Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-04-21

The committee on banks reported a bill to incor-
porate the Young Peoples savings bank in Boston;
and to incorporate the Commonwealth savings
bank, to be located in ward eleven Boston the
committee federal relations reported leave to
withdraw on petition of the Massachusetts society
for the prevention of cruelty to animals, to secure
legislation by congress for the protection of animals
ON railroads and other conveyance Mr.. Barthol-
omew, of Southbridge, from tine committee on edu-
cation reported bill to provide for the election of
certain trustees of Amherst college by the gradu-
atcs thereof
The following bills were ordered to a third read
ing: To change the name of the Blackstone athe-
neum; to incorporate the Brighton Branch railroad
company to authorize the construction of railroad
tracks for private use in the transportation of
freight, and to extend the charter of the Peoples
fire insurance company of Worcester. The follow
ing bills were engrossed: To incorporate the Ash
burnham savings bank; concerning notices of nom
acceptance or non-payment of negotiable instru-
ments; authorizing new jail in Cambridge; to
authorize the Boston water power company to hold
additional real estate; resolves In favor Of Matilda
French, Harriet NJ. Lee, James Thompson, and the
Washingtonian home; resolve for the payment of
certain sums due Cor books furnished the state
prison, and u resolve in aid of the Massachusetts
eye and ear infrmary.
In session of over three hours the house dis.
patched good deal of business without very much
debate. The bill to prevent frauds in procuring di-
vorce and to amend the law in relation thereto.
which several motions We're pending, was finally
rejected after discussion of its merits by Messrs.
Woodbury. and Washburn of Boston. Mr.. Wood
bury spoke in favor of the BILL arguing that there
were cases of hardship in cases OF application for d.
vorce which this bill would tend to remedy He
said that in Maine which has the most "libera"
divorce laws in this country, there are but little
more than half as many divorces as in Massachu-
setts Mr. Washburn spoke as a conservative. He
believed that the proposed law would tend to unset
tie the marriage relation, which was already far too
lightly regarded in tine community, and the house
seemed to agree with him.
The bills in relation to the taxation of incomes,
and in relation to domice for the purpose of taxa
ton, went over until tomorrow. There was brief
and spirited discussion on the report of the COM
mlttee on railways (eaye to withdraw on the petit
ton of the Grafton and Milbury railroad company,
for an amendment to its charter, to allow it to
ceive aid by majority vote of the town of Grafton
Mr.. BscOe of Westboro advocated the petition at
length, and Mr.. Nelson, of Grafton opposed it.
Mr.. Towne, of Fitchburg, also advocated the petit
ton, and was sharply criticized by Mr.. Adams and
other members of the railroad committee. who
claimed that he had agreed to the report in the
mittee room. Mr.. Adams asserted that the feeling
in the town of Grafton did not warrant the grant
ing of the petition, and that if the two-thirds law
was relaxed in this case, ii would have to be in
every case where request was made. The report
of the committee was accepted by the house.
A report was received from the treasurer Of the
state in answer to an order from the house, that
the amount of interest on Massachusetts bonds
held by the school fund, since tine passage of the
legal currency act of congress February %, 1862,
paid to said fund in currency is S2 $780, and if said
interest had been paid in gold, the amount would
have been 1921 349.15, making a difference of Sl09-
1915, which according to the law undoubtedly
due from the treasurer to the fund.
The following reports were received from various
committees, among others, harbOrs by Mr.. Tuttle
U
improvement of the harbor of Boston, and the COM
monwealth flats therein, fOreclosing the mortgage
of the Boston, Hartford and Erie railroad and pro-
viding for the filling of the flats under another act
By Mr.. BOnney, of New Bedford, an act apprOpri-
ating $4,000 for the purchase of outstanding titles
to certain South Boston flats; by Mr.. Merriam, of
Leominster, that the bill in relation to division
fences ought not to pass, the matter being already
provided for under existing statutes.
The joint special committee on the hours of labor,
who have had the subject of a ten-hour law under
consideration for some time past reported bill to
regulate the hours of labor in manufacturing estab-
lishments as follows:
Sect l. No minor under the age of eighteen
years, or female over that age shall be employed in
aboring by or for any person corporation in this
commonwealth in the manufacture of cotton, WOOL
en-, linen, jute silk fabrics, than ten hours
in any day, sixty hours in any one week, ex-
cept when it necessary to make repairs to prevent
the stoppage or interruption of the ordinary rum
ming of the mill or machinery.
Sect 2. Any such person, firm or corporation
which shall employ any person, or which shall have
in its employment any person, contrary to the pro-
visions of this act, and any agent superintendent,
other employe, of any such person, firm
or corporation who shall employ any person in la
boring for any such person. firm corporation con-
trary to the provisions of this act shall for each of
fence forfeit and pay to the use of the commonwealth
the of fifty dollars to be recovered in any court
of competent jurisdiction.
Sect. 8. This act shall take effect upon the first
day of July next.
the majority report said that he entered upon the
hearing with no fixed or preconceived notions re-
garQlng II, Dut determined TO adopt such CODclu-
sions as full and fair hearing should lead him to-
and after having fully heard both sides of the ques-
ton he had derived impressions, clear and con-
vincing, that legislation in the direction proposed
was not demanded by any considerable number of
operatives in any locality in this commonwealth
and nowhere, except under the influence of a few
refOrmers, looking forward to a period when the
laborng classes should assert their organized poit
ica power against that of capital The only ground
upon which legislative interference with the right
of operatives TO control their labor and stipuate
for themselves in relation thereto be justified
is the consideration that the public welfare de-
mands it, either for the improvement health OF
operatives to protect them from oppression. La
Dor is the property of the operatives he has the
right to control it, and that law which deprives
him of such property, right is unjust to the la
borer; and, on the other hand, far as capital
concerned snch legislation, confined, as it must be-
to this commonwealth, ana applicable only TO spe-
cic classes of manufacturers produces distinctions
which must result in imposing upon those affected
by 1t burdens that the present depressed condition
of our manufacturing interests cannot endure. We
are competing with like interests all around u.s. and
this law would compel manufacturers to pursue
course in managing their business that manifesly
reduces their productions No fair field would remain
open to them for competition here. Further than
this the fair implication to be drawn from such
legislative restriction is that capital here Expresses
labor and that there essentially hostile interests
between them demanding protection. But he (Mr.
Packard does not agree that this is true is he
able 10 ind from the evidence proofs upon which to
base the recommendations of the committee as
bodied in their bill, the terms ofwhch unjustly dis
criminae between the different classes of manufac-
turprS imposing ana penalties some,
with no good reason, and leaving numberless Others
to pursue their usual course without such interfer-
enee He is not prepared to arraign the cotton,
wooden, linen, jute or silk manufacturers with
charges of oppression and wrong, and plaza in the
hands of their operatives weapons for infcting
punishment upon their employers for other
offence than that of making such contracts as they
should have the right to make regarding their own
labor. AT least he should not assent to it until
some necessity is made to appear. He further be-
eves that the terms of the bill provide for its own
evasion by manufacturers under the provision re-
lating to repairs, and believing that it is nexpedi
en TO legslate on the subject, recommends that the
petitioners have leave to withdraw.
The reports of leave to withdraw on the petition
of A. B. Ely for legislation in favor of educating
young men in colleges; on the petition of the trus-
tees OF the Lassell female seminary and others for
change of name; on the petition of Sumner Rich
ardson and others for act authorizing the town of
Winchester to purchase water rights, and on the
petition of Thomas C. Chick for state aid were sew
orally accepted. Also the report of the committee
on Insurance. inexpedient, an order relative to
the repeal section 81 of chapter 5S of the general
statutes, concerning fire insurance companies.
Messrs. Brown OF Adams, Train of Boston, and
Durham of Stockbridge, were appointed a confer
euce committee upon the question of establishing
a district court in northern Berkshire, Mr. Multi
gan, of Paxton, offered an order that, and after
April q, the house meet at IL O'Clock, but 1t was
laid upon the table,
Pending a discussion on the bill to authorize
school committees in cities TO appoint supeTin-
tendents of schools, the house adjourned for want
of a quorum,
The state police committee do not, it is rumored,
show a disposition to test their power over wit
nesses who refuse to testify. No hearings are held
at present, and no one knows exactly what the
course of the committee will be- Should Emery or
will probably be heard this week, so as to leave the
floor clear for what is to come. There is, doubt
some work being done in the way of ascertainiDg
antecedents of recent witnesses
New England Dispatches.