Mohave County miner., 1916-12-09


 Gentlemen of the Congress-In full filling at this time the uty laid upon me by the constitution of communieat- ing to you from time to time informa- tion of the state of the union and rec ommending to your consideration such legislative measures as may be judged necessary and expedient I shall con tinue the practice which I hope has been acceptable to you, of leaving to the reports of the several heads of the executive departments the elaboration of the detailed needs of the public ser vice and confne myself to those mat ters of more general public policy with which it seems necessary and feasible to deal at the, present session of the congress.
 realize the limitations of time un- der which you will necessarily act at this session and shall make my sug- gestions as few as possible; but there were some things left undone at the last session which there will now be time to complete and which it seems necessary in the interest of the pub lie to do at once.
 In the first place, it seems to me i'm perstively necessary that the earliest possible consideration and action should be accorded the remaining measures of the program of settle ment and regulation which I had occa- sion to recommend to you at the close of your last session in view of the pub lie dangers disclosed by the unaccom- modated difficulties which then existed, and which still unhappily continue to exist, between the railroads of the country and their locomotive engi- neers, conductors and trainmen.
 I then recommend:
 First, immediate provision for the enlargement and administrative reor- ganization of the interstate commerce commission along the lines embodied in the bill recently passed by the house of representatives and now awaiting action by the senate; in order that the commission may be enabled to deal with the many great and various duties now devolving upon it with promptness and thoroughness which are, with it's present constitution and means of action, practically impossi- ble.
 Second, the establishment of an eight-hour day as the legal basis alike of work and of wages in the employ ment of all railway employees who are actually engaged in the work of oper- ating trains in interstate transporta- ton.
 Third, the authorization of the ap- pointment by the president of small body of men to observe the actual re- suits in experience of the adoption of the eight-hour day in railway trans portation alike for the men and for the railroads.
 Fourth, explicit approval by the con- gress of the consideration by the inter state commerce commission of an in crease of freight rates to meet such additional expenditures by the rail roads as may have been rendered nee essary by the adoption of the eight hour day and which have not been off, set by administrative readjustments and economies, should the facts dis closed justify the increase.
 Fifth, an amendment of the existing federal statute which provides for the conciliation and arbitration | of such controversies as the present by | adding to it a provision that, in case the methods of accommodation now provided for should fail, a full public investigation of the merits of every such dispute shall be instituted and completed before strike or lockout may lawfully be attempted.
 And, sixth, the lodgment in the hands of the executive of the power, in case of military necessity, to take con trol of such portions and such rolling stock of the railways of the country as may be required for military use and to operate them for military pur- poses, with authority to draft into the military service of the United States such train crews and administrative officials as the circumstances require for their safe and efficient use.
 The second and third of these rec the congress immedi- ately acted on: it established the day as the legal basis of work and wages in train service and it authorized the appointment of a commission to observe and report upon the practical results, deeming these the measures most immediately need ed; but it postponed action upon the