The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-11-03
HOURS SOFLABOR, UNDER THE RAILROAD LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK RECORD OF CANDIDATE HUGHES, WILLIAM R. WILCOX and PRESIDENT WILSON HOURS OF LABOR FOR RAILROAD EMPLoYEs
 
 MALCOLM R. M'ADOO.

made the following statement giving his views about the eight-hour work day:
 T am not opposed to the principle of an eight-hour workday. On the contrary, I favor 1t. The general principle of the eight-1our workday Is that limiting labor to eight hours promotes health, happiness and effi- ciency. It not only frees from excess Hive strain, but gives opportunity TOT education, for enjoyment, for the pleasant and profitable resources or leisure. The whole point is the llmlta- tion of hours of labor, that man shall work eight hours and no longer. The A,damson bill does not provide that. It is a mere pretence to say that it does It does not limit hours; 1t simply regulates pay. It. is wage bill.s
 Tn pamphlet issued by the Ma tional Hughes Alliance it is stated that a law, Chapter 53 Laws of 1907), was | enacted during MT. Hughes term of office as governor, limiting the hours of labor to 16 for men in train service, designed to protect both the work men. and the public from the danger of physical exhaustion on the part of railroad employees. The act referred to, with no provisic-> for time for meals or one day rest in seven, start ing off with the provision that 10 hours labor performed within 12 con- secutive hours shall constitute a legal days work, etc, but with a joker ad- r0itly worded permitting men to ps worked 16 hours in 24 every day in the lyearscarefully tucked away at the end as is the customary practice of the Wall Street lawyers affiliated with MT. Hughes, is as follows:
 Regulation: of hours of labor on steam surface and other railroads. {Article ?, Sec. 7.) The Labor Law State of New York)
 Ten hours labor, performed with In 12 consecutive hours, shall constit- ute legal days labor in the opera ton of steam surface, electric, subway and elevated railroads operated with fin this state, except where the mile age system of running trains is in operation. No person or corporation operating any such railroad of 30 miles in length, or over, in whole or in part within this state, shall permit or re- sQuire any conductor. engineer, fire .nan, trainman, motorman, or assLs- tant n1otorman, engaged in or con- nected with the movement of any train on any such railroad, to be or remain on duty for longer period than 16 consecutive hours and when ever any such conductor. engineer, fireman, trainman, motorman or as- sistant motorman shall have been con- unuously on duty for 16 hours he shall be relieved and nor required or permitted again to go on duty until he has had at least, 10 consecutive hours off duty, and no such conductor engineer, fireman, trafnman,. motor; man or assistant motorman who has been on duty 16 hours in the aggre- gate in any hour period shall be re- qu6red or permitted to continue or again go on duty without having had at least eight consecutive hours of duty. except when by casualty occur { ring after he has started on his trip, and except when by accident ors unex- pected delay of trains scheduled to make connection with the train on which be is serving, he is prevented from reAching his terminal
 Mir. Hughes, as well as his chair man of the Republican National Com mittee, William R. Wilcox, who was also his former chairman of the Pub- lie Service Commission of the First District of New York during the per- fod that MT. Hughes was governor o1 New York, seem both by the act re- ferred to and by the records of the Public Service Commission during MT Willcox's regime, to agree with Mr E Wilson that the hours of railroad em- ployes should be limited, but to 1t hours per day instead of eight hours per day as required by President Will sons Railroad Flight 4flour Act
 f xS1 @% Yry,. r. road Commissioners of the State o1 New York, under whom our present system of subways was built, consist ing of Alexander B. Orr. president John H. Starin, vice president, an6 Woodbury Langdon, Charles Stewar Smith. William s. Hurley, Mayor George B. Mcclellan, and Comptrolle1 Herman A. Metz, with George s. Rice as Chief Engineer, was legislated ou of office by Governor ffugnes upor June $, 1907, by the creation of ths Public Service Commission, and iupor June 8, 1907, Governor Hughes ap pointed the following Commissioner. for said Public Service Commission for the First District of New York William R. wilcox, chairman; VII liam McCarrell, Edward M. aBssett Milo R, Maltbie and John E. Eustis It will be seen that although thu Board of Rapid Transit Commission CTS, composed as the list shows O some of the most eminent men of New York city including its Mayor, flax built our present system of s1bways conceded to be the best system of sub ways of any city in the world, it wa. legislated out of office by Mr. Hughes and . new Commission, headed b, Ats personal friend, William R. Will cox, was placed in charge.
 Mr. Wilcox and his fellow Commits z sioners in the first report made b, s them dated January 20, 1908, to Gov ernor Hughes among other statement. made the following in Vol. 1, page 8 of said report:
 The Public Service Commission O tho First District has power to con trol, supervise and regulate,
 Q1 Railroads and street railroad lytnx exclusively within it's dfstrtc Gp it's district Greater New York).
 :D Street railroads aay portion O ~nose lines lies within it's district an, all transportation thereon
 W Such portion of the lines of an, other railroad lies within that dis tr1ct, so far as concerns the construc ton. maintenance, equipment, terrni nal facilities, and local transporta tior Of persons or property within tha, district
 (D Any common carrier, operatfns or doing business exclusively within