The Monte Vista journal. (Monte Vista, Rio Grande County, Colo.) 1888-1921, 1915-05-08
A Railroad Mans View

"A railroad official who believes
there is no reason why the benefits
of government by commission should
not be extended to the farmer as well
as to the carrier has prepared draft
of farming code providing for the
regulation of prices. service require
ments, and sort of full crew law,
with several welfare clauses for the
hired man. The bill is as follows:
Only one price for a given COM
modify shall be lawful. A farmer
desiring to change a price shall file
a schedule thereof with the commits
sion hereby created, which shall go
into effect thirty days thereafter, un-
less suspended by the commission at
the instance of any consumer.
g No price shall be increased, how
ever, except upon due proof, the bur
den whereof shall be upon the far
mer, that existing prices are confis-
catory of his goods and gear. In its
discretion the commission may refuse
to permit any such increase until a
valution by its engineers and ac-
countants shall have been taken. In
such valuation the farmer shall have
no credit for past profits invested in
new fields or. improved structures,
but shall be allowed only original
cost plus borrowed money invested.
Commodity, as used herein, in
cludes all grains. vegetables, live
stock, dairy articles, excepting sand,
gravel and manure.
Every hired man shall work
eight hours only day. not including
the Sabbath, and shall not recon-
mence work unless he has completed
period of not less than eighteen
hours absolute rest and quiet. He
shall not work on the Lords day nor
legal holidays, nor on Jack Loves
birthday.
Every farmer shall hire one
more hired man than his work re-
quires.
The only permissible exceptions
to the two foregoing sections shall
be periods of stress resulting from
earthquake, Halley's comet, or Eu-
ropean invasion.
AN wagons and poles, and dou-
BILE trees shall be provided with cou-
piers, coupling by impact, so that
the hired man need not go between
the wheels of the wagon and the
heels of the horses.
"'All wagons shall be supplied
with suitable brakes, grabirons, stir
rups and platforms of standard d.
mansions to be fixed by the commits
sion.
"'All bulls, when moving on the
highway or in unfenced areas, shall
be equipped with a bell of not less
than fifty pounds weight. a steam
whistle, and an electric headlight of
at least 1000 candle power.
"'All field engines and mchinery
shall be fenced in. all betting shall
be encased in meta! housings and all
grindstones, churns, hay-cutters,
bulls horns. and other moving parts
shall be strongly encased in sheaths
for the protection of the hired men.
:" Sheds shall be built over all
fields where hired men have to work
in summer.
All barns. sheds. and other out
buildings shall in cold weather be
heated and at all times
shall be well lighted and policed.
III calf is delayed in arriving,
or is born dead, the farmer shall in
stantly provide another COW whose
calf shall be born that day.
1.-The commissions inspectors
shall weekly inspect all gasoline au-
tomobiles. If cylinder is missing
the farmer must find it before he
runs on the road again.
The right to mortgage real es-
tate is franchise reserved to the
state. No farmer shall make any
nor incu. any Indebtedness
over a period OF more
than one month without the written
of the commission, obtained
upon petition and hearing and upon
paying the state treasurer 10 cents
for each 500 of such Indebtedness.
without such consent
shall be void.