The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-12-19

portation service.
The hours OF service act was
passed by congress and signed oy
Tie president March 4. 1907 Since
then, the carriers have. by court ac-
ton. been questioning the right OF
the interstate commerce commission
TO compel them to report their own
violations of the act. And while the
act was tied up In the courts tho
railroads refused to disclose for the
benefit OF the commission how many
men they worked overtime in
violation OF the law A year after
It's passage the commission ordered
the roads TO report under 1t. The
Baltimore & Ohio and other roads at
tempted to secure an injunction
against the commission. The rail-
roads lost the case. Ii was then car
ried TO the supreme court, which,
In 1911. sustained the constitutional
ity OF the act, and forced the roads
to obey the commissions order.
AS a result, the commission has
obtained and now makes public some
remarkable facts. Incidentally. 1t
has turned into the United States
treasury the sum OF $I56.000 In
fines as a result OF actions against
railroads which violated the law.
! The commission found that the de-
lays which the railroads say caused
them to work their employees over
J time from 16 to Go hours on a stretch
and all OF which by the way. are
preventable--were derailments. show
Ing SS.317 cases: couple and draw.
tar defects. numbering 1880; mis-.
cellaneous car defects other than
coupling mechanism 1873 cases:
! landslides, high water and fire. with
| 1925 cases. traffic congestion. with
| 1882 cases; track defects and oh
/ structions necessitating l0,620 mer
working overtime; collisions, furnish
| ing 1910 cases; and engine delays,
| supplying more than $4,000 cases. An
other compilation In the report covers
the instances OF excess service 9th
or than rhusg started, and shows that
| SIS employees returned to duty aftef
| 16 hours continuous service without
! 10 hours consecutive rest of duty
and 274 such employees returned
| without s hours consecutively of
DUTY. Telegraphers and train-dispatch
ers, etc, on duty In excess Of the
legal period numbered 31,132.
The claim OF the roads Is that
this excess duty Is due generally to
accidents. delays. and troubles which
occur during the last two hours Of
the day so that It Is impossible for
relief men to be sent, and so comply
with the law. The commission, how.
ever. demonstrates. that this claim Is
false. The commission made a com.
pilation showing In each instance the
| number OF men on duty more than
16 hours ION account of causes oc-
curing before the expiration Of IA
hours from the commencement OF
the various periods Of service" as
compared with 1.-The number OF such
instances attributable to causes oc.
curing subsequent to such period OF
II hours" In other words, they de-
termined how many accidents occur.
| red within the last two hours OF
the days work as compared with
those occurring In the preceding
hours. This compilation shows that
In the vast majority of cases the
delays occurred before the last two
hours of work and that plenty OF
time for relief men to be sent was
available. These conclusions Are
based on figures submitted by TIC
railroads themselves.
THE result" says the report, "is
rather surprising In view Of the con
tentions heretofore 30 frequently put
forth that the majority OF cases Of ex
cess services we're due to causes oc
curing so near the expiration Of the
statutory period OF service as to pre-
olude the relief OF crews within
that period"
That these violations ofe law and n
consequent overworking Of their en-
ployes are unnecessary IL proved by
the fact that some of the roads have
nearly clean records. while others
show a very large number OF viola.
lions. There Is q marked difference
for instance. In the records of two
roads operating In the eastern ter.
ritory One OF them, with q mileage