Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1922-09-08
OVER HALF LOCOMOTIVES IN the UNITED
STATES ARE INDICATED UNSAFE FOR use

.-.~,spt Submitted to Senate
..Wbitewash" by Some, But
sai.ss Guarded Language Full
Indieated-No Mention of
IT, IT, of 1900 Law Violations In
yl-.zz 4zlz.srnational Labor News Service.
D! 5.ssirgton. D. c., Sept. Half
.ts locomotives in use on american
-a..ads are in need OF repairs that
I'D be made 10 comply with SOUND
a-.z4iee." according to what Is gen
s5s. accepted az a conservative re-
s'1.s INST submitted to the Senate by
fstsrstate Commerce Commission.
NJ reoort quotes figures on only
.o.z inspaetions. II does NOT deal
~ reports already published and
ienied that during July, hrst
1s 1' If the strike, there were H.
ao0 5'' = .elations of l. c. c. rules gov
-, oneration of locomotives
Els Fssb yiolation of the locomotive
;ainsetion law is punishable by fine
~ 500 No steps have been taken
D., sEa Department Of Justice to
.s..arnte and collect these fines.
IT, report submitted to the Senate
3,es aot deal with August figures and
- i every reason to believe that
,bo conditions of locomotives has been
s,orsa during August, the second
,,oafb of the strike, than during July,
the first month. -.
l. {. c. Says Ii Can't Determine
Extent of Danger.
With only fifty government IN.
sneetors 10 inspect seventy thousand
locomotives, resulting in the inspec-
hon of four thousand and eighty-five
Iocomntives in July, the Commission
stafes that it is not possible for the
government TO determine "the extent
20 WHICH he law is being violated"
An the carriers feel the extent 10
which unsafe or defective motor
mower is in use.
The July findings of the Commits
sion's inspectors typifies the situation
throughout the country. In this con-
neetion the Commission says:
eAt III different points they made
personal inspection of 4,0S5 locomo-
lives OF these, 2,456 disclosed de-
feets of the varied character men,
TONED above and more or less serious;
i6Q were found to be i'm such condi-
fion that they were not safe to oper-
ate and notices were served upon the
carriers, under Section . OF the act,
recurring them to be Withdrawn from
service. OF the others, 992 were
found to have defects less serious IN
character, but in need of prompt at
tention. In 1926 cases defects,
though not such as to give cause for
immediate concern, were such as in
accordance with sound practice should
have attention"
That the report is in large measure
a whitewash of the railroads is the
belief of many well informed persons
in Washington, including some who
are familiar with the inner mechanics
Of the !. c. c.
Over Half of Engines In Need
of Repairs.
On the basis of inspections made
the report guardedly brings out the
fact that something over half the
engines examined are in need of re-
pairs that should be made in accord
with sound practice"
This means that it is not sound
practice" to operate more than half
the engines examined. Safety is the
only thing considered by |. c. {. ex-
aminers in defining "sound practice"
and there must therefore be an ele--
ment of danger in the operation of
more than half the engines examined.
II the same ratio holds for the TO-
900 locomotives in use in the United
States, then there is an element of
danger in connection with the opera
ton of more than $4,000 of those loco
motives. Passengers have less than a
fifty per cent chance of riding behind
an absolutely safe locomotive every
time they board a train.