Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1915-03-03
SAY FULL CREWS
ACT KEEPS 1,745
MEN FROM JOBS
Railroad Heads, in Answer to
Trainmen, Call 1t Glass
Legislation.

PHILADELPHIA, March 3.-The
following statement was Issued yes
terday by Samuel Rea, president of
the Pennsylvania railroad; Daniel
Willard, president of the Baltimore
and Ohio; Theodore Voorhees,, presi-
dent of the Philadelphia and Read
ing railway, and r. L. O'Donnel,
chairman of the executive committee
of Twenty-one Associated Railroads
of Pennsylvania and New Jersey:
Adopting the railroads slogan OF
safety first the trainmen's organiza-
tion now makes the earnest appeal:
Don't repeal the full crew act Per-
haps Inadvertently, but entirely cor
rectly, they refer to 1t as their law
and assert that organized railroad
men have set about keeping 1t on the
statute books.
"Thus broadly do the trainmen's
organization admit to the public that
the full crew-'excuse man crew
Ia VS. are distinctly class legislation.
They make certain other admissions
damaging to their contention. Refer
ring to the excess trainman and the
services he is supposed to perform,
they say:
"'There is no other man on the
train to make these inspections and
protect the lives of the public and en-
ploves but the one that the companies
seek to remove
"1n that statement the present issue
Is pointed The railroads ask the
trainmen, and submit the question to
public intelligence: What are the
three other men who man the train.
not counting the engine men. whose
duties require closest application,
there to do?
"Putting their contention for the
excess man vet more urgently. the
trainmen assert that NO other man
on the crew can be spared to per-
form this service. It is absurd for
anv one to contend that this inspec-
tion Is unnecessary The railroads
do not so contend. Neither will they
admit. but on the contrary. em-
rhaticalIy deny tho reiterated state
mert that repeal of these compul-
sorry laws Will result In reducing the
! number OF train crews below the
point of safety
Convincing demonstration of the
fixed policy of the railroads to man
each train to insure safety and eff
cheney of service is afforded by the
fact that today. with the action
wholly voluntary, thirteen railroads
are operating in Pennsylvania and
New Jersey eight per cent. Of all
passenger trains and fifteen per cent
! of all freight trains. named In excess
of the laws requirement.
"Unon the question of the proper
manning of trains the disinterested
and expert finding of the Public
Utility Commission, of Connecticut
to which the whole problem was re-
ferred for investigation and report
was as follows:
""rhe facts brought out in the pres
ent investigation disclosed no liz
stances Of the jeopardizing of the
safety of either the public or en-
ployes which increased train crews
would prevent. 1t is the belief of this
commission that, of all the railroad
accidents attended by fatalities which
have been reported to and fnvesti-
gated by it, not one has been at.
tributable to an insufficiency in NUM-
berT of the train crew involved
"1he trainmen point out that the
81. 000,00 year now received by some
| $500 unnecessary brakemen in the
two States buys certain amounts oi
various commodities. OF course @
dollar has a certain purchasing
power. The point is that each dollar
should be paid out by the railroads
| for value received, that is, to mer
] whose services are essential, for sup
plies, equipment, ETC., needed in rail-
road operation.
"Then the public gets the full bee
| fit For example, $4,000 900 would buy
eighty locomotives. Their construc-
tion would give employment for G
full year to 1,745 men, 1874 In the To-
/ connective shops, the balance in stes
works, iron and coal mines and else.
where, making the materials goine
into such locomotives. This would BIZ
a productive expenditure of money
now virtually squandered under com.
pulsion of law in hiring men fol-
whom there is no real service"
J. B. Fisher. SUPERINTENDENT of the
/ New York division of the Pennsyl
vania railroad, ha.- ~ent the following
letter to Assembly:nan Boland, o.
! Hudson county:
Jersey City, March 8.
Hon F. P. Boland. Assemblymar
Hudson county, State House, Tren
| ton:
"Your letter to President Rea
challenging him to debate. has beer
referred to me to arrange for a join
|