The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-03-21
EIGHT HOURS ON RAILROADS
Clear Presentation of the Employees Case From
 Transportation Brotherhoods.

great deal has been said about the inability of the railroads to grant the eight hour day to railway train crews and switchmen, and a, few facts bear ing upbn the necessity of a shorter work day are here presented.
 The unit of wage payment is now based on the moving of rolling stock TOO miles per 10 hours. or 10 miles per hour The men are now asking for eight hours or 12 1-2 miles per hour, 100 miles in eight hours, and time and one-haK for overtimbe af- ter eight hours.
 The railroad companies as well as the pu bile at large would be benefit ed by the change. All trunk lines centering in large terminals have so- called manifest freight, leaving these terminals each night, hauling from 1000 to 1.2oO tons of freight, which is called fast freight service. These trains travel over divisions up to LAO to 24O miles on an average of an eight to I hour basis In many cases the so-called drag or dead freight train leaving the same terminal probably three hours ahead of these manifest or fast freight trains are passed on the road, and the fast freight goes to destination in eight or nine hours, while the dead freight is often caught by the. Federal 16-hour law and has to tie up for eight hours rest before getting into division or terminaal points.
 If one train can be sent sover a division of say 40 or 150 miles in eight hours, there is no just reason why the same class engine, with an other train, should put in IA or Is hours over the same course. Take for instance. crews on dead freight service or what is commonly called oserT1< (t.zf .7f0 T 7<axy are often IA hours ohSthe road. They spend one hour after they get in, washing up and looking after the en- zine, and then are ready to go home to wife and family, tired and sleepy. After eight hours they are given a two hour call at the end of the rest period to go another IA or Is hour trip. These men spend 1 1-2 hours with their families, which is not enough time to even get acquainted with them, as they have practically no time at home.
 These men know no day or night have no SiIndays,-simp1y a steady grind until they are worn out and have to lay off: and in many cases this boon is refused. 1tIf these men were worked eight hours they would be more competent workers on ac count of having more rest, would be better citizens on account of having more time to brighten their minds. more time to study the economic ques- lions that are of vital importance to their own and the communities well fare, and would, therefore, be more intelligent voters. On the same ba- sis the company would be the gainer by always having a fresh man going on duty at working periods, and would be less troubled by men asking for 1ayoffs for the purpose of getting some rest. The public would also be the gainer by getting quicker service on dead or .tsIop freight
 For example. take car of banan- as, shipped say from New Orleans to St. Louis, which goes through in 36 or 3s hours, while car of dead freight would occupy almost three weeks getting the same distance: in other words. dead freight is moving