Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-01-08
IIIEE's WORKERS.


me ctAte Rreai HHHloef o. Sc'A-aop- AM
public baiidirg. in which the above Law is
Trough Ies-ly disregxrded. All the main
doors in fsctores, churches, school rooms.
hotels. halls, theatres, and other building,
u ed for public as emblies should open out
wariIy.
Also We have iav which provides that
e+ery building in shieh lr4ie. manufacture,
or business ]. carried oa. must have frees
cap@s from each story above the grouni.
Nov this statute IN r gard 10 a great number
1i buiAiii q. in the ~ta,e il dead / tfer As
tbe enforcement Of its provisions is placed IN
'he hands of 70 IN officers and Are Engineers
There are works lps in our Sta FIVE stories
nigh. employing 100 to so hands ~hich have
no fire escapes on the outside of the BALD
ings and the means Of egrs.s from which in
ease Of lre is very bad indeed.
This Law in regard to fire escapes shouli
oe enforced. as every protection should be
placed around operatives ia mills and factor
les that the government can give for the
pre- sers alton Of life ani health. We are OF
the opinion that there are but few nanafac-
,ursrs that ~ouid hesitate about the eIpendi-
ture Of a few extra dollars to insure greater
safety 10 their employees by placing goo
nre ESCAPES upon tnelr buildings
Referring TO the len Hour Law the
~
.sn-hogr Law, or sixty hours per week for
minors and omen is. at thi. xriting gener-
ally observed in factories and work shops
where they are employed. | have made it
my duty. says be, 10 lntersies a number of
manufacturers and great number of en-
pioy ices. and It IL the general opinion anon
ih, N that the ten-h0ur Law is a great bets hit 10
all concerned. financially, socially and physi-
cally of course there are those who believe
hat the working time should not be limited
by Law among those persons are some NO.
men piece workers; nov and then yoa find a
manufacturer.
\ superintendent of paper box factory,
said II shall never ike this ten-honr law.
| think the child labor law good one but
he women in my shop want to work at
times more than ten hours a day, they
work at pieee-work Moth outstanding
what is known as the labor Law" was
! passed more esp, cially to benefit women
/ and children, | have bad in the past year
/ a great deal of difficulty in keeping women
| piece-w orkers from violating the sixty hour
clause. When found violation of the
above Law | called the attention of the help
to the hours required by the time table,
and notified them that they must
conform to the timetable. When
I notified the agent of the violations,
he either claimed that he gave strict orders
to all oyerseers and persons in his employ to
/ work strictly by the timetable or he claimed
that he was working on the sixty hour clause
/ found in part of section first of this Law ,
which is as follows Provided, however,
any female of eighteen years of age or over,
may lawfully contract for such labor for a
number of hours in excess of ten hours per
lay, not exceeding six hours in any ,ne week
or sixty hours in any one year, receiving adj
dltiOral compensation therefor" 1 nave
found women at work in a few mills at noon
time fifteen minutes before starting time.
With notice posted forbdding such WORK, and
have no doubt that the po"er was run for
the purpO.e of allowing such extra work, but
in no case did | find the superintendent,
overseer, OF agent, present at the time. At
ter a years trial and Investigation, your dep
uty commissioner is of the opinion that the
xfra sixty hour claus shouli be struck out
of the law. as II furnishes to the piece-work-
ers and manufacturers Oh me- TO viola e
he law. and wheI caught at work longer
tt an the timetable gives, they fall back
On the excuse II am working on my
extra sixty hours Nov that the Law may
be carried out more etfectaslly. your deputy
commissioner would recommend law be
passed wht reby in eve-y manufacturing or
mechanical establishment, a certain numb, T
of minutes b. allowed to start their power
ot fore Il E time designated in their time
table | would suggest Eve 10 siI mi utes
be the ak mum time allowed by law to start
and regulate the machinery in all manufac-
turing or me chanical establishments where
women and children are employed, before
he time stated on the time table. Now this
arrangement would be just If there were nc
uther parties concerned than manufacture rs
~ mselvts, on the ground that competition
in the same lines is 50 sharp that an advan.
K Ut a few minutes daily could give IN II
manu- cturer grta advantage TO his yearly
production. The public snd the n anufac
tur.r as we'll, dc mand that the law shall be
justly and fairly executed.
Although the Law prohibiting the employ
ment of chlren under twelve years of age
has hfen IN force in this State not quite a
year. tha benefits resulting are seen in every
manufacturing city and village In our State
1t has gwen me great deal of pleasure, in
re enforcement of this law to ind that the
public are in iull and hearty accord with
the Law also agents ard overseers in null.
have told me that at trst the law caused them
4 great deal of trouble but that when il got
r, guated it would work we'll. and that the '
we're in favor of its enforcement. IL ias
taken number of generations to get pub
lie opinion up TO its present sate in regard
10 the employment of small children In our
manufactures, That it mas not obtained
that full measure of attention which its
great importance ms rits, will not be ques-
toned by anyone who has had experience in
its enforcement
The deputy commissioner favors free text
books, something similar to the system
adopted in Massachusetts Twenty pages
Is devoted to the proceedings of the Sixth
Nat onsl Convention of the Bureau of Sta
tistlcs of Labor, papers by I. V. Powderly
and others being printed.
The WoRKISGMEs.
The worklngmen's returns and the table,
connected furnish an interesting portion OF
the report. The blank form used for dis
tributions contained twenty-seven questions
and Invited views and suggestions on matters
of interest to wage workers. The recapitu
lstion is as follows;
. ANALYSIS.
Number Of reports III
Native born, "a
r igu born, ?,
Assis ed by their families. Z
. owning homes,
Homes mortgage
Renting, ii
! Ia weekly, 4
Paid fOrinightly,
Paid monthly.
Paid ir sg1ilarly
Belonging TO labor organization. =
Belonging 10 beneficiary organizations. 4
Hasing savings bank accounts
Nccunulaiiug savings In former years
Accun uiating savings during past year,
tunning ia debt during the year. l
, AVERAGES.
Age of persons reporting,
Hours employed daily, 20 l.