The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-02-23
TELL OF RESULTS
OF ADAMs0N Law
Eight Hour Commission Has Sub
mitted Its Findings to Presi-
dent Wilson.
WORKERS GET MORE MONEY
Sixty Million Dollars Added to the
Pay of Railroad Men--Practicability
of Eight-Hour Day Has Not Beef
Decided Upon.

The report of the eight-hour COM
mission headed by Gen. George w.
Goethals and named to study the OPP
Grafton of the Adamson law has been
submitted to President Wilson.
The commission finds as a result of
its study of the first year Of the oper-
alton of the law that it has not brought
general eight-hour day into railroad
operation and that it has increased the
pay of 100000 trainmen of the country
about $60,00O,000 year.
"The effect of the law as applied"
the report says, "is normally to leave
the compensation for straight mileage
or straight time unchanged. The same
payment is now made for minimum
day of eight hours as was formerly
made for minimum day of ten hours.
The mileage rate remains unchanged,
while the rate per hour is increased.
,, "The increase In pay which the OBJ
servance of the law brings to the en-
ployees is in the form of payment
for overtime at an increased rate per
hour. The exceptions are so unim-
| portant as to make their discussion
here unnecessary"
On the question Of the practicable
ity of an actual eight-hour day in
train service the report says:
''It is well to emphasize the fact
that, while the law requires eight
hours to be the measure or standard
of a days work for the purpose of
reckoning the compensation for SER
vice of train employees, it does not
limit the actual working time to eight
| hours"
At another point the report says:
"As a result of the law, even with
| pro-rata overtime, there have been
numerous instances Of changes In
operation of trains in road service,
shortening the time Of runs as shown
In a previous section, but, generally
speaking, no marked change In
operation In road service is observ-
able. AS elsewhere stated this is not
true of yard service, in which an
actual eight-hour day has been gen
orally introduced.
ITO what extent 1t would be prae
ticable ultimately to limit the hours
! of road train employees to eight hours
per day it is impossible to say"
| A study of various plans for meet
ing the increased financial burden Of
the Adamson law brings the conclu-
| sion, by the report, that the cheapest
thing for the railroads to do is to go
on with the former basis Of opera
ton and to pay the increased wages.
| Charles P. Howard made q study
of the practicability of an actual
eight-hour day on railroads. In his
/, report he said:
SIN any discussion Of the practical
bility of an actual eight-hour day for
employees in railroad train service
we must distinguish what is physical
ly possible if necessary to be done at
any cost, from what is practicable
under given conditions.
IAN hours-of-service law limiting
the actual duration Of work to eight
hours per day could undoubtedly be
enforced If all expense to the roads
and inconvenience to employees could
be disregarded. But, taking condi-
lions as we actually find them, the
writer believes that the complete
elimination of overtime for train op-
eratives is not a physical proposition,
although further progress in this di-
rection is possible"
urnDVEDc nOlMn ruCIp pADT