DAR 1914 Railway Rules Gifkins Letter 438

DAR 1914 P. Gifkins Circular Letter to Distribute a new Rule Book

In 1914 a Rule Book for the Dominion Atlantic Railway was approved and distributed to employees who needed to know the rules in carrying out their duties.

This rule book was originally approved by the Board of Railway Commissioners in 1909, perhaps as a generic rule book for use of all Canadian railways, and was adopted by the DAR in 1914.

There was a process involved in getting the new Rules in place. In this step General Manager Percy Gifkins uses a Circular Letter to have copies of the new Rule Book delivered to employees that were required to know and follow them. The rule books were individually numbered and each employee was required to sign an acknowledgement of receiving the book. Employees were to pass an examination on the rules before the rules took effect on April 1, 1914. The effective date was later altered to June 1, 1914.

The text of the Circular Letter No. 438 appears below:

---

Dominion Atlantic Railway

- - - - -

CIRCULAR LETTER No. 438.

GENERAL MANAGER’S OFFICE,
KENTVILLE, N. S., 27th January, 1914

TO —— (a) Conductors, Engineers and Train Despatchers

(b) Brakemen, Train Baggagemen, Firemen, Yardmen and Switchtenders

(c) Operators

(d) Section and Bridge Foremen and Signalmen.

DEAR SIR :——

I am handing you herewith a book (No. . . . . ) containing the Standard
Code of Train Rules, approved by the Board of Railway Commissioners in their
Order No. 7563 dated July 12th, 1909, and also General Rules, which are to go
into effect on this road at 12:01 a. m. on the 1st day of April, 1914.[handwritten amendment: "Extended to 1st June,"]
All the employees to whom this Circular letter is addressed must pass an
examination in the Rules before the 1st April, 1914, and I request you therefore
to make a careful and exhaustive study of them so that you will be able to fill up
your examination paper properly and write correct answers to all questions on
the Rules.
With this in view you are given one month from this date in which to
prepare, after which date you may be called upon at any time to come up for
your examination.
The name of the Examiner and how and where he will proceed with
instructing you in the Rules and carrying out the examinations will be notified
later.
I wish to add that it is my earnest desire that all the employees concerned
may be competent and able to pass their examinations in these Rules.
Please acknowledge receipt below.
Yours faithfully,
P. GIFKINS,
General Manager

To . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Enclo. — Book of Rules.


(ACKNOWLEDGMENT)
P. GIFKINS, GENERAL MANAGER

DEAR SIR :— I beg to acknowledge having received a copy of your Circular
letter No. 438 dated 27th January, 1914 and also Book No. . . . of the Standard
Code of Train Rules referred to.
Yours faithfully,

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Date. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

---

Original graphic is at:
.