The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1916-09-08
The Bill That
Averted Strike

Following is the text of the bill,
hurried through Congress last Friday
and Saturday, to avert the pending
strike of the railroad brotherhoods
throughout the country for an eight
hour day and pay for overtime. AS
soon as it was passed the heads OF
the brotherhoods called off the strike:
Be it enacted by the Senate and
House of Representatives Of the Unit
ed States of America in Congress as
sembled
Section 1. That beginning Dec. 1,
1916, eight hours shall, in contracts
for labor and service, be deemed
davis work and the measure or stand
ard Of q days work for the purpose
of reckoning the compensation for
service Of all employees who are now
or may hereafter be employed by any
railroad which is subject to the proyi-
sions of the act of Feb. l, 1887, an
act TO regulate commerce as amend
ed, and who are now or may here
after be actually engaged in any ca
Dacity in the operation Of trains used
for the transportation Of persons or
property on railroads, from any State
or Territory Of the United States Or
the District of Columbia, TO any orheE
State or Territory Of the United
States, or from one place in a terri
tory to another place in the same ter
ritory, or from any place in the
United States to an adjacent foreign
country or from any place in the
United States through foreign
country to any other place in the
United States
"Sec. 2.-That the President shall
appoint a commission Of three, which
shall observe the operation and eff6ts
Of the institution of the eight-hour
standard work day, as above defined
and the facts and conditions affecting
the relations between such common
carriers and employers during a peri
cd of not less than six months nor
more than nine manths, in the dis
cretion of the commission and within
30 days thereafter such commission
shall report its findings to the Pres
ident and Congress. That each men,
ber of the commission created under
the provisions of this act shall re-
ceive such compensation as may be
fixed by the President. The sum OF
$25,000 or so much thereof as may be
necessary be and hereby is appropri-
ated out of any money III the United
States Treasury not otherwise appro-
priated, to be Immediately available
and to continue available until the
close of the fiscal year ending June
80, 1917, for the necessary and proper
expenses incurred in connection with
the work of such commission. includ
ing salaries, per diem, travelling ex
penses Of members and employees anC
rent, furniture, office fixtures and sup
plies, books and other necessary ex
penses, the same to be approved b!
the chairman of said commission ant
audited by the proper accounting of
ficers of the treasury.
Section 3.-That pending the repor
Of the commission herein provided
for, and for period Of 80 days there
after, the compensation of railwa,
employees subject to this act for
standard eight-hour workday shall
not be reduced below the present stan
dard days wage, and for all necessar.
time in excess of eight hours sucl
employees shall be paid at rate no
less than the prorat9 rate for sucl
standard eight-hour workday.
Section 4.-That any person violat
ing any provision of this act shall b
guilty of a misdemeanor and upol
conviction shall be fined not less thai
s100 and not more than $1,000, o
imprisoned not to exceed one year, o
both.