The Portland daily press., 1888-04-18
ENFORCING THE MAINE LABOR LAWS.
Deputy Commissioner Campbell and
the Ten Hour Provision.
Difficulties Encountered In Regulat-
ing the Work of Little Laborers.
School Houses Built for Children
Kept out Of the Mills.
Especial to the Press.l

AUGUSTA, April 17.-Deputy Labor Com
missioner Campbell is busily engaged in en-
forcing the labor laws of the State enacted
by the last legi Stature, his duties for the
most part carrying him into the large manu-
featuring towns of the State. He gives his
attention to the law in three particulars,
the enforcement of the ten-hour section, and
the sections which forbid the employment Of
children under u years Of age, and those be-
tween 12 and Is years of age, who have not
attended school the requisite sixteen weeks.
This morning he was in Augusta, and visit
ed the mill of the Edwards Manufacturing
Company, and found the employees at work
in the weave room twenty minutes before
o'clock, while the printed notices posted in
the mill, as required by law, fixed the hour
of commencing labor att o'clock. Mr. Camp
bell accordingly ordered all working en-
ployes to cease their labor and not resume it
again until o'clock, which directions were
complied with at once. The Deputy Com
missioner. in his operations. fixes the hour
of labor at mill by the posted notices, and
if more time is worked than specified there
on then steps are taken to prevent further
infringements.
In several instances where mills were run
ten or twenty minutes more than ten hours,
the superintendents have given as reason
for the overwork that they were using up
the sixty hours extra time lgiyen annually to
the manufacturers by the law. In reply,
Mr.. Campbell has drawn attention to the
printed notices Had the hours OF labor
agreed with those during which the en-
ployes actually worked, no action would
have been taken. Sixty hours gives an OPP
portunity for twenty minutes extra labor
daily for $50 days, or ten minutes and little
over during year. Ii the ten-hour law is
enforced in one instance, it should clearly be
in all, for where the margin Oh pront IS
small the manufacturer whose employees
work more than the legal hours is given an
unfair advantage, and is able to sell MS
goods cheaper than he who observes the law.
The law regarding child labor seems to be
operating with excellent success. It's en-
fOrcement is attended with much difhculty
for obvious reasons. The age OF child
necessarily depends upon the word Of the
parents and if they are inclined to falsify, as
in many cases they are, it is very difficult TO
learn the age of the boy or girl. The depu-
ty has been carefully attending to this
branch of his duties and many children have
been removed from the mills who were un-
der age. The mill owners clearly cannot be
held responsible for the employment Of chill
dren below the limit. as they are obliged to
depend upon the certificates of age given by
the father and mother of the child. Chill
dren between the ages of II and Is years
must present a certificate that they have at
tended school for sixteen weeks during the
previous year before they win be allowed. to
work. There can be no denying that
the law has, proved very .profta-
BILE. Especially is this noticeable
among the children, who, instead of ten or
eleven hours of wearisome labor in the mills
which can be but destructive to health, are
found in the school room acquiring an edu-
cation. In Lewiston and Biddeford, school
houses have sprung up in the French Cana
dian communities to accommodate the chill
dren released from the mill by the law and
each is nearly filled. In Augusta, there is
also very successful French school in oper-
alton and it is in much favor.with the school
authorities of the city The people of the
State like the law and are giving their cor
dial support to Deputy Campbell, who is la
boring earnestly and conscientiously. to Sc
cure its observance. Mill owners and super
intendents are willing and DESTROYS Of CO.
operating with the deputy and he meets
with no opposition In any section. Owing to
the extensive territory which he has to cover
there is considerable difficulty experienced
in giving the necessary attention to every
section. In Massachnsetts with compare
lively small area, there are eleven labor Of
ticers, while Maine has but one.