Page:Engines and men- the history of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen. A survey of organisation of railways and railway locomotive men (IA enginesmenhistor00rayniala).pdf/112

 requested, and Sir Geo. Findlay, for the North Western, accepted that as a fair standard, and agreed that men should be relieved after twelve hours. A Board of Trade inspector quoted cases of fatal accidents through drivers and firemen having "lumbered" after working 16 and 18 hours at a stretch. The case of a poor fog signaller was given, cut up after working 23 hours continuously in a dense fog. Try to picture the mind of that poor man! A goods guard on the L. & N.W. was killed on a dark, stormy night after working 22 hours and 18 minutes consecutively. On eleven days out of 24 previous to his death he had averaged 19 hours and 11 minutes work per day. Five drivers on the L. & Y. showed an average during January, 1891, of 19 to 21 hours daily duty. Major Marinden commented that "Up to the present time, or nearly so, the companies have not been in earnest in trying to reduce working hours." It was found that a witness, John Hood, a stationmaster on the Cambrian line, had been reprimanded and discharged by his directors after giving evidence on overwork. Many previous witnesses had shared the same fate, but circumstances were forcing Parliament out of its old contempt for labour. There was an indignant protest over this intolerable action, and the result was that the General Manager and two of his directors had to appear at the Bar of the House as offenders, and to be admonished by the Speaker.

After a rest period ranging only from one to eight hours, 20,976 men had been called to resume work. In 1903 there were over 99,500 cases of overworked men on a single day. In 1907 there were numerous cases of men working 18 to 24 hours continuous