Strike bulletin. (Clinton, Ill.) 1913-1915, 1915-02-10
FIFTY CAR LIMIT
ASKED IN ILLINOIS
Limit Must be Provided 10 Safeguard
Employees and Public.

One ot our newspaper items stated
that II Is proposed to introduce a bill
IN the Illinois legislature for a limit of
80 cars IN number IN all freight trains.
to avoid the obstruction of street cross
irgs by long trans" and which would
make 1t more safe for the travelling pub
lie This bill is supposed to come
through the various brotherhoods. This
i the one great disadvantage the whole
public has been up against for number
at years When they wanted TO get
across grade crossing. they have to
wait until some one OF the train crew
comes to cut the crossing This takes
up quite bit of time with the long
trans which they are trying to haul at
the present time, whereas had 50-car
train been in service. this time could all
be done away with.
And yet the 5O-car tram has greater
meaning than the grade crossing. which
many people do not know OF. And still
these railroad officials scorn the BROTH
erhoods, as trying TO make the whole
public believe that the railroad employees
are asking Tor something just to create
jobs. Let Us tell you, Deaf Public, We
are not asking for anything more than
that which i To make II safe Tor our
selves and the travelling public at large.
We know what we are up against. and
We know what you are up against. What
a 5O-car tram means to US Is this: We
have in number of cases many en-
rloyes injured by trains parting, burst
ing OF air hose. bad triple valves. and
due to disadvantage OF operating air
brakes with such long train-line.
whereas a 3O-car train would overcome
all OF tins IN the means Of safety for
the men. And whereas for the public. =
s0-car train is not so quick to wreck As
la long train, thereby making 50-car
train safer for all of us
Full Grew Law.
Now. as for the full crew Law. or ex-
ira crew laws. as our company officials
term them. saying that both the sO-car
law and the full crew Law are to create
jobs for men. and they both have the
same meaning That IS a mistake. Dear
Public, and 1t certainly needs correction.
| What iull crew means to all OF US Is
| this We have cases where there have
been high as SIS to 30 shop cars
hauled IN one train out OF Harrisburg
To other terminals also with place cards
on every car shop" III old for Orders"
Yet many men who are idle at Harris
burg could have done all this kind Of
work. before such cars were put out
among swiftly moving passenger trans.
with heavy traffic. This leaves all the
responsibility upon the train crew for
safe handling. Every time a train is
stopped the brakeman and conductor
have to go over tram and examine it,
and without a full crew such trains can
not be properly inspected so as to in
sure safety for all For another instance:
one brakeman on a freight tram is used
part OF the time to help the fireman with
his work. IN order to get the big trains
over the road. As a matter of fact, il
Is too much work for any one man to
! do the firing on one of these heavy
trains Yet the company comes out in
the public press and scorns our brother
hood leaders. Whatever you do. please
don't believe everything you read in your
daily papers. The public of the state Of
Missouri was baffled by such publicity.
and the same thing Is now beng at
tempted IN the state of Pennsylvania II
you want To get the correct news of the
railroads. and what you and their en-
ployes are up against. subscribe for pa
pers which are written by men who do
the actual work-by the railroad men
ihemselyes.-By "Giblets."