New-York tribune., 1922-02-04
Bills Offered
For Repeal of
Full Grew Law
1913 Safety Measure Called
Failure i'm State and Cause
OF $2.OOO.O 900 a Year
Waste by the Railroads
Convic: Pay Proposed
McCinnies Measure Would
Give Prisoners or hin All
of Their Net Earnings
prom q StnN Cot-,.cspondcnt

ALBANY. Feb. s. Repeal Of the full
crew law. which is characterized as
"vasteful, burdensome and unneces-
sary," is sought in bills introduced
to day by Senator Wiswall, Of Albany.
and Asscmblyman Mastick, of West
CHESTER Both the measures propose to
give the State Public Service Commits
sion authority to determine the num-
Der of men to be employed on trains
operated III the state At present this
il fixed arbitrarily by the full CROW
law, operative for eight years. OPP
ponents of the law say it has been re
sponsiblc for increased railroad oper-
ating costs approximating 50 ,0O000 a
year in tho state
The farm bureau federation recently
made an inquiry into the practical cf-
feet Of the law. The investigations
shows, it IS asserted that the full crew
lnW has failed to accomplish the sole
purpose for which { was enacted
namely. greater safety. and that there
Is no need for the travelling and ship
ping public TO have between two and
three millions of dollars added to its
annual transportation bill simply to
paw ucH VINO arc not needed.
1913 Safety Measure
/ The so-called full crew law was
placed upon the statute books in 1913
upon the contention that it made for
greater safety. 1t unqualihedly pro
Tides that an extra brakeman must be
placed on all freight trains of more
than twenty five cars in length oper-
atng outside of New York City on
/ RI
length. According to law such trains
must be manned by crew consisting
OF an engineer, fireman, conductor and
three brakemen
Any train of five cars or more, other
than freight train, must have a crew
/ of not less than one engineer. one fire
man, one conductor and two brakemcn.
with a baggage man if the train actual
/ ly carries baggage. A freight train of
twenty-five cars or less must have one
engineer, one fireman, one conductor
and two brakemen.
Governor Millcr's program for ,as-
ing the pay of convict labor found its
way into the I.cgisl laturc to day. when
blyman Josep,, A. McGinnics
chairman Of the Ways and Means Com
mttee. introduced a dill which would
give the State Superintendent Of
Prisons power to adopt rules. subject
to the approval Of the Governor. for
convict salary system which would
grant a days wage for days work
Based on Net Earnings
1t is planned to pay the prisoners on
basis of net earnings. After COM
putting the gross earnings OF each
prisoner deductions covering the cost
Of maintaining him would be made
What remains would belong to the
prisoner. who. however. would not be
able to draw the money until he leaves
prison. Dependents of convicts would
be permitted to receive either all or
part of his earnings.
Strcter punishment for insane
criminals than that now provided is
proposed in bill that would perm it
juries to find incompetent persons
charged with crimes 'guilty but in
sane" The measure EXPLICITLY stipu-
lates that where such criminals have
been found guilty Of crimes punish
able by death or life Imprisonment
they are to be sentenced for life IN a
state hospital for the criminal insane
In cases where insane life termers re-
cover their mental faculties applica-
ton may be made to the Governor for
transfer to a state prison.