The Sentinel=record., 1918-02-12
B9OTHERHODDS CAAaGE
 EIGHT HOUR LAW JUGGLfD
CLAIM THAT HEADS OF RAIL. ROADS HAVE TRIED TO MAKE
 IT UNPOPULAR.

' " Faa4iiheiNH, y ty- lI-t har9eS hy representatives of other brotherhoods chat the railroad managements have evaded or sought to discredit the operation of the eight hour law were supplemented today by the statements af Timothy Shea, acting president of the Brotherhood uf Locomotive Fire men, Ensinemen and Hostlers at to- Idays hearings of the government
 wage commission
 We want time and a half for over time computed on a minute basis" MT. Shea said "l think 1 can say that if is penalty is imposed very little ertime will be paid for the manage ments win 2eadiust the working shifts to eliminate it."
 Nr. Shea asserteG that many roads had returned to the eight and nine a1ur ahsis and that in the case of hosters some roads had undertaken ! to reciassify them SO that they would lot come under the eight hour law He cited particularly the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad, where ho said hostlers were performing their old tasks under a new name. working twelve hours at the old rates
 The. report of the commission headed by Major General Goethals which investigated the workings of the eight-hour law ill accordance with he act of congress was declared by
 hoa to be filled in great part with forecast of what The railroads would be cost by the law, rather than the actual experience of operation
 "Thc roads have sought to make the application of the law as expensive as possible for two reasons he said First, they wanted to discourage any sug-estions for time and a half over ime and second they wanted what ever the cost Of The new basic day to have the bin paid by the public in tead of the roads.
 "They succeeded in having iHcor- porated in the commissions report statements that originally were pre- pared for presentation as partisan evidence"
 Increases in pay asked for by Mir Shea for members of his brotherhood amounted to ten percent generally, | with a minimum wage of $8.50 day.
 The possibility of basing the pay
 of firemen on coal used with view 10 saving fuel eicited numerous ques
 tioins from Secretary Lane, chairman
 of inc commission. and the frank hos ulity of the union leader to any sucn system
 "We found when I was on the inter 1 state commerce commission" Mr, l ane said, that less than ten percent
 of fuel units were utilized We are
 interested very greatly in making time gith trains to relieve congestion and also in the saving of fuel CoGld not the tiremen be paid oh a basis of tho use oi coal?"
 < bonus system?7 asked Mr shea quickly
 "t would oppose any such plan. lt was tried on the Pennsylvania line
 asst and experience showed there wa no accurate way of measuring the fuel The experiment caused more confusion and dissatisfaction than any other innovation ever knew The bonus system makes certain class Of employees dishonest and i am opposed to anything with such ten dcncy
 There should ho competent n-
 luucjors to teach firemen about com bustion though as a matter of faol We are not burning coal on railroads any more To use the railroad term t is real estate-slas, slate and dirt
 Mr. Shea will continue his discus sion ol the eis1t-hour commission report tomorrow
 Dozens of letters were put into the
 record protesting against the recent testimony of W C. Lee head of tho .raiumcu's brotherhood. referring toI train dispatchers as tram delayers rhoy came from employees of rail
 aads n the west chiefly Nebraska Wyoming, North Dakota, south Da- iota Missouri, Minnesota, Utah. Cali l0rnia Wasnington and Oregon
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