OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Hoaomblo~Joha D. Rood,0~1rrrloo.r
Bureau of &bor btrtlrtlo8
Awtio, 2uar
hourr
OF 0r •~ r-0 80pw80m 0~
in aa oit7or 8ore than twoat
5,000) lmMbltmtr ahall ba h-
duty more t&n rlx (6) days in atg
"'I?. rho proohlag rubditision shall not lp-
017 t0 00008 or me
l*). -oh moeor,0r w ruohdepcrrt8ent la
aa7 oity of momth8a tkirt thoouad 30,000 1 ia-
lnbitrat8 -11 bo allouedIfftooa(15 I dap vaaa-
tlon in -oh 7errvith ~7j protldo4that the
Honorable John D. Reed, page 2
~ovlalon of thI8 Motion of thlr Aot ah611 uot
be applied to any membar of any euah department
in any city of.more tlnaa thirty thowand (30,000)
Inhabitants unle88 8uoh member adall have been
regularly employed in rush department or depart-
ments r0r a period 0r at leart one (l)!yoar.
“‘4. I&oh preording Federal aensu8 8bsll de-
termine the population.
“‘5. The city orrioial8 having supervision
of tha rlre~depsrtt8otIt and polloe department ah811
cleslgaate the da 8 ot the reek upon which eaoh
ruoh member s&l I not be required to be on duty,
aud the day8 upon vhioh each 8uoh member 8-11 be
alloved to be on vacetiOa.l (Under8oorlng ours)
"As far a8 I am able to determine, the stat-
utes above quoted are the only laws ve hwe goterm-
10g the hour8 0r poliooreo in a oity 0r rirty-eight
thowsand (58,000) as 8houn by the laastFederal con-
8US.
"Thin Departmsut I8 in reaelpt of an inquiry
from a cltg or the abovr slae oonosroing vhethsr
or not it would be within the lav in ltutltutlng
a propo8ed plan of work and 8alarlea for It8 polloe
orrioera for the dwatlon or the war emergenoy. At
the present time the pollee oitiOer8 are vorklng
eight (8) hour8 per da six (6) dayr per reek,
and are rsoelrl a 8aiiry 0r one Siundretd
and sixtp
Five Dollara ($5.00) per month.
“Bocaum the City 18 &bls to replroe It8
per8onnel who h8ve entered the armed servlow, .
both the remaining orrioem and the city OffiOial8
have tentatively agreed to a tvelve-hour day dur-
ing the emergency period and tar this they are to
receive compenrratlonfor the extra four (4.)hour8
at the MLP~Orata or py a8 regularly received.
"Police departments, like many Industries,
are faced with a problen or findlug quallfisd uork-
ers, ati this plan 18 to only be used during the
war emergency ror the proper protection oi llfs and
property.
222
Honorable John D. Rood, paga 3
"will you plum oculdsr ths above pro-
posed plur and advISe m Uh&hOr or not It oan
b0 put ita0 Orr80t vithout viomirrg ouc rat-
utes?"
Ths olvll and penal statutes you hro quoted ~8
ths only lpplloablo ones t0 pollossea~s hour8 oi labOr In a
aity or 58,000 popumlw. In both oodss the lav my not be
relaxed sxospt ln a mlmsrgswy insofar as It lirits hour8 or
work. What oonstitutss aa lmrgonoy is a qwstioa or raot
la the aase of roh city of tha oUsa. We thlak the olty
orrloials are ooqmtslrt to doternina whether an surgraoy la
raOt SXi8tS. It IS a mttor or universal knorledgo that the
d61~ndr or wr upon our mmapouerbr orratsd amwpnciss 10
all walks 0r lit0 and it 40s~ not seemraasouabl* to sap so
that the cities or the State ars any Uceptioa to the r tar8.
If the oity luthorltlos 80 dstsrrrine,it 18 our oplaioa tbat
aa lrraugeasat ror six twelve-hour dais per ussk vould not
violate the statutes refsrrd to. We rurther point out that
thsro Is nothing in the statutas to prohibit a voluntary ar-
raugswnt rush as you have outllnod even in the ab8enos Oi
an 6mergeaoy.
Vary truly yours
ATTOlum OEHERAL
OF TEXAS
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