The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-03-29


cesses, 1900 of which are sent out an
nually from the Police Court Of Lowell,
IN addition TO the argument of wages by
l,l79 persons. A question 10 here made
from the report Of the Commissioner Of
Savings Banks for the State Of New York.
4" Poverty is in one word the great un-
DERIVING fact IN human experience, the all
pervading. eVer-present condition OF need
ia the social state. This report describes
the different classes of poor people as fol
lows " tie, who with steady, Iatient in
dustry, can from day TO day earn barely
the necessaries of life for himself and fam
lily, IS surely poor, though he may thus
keep absolute want from his door Even
It he may 40 a little better than this if he
may from his scant wages save pittance
for the day when labor, perchancr, may
not he found. or when sickness of himself
or some member Of his household adds To-
his expenses or dImlnishes his income I;
even then he y poor. Side by side with
the imbeclle whose poverty is the result Of
causes over which he can have no control.
will be found the strong han, able and vii
ling to work, but finding nowhe a mar
ket for his labor
The Bureau then quotes its returns from
the Assessors If 295 towns IN the Common
wealth to show the poverty Of the people,
and 10 these facts adds an essay upon the
question Of poverty. The wages question
IS then taken up and discussed, and an Is
say upon the limitation Of time IN relation
to the production md distribution ri
wealth Is given, followed by discussion
uf the question Of cooperation. education
f.t la h. IAN h.,fr I.,I.
concluding With
recommendation
The experience Of the year lust passed
corroborates that of the three previous
years Of the existence of the Bureau, and
urges US to renew the Recommendations
made III our former report
But little legislation IS demanded, and
but little IN variety can be made directly
effective.
Legislation, at present, IS almost wholly
devoted to the purpose Of aggregated
wealth, whether i'll the form III railroads,
~ manufactures, ur Of numerous other
great monetary interests
The time of Legislatures, National and
state. Is occupied, all but exclusively with
the consideration Of questions of how to
lGttnt AllF AtA NUTS " WHICH Cdllldt lildN
be accumulated. while very little time ur
thought Is given g the question Of how the
laborer can, hy lesseurd work-time and
increased means, achieve that education
which shall elevate him 10 truer man
hood With this added leisure and their
increased means, and this better educa-
uou. be will be able To think out and to
wora ont the methods 10y which co-opera-
uon may safely take the place Of wac
labor For to this he looks as the end Of
Tile solution " the absorbing question at
issue between capital and labor.
As VIC said Ia our last report, legislation
that tends tn make men better and more
valuable, IL in favor Of labor. while legis-
lariuu ~ the interest Of protection solely.
is not Iu favor IF labor. 50. too, any leg
islauon giving additional power to capital,
is against labor, capital being strong, and
having the necessary know ledge and power
can take care AZ itself, while labor is poor,
and -unrant ana, therefore. powerless
We, therefore, recommend that the
commonwealth, In it, employing capacity
adopt the example set BY the United
States, and by some Of the individual
states. w abudglnL the labor day for all
manual laborers IN her employ. either Nv
contract ur otherwise, 81 that the expert
meut may be tried, az public expense.
neither a reduction Of hours. Is or Is not,
an increase Of wages. We further recon-
mend that a law be enacted. similar 10 the
Factory Law If Great Britain, limiting the
hours uf labor III All manufacturing. me
chamcal, WI other establishments in the
state, ten hours III any one day. or sixty
hours in any week and that mo- child UNI
der l3 years If age shall Ne employed IN
any such establishment nor at that age
unless such child has received the ele-
ments uf common school education, and
shall he ply slcally qualified for such labor
age. education and physical condition to
W. matter 1T due certificate provided fer
BY law and further, that all children, be
tween Is and j. years Of age, 50 employed,
shall not be employed more than five hours
IN any one day sand hours To be between
6 o'clock in the forenoon, and O'Clock
in the afternoon and that they shall
attend school, vacations excepted, three
hours on each and every day the
same law to compel protection against ac-
cldent by unguarded betting machinery,
elevator, or holst-ways, and to erect proper
hre escapes this law to be enforced by
specially appointed inspectors, who shall
have power To- enter the premises Of any
establishment when IN operation, to make
research, and to enforce the law
We further recommend the establish
meHt III factory towns, and all cities, Of
system of half-time schools or half-tlme
clause FIR such children, between the ages
OF 10 and ID years, as are unable, from any
cause, to attend full time schools
And lastly, We recommend the authoriz-
alton ~ law with methods of carving it
INTO effect, Of thorough and exhaustive
system Of statistics, to be gathered BY the
parties employed IN taking the next State
census IN 1919. covering the subject Of the
wages, earnings and savings of time EN-
ployed, and last Of all classes Of working
people, the number of persons men. wo-
men, young persons and children. employ
ed IN the several industrial occupations in
the Commonwealth, and all other matters
connected with the subject of labor and
capital ia the State
Straw Hat Items.