Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-20
BILLS GALORE FOR
SAFETY LEGISLATION
Many Proposals to Remedy
Evils in Railway Traffic Sug-
gested by Accidents.
|. E. BROTHERHOOD
URGES BETTER LAWS
Declares While Congress Delays
Some One Is Being Killed or In
iured Every 80 Minutes.

ff Congress acts upon all the safety
legislation which has been presented TO
Il. there will lie laws the statute
books covering every known cause Of
railway disaster. Every railroad wreck
oC any importance brings forth bills to
remedy evils that are supposed to exist
lin railroad nandctment. and the recent
Smash on the New York New Haven
and Hartford railroad almost swamped
the hopper" with proposed bills.
Impetus L. better laws on the subject
j. -,tng given hy the brotherhood OF
Locomotive Engineers, which has issued
circular in which the statement is
made that during every 80 minutes de
1sy while Congress is waiting 10 select
from al the proposals those which are
sufficiently substantial 10 b. given statu-
t@rv expression, one person is being kill
,a or injured il il railway accident some
where in the United States
Every twcnty-four hours the papers
Conld headline: Ten railroad employees
Killed TO-DAY and every hour of every
day Of the BIO in the Year an extra could
proclaim Sixteen more employees injured
IN s$railroad accidents in the last sixty
nsnnteS.
: Workmen's Compensation Bill.
The workmcn 5 compensation bill which
passed the House and Senate by large
Tnajorities hut which got clo@ged in the
f-the-scSSion jam of the Sixty-second
Congress, has been reintroduced by Sen
ator Sutherland. chairman OF the federal
commission. which drafted TIE bill. While
accident prevention Will come as an indi-
rect result of the operation Of this meas
urc. that is one of the chief benefits it's
sponsors hope TO attain by its enactment.
IT is anticipated that the compulsory
IA vfnert of a liked and adequate colnpen-
station in each case OF injury by accident
To their employees. regardless Of the queS
>ioil of negligence, will force the COM
-sinieS to take stringent measures to re-
duce the number of accidents for which
they viii have To pay.
The commission. in its report, further
says that by insurinS to every employee
engaged ~ interstate commerce definite
COMPENSATION in the case of his INJURY
and to his widow and children or other
dopendeats in the case Of his death, If
respective or fault the mind of the en-
plovp Will TO a great extent. be relieved
from anxiety for the future and he will
he able to render better and more eff
cieGt and consequently safer. service
Limitation of Daily Service.
There is already federal law the
books intended to limit the length of
hours in each twenty-four-hour period.
Under the operation OF this law. how
ever. during the period of nine months in
the years 19l1-l912. on ten of the great
eastern systems. 2a,V0 crews were kept
or duty in excess of the statutory period.
one crew remained III service eighty
hours without relief. one railroad was
guilty Of 1L:oo cases OF excess service.
Representative Cary is the author of a
bill designed - improve the present very
defective sixteen hour-iaw
Representative Dyer would give the
Interstate commerce commission, in
conjunction with the civil service COM
mission. power To determine by eX-
animation the competency of roadmas-
tiers. foremen and other employees of
common carriers This proposition is
possibly based on the tatement in the
report OF the interstate commerce COM
mission that "ths most disquieting and
perplexing feature in the problem of
accident prevention IS the large pro-
portion of train acc,dents caused by
dcrc}ection Of duty by the employees
involved" To which IL adds: There
is . disposition IN some quarters to
charge these lamcntahie errors to fail
ure or discipline and 10 hold employees
wholly responsible Tor such failure.
This is a superficial view which con-
taius no promise of effective remedy"
Full-Crew Proposal.
ktrreSeuIatlNc sieENpDuS Diil pro-
vides the least number Of men who
must be assigned 10 each engine or
locomotive engaged in handling cars
used in Interstate commerce and in
switching cars in railroad yards. This
is i proposal for n federal law along
the lines OF the full-crew laws already
passed in many states, as preventive
-. accidents.
The adoption OF the block system.
which Is highly recommended by the in
tcrState commerce commission, and de-
vices for automatic train control, which
would permit fewer opportunities for
hunman error and so greatly reduce the
chances FOR accidents. is provided for in
bills by Representatives Eardwick, Esch
and Levy
Tie and track defects are touched upon
h. bills introduced by Representatives
Dent 80 Alabama and Brown of West
Virginia
The interstate commerce commission
report for 1872 shows that of a total OF
S2!I derailmtnts during that year. 1877
were caused b. defects of roadway. and
:.SfI were due t. defects OF equipment.
when taey SAY indicates the necessity OF
mora efFicient supervision OF tracks and
roadWays.
10 date twenty eight states have en-
acted lass recurring the use of an eff
fic!sut headlight on locomotives THIS
general sentiment in favor of the re-
GIlIemeut by law Of the use of this life
saving appliance is sought TO be crystal
lizeG INTO a federal law in bills by Rep
rcsentatives Mann Raker and Talcott,
and Senator Cunmins