Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1916-09-07

Author of the eight-hour day law.
The original text of the provision
was as follows:
BE 1t enacted by the Senate and
House of Representatives of the Unit.
ed States of America in Congress as
sembled
Section l. That beginning Janu.
airy l, 1917, eight hours shall in con.
tracts for labor and service be deem,
ed days work and the measure or
standard of a days work for the pur-
pose of reckoning the compensation
for services OF all employees who are
now or may hereafter be employed
by any common carrier vby railroad.
except railroads independently owned
and operated not exceeding 100 miles
in length, electric street railroads, and
electric interurban railroads.
Section >. That the President
shall appoint commission of three
which shall observe the operation and
effects Of the institdtion OF the eight.
hour standard work day as above de.
fined and the facts and conditions af
fecting the relations between such
common carriers and employees dur
ing a period of not less than six
months nor more than nine months
in the discretion of the commission
and within 30 days thereafter cuch
commission shall report its findings to
the President and Congress. That
each member of the commission Great.
ed under the provisions OF this aC
shall receive such compensation as
may he fixed by the President The
sum Of $4,000 or SO much thereof as
may be necessary be. and hereby is
appropriated out of any money in the
United States Treasury. -"
Section 3. That pending the report
OF the commission. herein provided
for. and for a period of 80 days there.
after the compensation OF railway
employees subject to this act for n
standard eighthour work day shall
not be reduced below the present
standard days wage and for all neces
sary time in excess of eight hours
such employees shall be paid at a rate
not less than the pro rata rate for
such standard tghthour work day.
Section 4. That any person violat.
ing any provision Of this act shall be
fined not less than 500 and not more
than $1,000, or imprisoned not to ex
ceed one year, or both.
Brotherhoods Are Pleased.
The enactment of this piece of leg
islation,' said a =. Garretson. head
of the con luctors' brotherhood, Civ
ing as it does an eight-hour day for
every man employed in the operating
department of the railroads of this
country from the Canadian border to
the Gulf and from the Atlantic to the
Pacific is a wonderful thing 1t not
only affects the brotherhoods and the
best paid men who come under their
jurisdiction but II reaches far enough
Gown the line TO give the negro rail
road worker OF the south his chance
II do not care whether the bill is
signed on Sunday or some other day,
nor does the cons:itut;onality OF such
an act bother me II the President
sees fit to sign IL on that day I'll be
willing to accept his judgment that
the act is legal"
w G. Lee, head of the trainmen,
said:
"Of course | am pleased that we
have avoided a strike We did not
want strike any more than any
one i'm this country. but we had come
10 n point whore If strike became
necessary TO win our demands we
were willing 10 90 into one feel
confident too that we would have
emerged victorious if strike had
been necessary.
THAT situation. however. now is
past II is probable. of course. that
the railroads will ask for increased
freight rates. If they can show that
they are deserving OF them the broth
erhoods will help obtain them. But
unless then can show good cause for
advances. OF course we will not go
to their assistance
THE bill as cd today does not
contain all that we 'hould have liked
TO have. We were willing howcver.
10 make sacrifices and we made them
We are willing to abide by the legis
lation as passed by Congress"
w. S. Carter and W s Stone
heads OF the iremen and engineers.
respectively. gave out no statements
further than to saw they were pleased
with the outcome of the negotiations.
All OF the brotherhood leaders were
inclined to regard lightly reports that
that railroads would make determin-
cd fight on the cOnstitutlonality of
the eighthour day. They feel that
the ten-hour day is n thing of the
past now. regardless of how the
courts may interpret the Adamson
hill The practical operation OF the
~ht-hour day, they declare, will con.
zee the public and the railroads