Perth Amboy evening news., 1915-03-06
After Assenb|ymdn-BIa
Finishes Speech Directors
Vote for Repeal.
HAVE EXECUTIVE SESSION
Tells About Benefits of Act
Now on Statute Books,
RidicuIing Claim of
Railroads.

Although FRANCIS L. boldho, hho
assem- blyman- brakeman, appeared
before the directors of the Board OF
Trade last night and eloquentiy set
forth the merits of the full crew
law from the viewpoint of the rail-
road tainmen, the directors, after
carefully considering both sides OF
the matter in executive session,
adopted resolutions supporting the
repeal of the law.
Mr. Boland presented good case
for ehe trainmen, telling why the
law now under state wide discussion
should be retained on the statute
books of the state. AT the last
session of the board the representa-
tives of the railroads were heard in
an endeavor to get the board to go
on record as opposing the measure.
The directors thus having heard both
sides of the question, repaired into
executive session and after lengthy
consideration decided to support the
repeal of the bill in the form of
petition to the state legislature. A
vote of thanks was extended to Mr.
Boland for hs appearance before the
board
Passed by Democratic Legislature.
Mr. Boland said that the full crew
bill, passed by Democratic legis-
lature, was embodied in that party s
platform, and sponsored by Governor
Fielder. He thought that even If the
Republican majority in the legisla-
ture this session succeeds in getting
the bill through that the governor
would then likely veto it. But, on
the other e.pd, he declared, though
the measure was not embodied in the
Republican platform, that former
Governor E. C. Stokes, a recognized
leader of the party, had gone on rec
ord as saying that the full crew bill
would not be interfered with. Mr..
Boland said that there were three
measures already introduced in the
legislature in reference to the full
crew law: One providing that a COM
mission be appointed to investigate
the workings Of the law, one provid-
ing for the laws revocation, and one
delegating to the Public Utility Com
mission the regulation of the num-
Der of men railroads should employ
on different length trains. "If any
one of these Is passed 1t will nullify
the other two said the assembly
man.
He tried to riddle some of the ar
guments of the railroads for repeal
of the measure. He spoke of the ar
gument of the railroads that $4,000
600 could be released with the mon
ey spent on fulfilling the useless re-
quirements of the full crew act, and
that this money could be diverted to
numerous improvements, etc. Mr..
Boland acknowledged that $4,000
600 could buy many new cars, insti-
tute many extensive improvem ents
and remove many grade crossings
but he was exceedingly doubtful that
the railroads would so use any money
that they might save by curtailing
the number of men provided by the
full crew act. He declared that some
OF the arguments of the railroads
were ridiculous. He produced copy
OF an advertisement. which stated
that the railroads with 100000
could buy 100000 tons of coal
They must buy coal at a dollar
ton" said the assemblyman with a
laconic smile.
But the brakeman thought that
the most vital argument for the re-
tention of the present law is the con-
seryation of human life, which he
said should be considered above all
else. He said that on the hundreds
of miles of double tracks of the
Pennsylvania railroad, by the COM
pany's own figures, not single per-
son was killed during 1914. This,
he thought, prime facie evidence that
the full crew law promoted safety,
by the comparison of the statistics
with those of other years before the
full crew law had been put in effect
In Pennsylvania, New York and New
Jersey.
The meeting had to be held In the
adjoining Knights of Columbus
rooms on account of the large at
tendance. Although President John
Pfeifer intimated that the session
was to be of private nature and
that no newspaper representatives
would be allowed to attend, there
was large delegation of railroad
trainmen and others present at the
meeting.