''RailrOad Violation Of
 Sixteen Hour Service
 Law Affects Efficiency
So Says Commissioner McChord In Com ment On Report Of l. c. C. Ana.yzing
 Reports Of Companies

l washington, Dec. 17.-"Violationfs of the law limiting the service of train l employes on American railroads to sixteen consecutive hours go to the very heart of the efficiency and sale tv of train operation said Commiss- sioner Charles c. McChord' comment ing upon statement issued to-day oy the Interstate Commerce Commission Ianalyzing the monthly reports of in l terstate railroads on hours Of service | during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1 1918.
 l Nearly 100000 violations of the !e- gal hour limit were reported by 269 railroads during the year, the roads submitting various reasons why such violations were necessary. The com missions analysis points out. however that while this figure may appear aD- normal to the lay mind, it must be remembered that 251,111 men were employed in handling trains during 1 the year and that the excess service probably would not exceed one in stance to each emp1oye-
 '.The difference in efficiency and safety of operation between various railroad systems,'' MT. McChord said,
 ''is shown clearly by the commissions
 analysis in the marked disparity be- tween the ratio of excess service to mileage between railroads serving practically the same territory. For instance, one Aof the Eastern roads,
 operating more than $500 miles of
 tracks reports 5,224 instances in
 which trainmen were on duty for pe-
 riods longer than those provided by
 law; while another road in the same
 territory, with mileage of less than
 $500 miles, reports 22,663 such 1n-
 stances.
 naitted by two other of the princi-
 pal eastern lines shows, respectively, a
 mileage of 2,25S, with 5,451 instances
 of excess service as compared with D.
 S29 miles and 16,448 instances. In
 the prairie country one road with a
 mileage of 4.755, reports approxi- mately 10000 instances of excess ser vice, while another road in the same territory, with more than 7,500 miles
 of track reports only 2,310 instances of excess service.
 ttIn the southwestern territory, one road, operating less than 6,4OO miles of tracks, reports approximately 1,- 700 instances of excess service, while another line, similarly situated, geo. graphically, reports only 280 instan- ces on a mileage of more than 7,5o4 miles. A corresponding comparison between two roads in the northwest ern section of the country shows a mileage of approximately 5000 miles with less than 500 instances of excess service, while another road, with less than 10000 miles of Iine reports nearly 5000 instances of excess ser vice.
 Commissioner McChord, within whose supervision comes the actual administration of the hours of service act, directed the preparation of the analysis.
 The law provides a maximum of sixteen hours as the limit of contin- uance service for trainmen engaged in the physical operation of trains This law admittedly is being violated continually by the railroads-many almost unavoidably. The carriers are required to report each instance in which an emp1oye served more than sixteen hours consecutfveIy, a fine of ] $500 being the penalty for failure to , report
 The analysis shows that deraiInents l the most prolific cause of ex- cess service, S8,317 cases being at- 1 tributed by the carriers to that gen eric cause. In 33,360 instances, the ! delays were due to coupler and draw l bar defects, while 17,753 cases were 1 to miscellaneous car de- | fects. Landslides, high water and fire were reported by the carriers in | voIved, as responsible for 17,985 ca | ses; and congestion of traffic resulted | in 12-212 exnD1oyes exceeding the Him. 1