Arizona republican., 1913-12-21
OVERWORK MEN
 LESSEN SAFETY
Commissioner McChOrd of Interstate Commerce Com mission Says Violations of Train Laws Strike Eff ciency of Operation
ASSOCIATED PRESS D1srArcHl


 of train employees on American rail- l Ioads to sixteen consecutive hours go i to the very heart of the efficiency 1 and safety of train operation" said | ! Commissioner Charles C. McChOrd, 1 commenting upon q statement issued | by the interstate commerce commis- i ! sion analyzing the monthly reports l of interstate railroads on hours of 1 service during the fiscal year ending | June 30. 1913. Nearly 3O0,000 violations of the 16 hour law were reported by 269 rail- roads during the year. the roads sub mlttng various reasons why such violations Were necessary. The com missions analysis points out, how | ever, that while this figure may ap- 1 pear abnormal in the lay mind, it must be remembered that 251,111 | men were employed In handling trains | during the year and that the eX- l cess service probably would not eN- 1 ceed one instance to each employc. | The difference in efficiently and | safety of operation between various | railroad systems" Mr McChord said, | 'is shown carly by the commissions | analysis in the marked disparity be- l tween the ration of excess service i tC mileage between railroads SerV- ing practically the same territory. For instance. one of the eastern roads, operating more than $500 l miles of tracks. reports 5224 instances in which trainmen were on duty for periods longer than those provided by law, while another road in the same territory, with a mileage of less than $500 miles, reports 22,6G3 such instances.
 conn harrison Inf tho ffo~l1rgS silb- mItted by the two other of the prin- Cipal eastern lines shows respective ] ", mileage of 225S. with 5451 in stances of excess service as com pared with 2S29 miles and 16,448 in stances. In the prairie country, one 1 road with . mileage of 4755 reports approximately 20.O00 instances of eX- ] cess service, while another road in the same territory, with more than 75oo miles of tracks, reports only l 2310 instances of excess service.
 Tn the southwestern territory. one load, operating less than 6400 miles Of tracks, reports approximately l. roo instances of excess service. while another line, similarly situated, geo. l graphically reports only Z6U m stances on a mileage of more than 1 1.504 miles. A corresponding com Iarison between two roads in the northwestern section of the country shows mileage of approximately 5000 miles with less than 500 in- stances of excess service, while an other road, with less than 10000 miles of line. reports nearly coco instances Of excess service"
 Commissioner McChord, within whose supervision comes the actual administration of the Hours of Ser vice Act. directed the preparation of the analysis.
 The law provides maximum of sixteen hours as the limit of con tinuance service for trainmon en- gagged in the physical operation or trains. This law admittedly is being violated continually by the rail roads many times unavoidably The carriers are required to report each instance in which an empIoye serv- eJ more than sixteen hours consc- cutively, a fine of $500 being the penalty for failure to report.
 The analysis shows that derau- ments afforded the most prolific cause of excess service, SS,317 cases being attributed by the carriers to that generic cause. In 33,$60 in stances, the delays were due to Cou- pier and drawbar defects, while IT, 753 cases were attributable to mis- | CGllaneOuS defects. LdndSlideS. l hy the carriers involved. as respon- F.gh water and fire were reported sibIe for 17.9S5 cases: and conges- tion of traffic resulted in 13,S12 em- ployes exceeding the limit of service. In 1O,62O instances the excess serv- ice was caused by track defects and Instructions not resulting in coHis- | sicnS or dcrailmentS. while 9,91G cases were due primarily to colIi- sions.
 Under the heading of Engine De 1 lays 15,J07 instances of excess ser ! vice were reported attributable tc miscellaneous mechanical defects, while other engine delays usually in c.dent to the operation of trains were responsible for nearly 10,00C additional cases.
 As a result of the prosecutions instituted by the commission" tn, analysis points out, the number O instances Of excess service reported during the last six months as com pared with the corresponding figures for preceding years, has shown q marked reduction"
 My belief is." said Commissions McChord. that the carriers involv- ec will concede to the commission's analysis of their reports such a de- gree of attention as will enable | them, by apprisng themselves of tho preventable causes of excess service 10 eliminate the majority of instance in which employees heretofore haN' been permitted or required to re main on duty for longer periods thar sixteen consecutive hours
 Under the head of "Employcs il Train Service" the analysis show an aggregate of SIS instances il
 which employees returned to duty ai
 ter sixteen hours continuous ser
 vice without having had at leas
 ten consecutive hours off duty
 while 274 of such employees were re
 tuned to duty after sixteen hour
 of continuous service without hay