The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-06-14
THE KANSAS EIeHTHOUR LAW.

! THE KANSAS EIGH ] HOUR LAW.
TOPEKA, Kan, June 13.-The eight hour
| law enacted at the last session of the legls-
| lature provides that eight hours shall con
stitute days labor for all employees of
| the state, or of counties, townships and
municipalities, or of the employees OF con
tractors doing work for them. The provls-
| ions of the law are also extended TO persons
employed in the state by persons furnish
ing the state with material under contract.
The law is said TO have been drawn by
Judge John Martin, of this city. at the
instance of the Federation Of Labor. The
stone cutters on the state house inaugur-
ated the measure in this state, and were
aided by the employees of the various cities
of the firSt-class. It's violation by any
state officer or contractor or any OF their
foremen or Superintendents Is punishable
by fine of not less than $50 nor more
than $1,000, or by imprisonment to not eX-
ceed six months.
The attorney general is besieged daily by
many people anxious for his opinion OF the
law as applied to particular cases. As yet
he has rendered no exhaustive written
opinion covering the measure in all its
bearings, but he has not yet decided that
it does not apply TO any persons directly or
indirectly in the employ of the state, ex-
cept to the printers in employ OF the state
printer. In that case he is of the opinion
that the state printer is not a contractor,
and that his employees are not in the en-
ploy of the state. Printers, book FLINDERS
and pressmen in the state printers office
will consequently not be benefited by the
law
The state board Of charities which has
just returned from visit to the various
state institutions, reports that superin
tendents are very anxious to know what
to do in regard to the law. In some of
these institutions two shifts Of employees,
such as guards, engineers, fremen and
nurses, are required to be on duty twelve
hours at time. Under the eight hour
law three shifts will be required instead of
two and an increase of so per cent in the
number of employees will be necessary to
comply with it. As the appropriations for
the support of the charitable and other in
stitutiOns were made on q basis of twelve
hours for days work they will be ex-
hausted long before the expiration of the
biennial period which begins July |. The
attorney general has informed the board
that the law is very carefully drawn and
it contains no loophole through which the
board can extricate itself from the dilem-
ma in which il is placed. Non compliance
with the law will subject the board and
superiutendents of institutions to heavy
fines or imprisonment and compliance
with it may necessitate an extra session OF
the legislature to make an additional ap-
preparation.
Dr. Buck. superintendent Of the reform
school for boys said the new superin-
tendent who takes his place July would
be forced to discharge about one-third OF
the boys sustained there. BY so doing he
would be enabled to divide his present
force so as TO keep the institution open.
He will have TO then make fireman do an
engineers work. endangerinZ the building.
DR. Eastman thought that By closing up
entirely two Of the insane asylum build
ings and sending the inmates back TO their
own counties, he might possibly so divide
his attendants, 130 in number. AS TO keep
probably 200 insane. There are now 10
The same action would be taken at Osawa-
tonne. At the imbecile school, probably
half of the unfortunates might be kept.
while At the industrial school for girls at
Beloit, fully one-half will have TO be dis
charged.
The board reluctantly decides that there
must also be a reduction of the number Of
orphans maintained at the orphan asylum
at Atchison. Homes will be found for the
children as rapidly as possible and no
more viii be admitted
While there Is 10 danger Of closing the
institutions for the blind and the deaf and
ddm5 they will be seriously crippled. and
at most wIli be closed lot more than three
months. sooner than the usual vacation
next year.
The handling Of the Denitentiary pre-
sents a problem. The officers and guards,
none too many, work long hours. II these
forces are increased, the directors viii be
violating the law regarding the state o.
fcers creating a deficiency; IL the .fiicers
are not increased, the Institution will run
behind.
It is probable that the law wiz be held
to apply 10 policemen and other officers in
cities, TO employees OF electric light and gas
COMPANIES under contract 70 ilgst the
streets, TO paving and street grading coa-
tractors, 70 printing Offices doing work f0r
cities and counties under contract, aud u
may extend 70 the statesmen whose duty
il is 70 enact laws.
A strict endorsement Of the lav. which
now seems absolutely necessary, viii ne
cessitaie large increase II the number %
the employees Of counties aud municipal!
ties. II viii undoubtedly resuit IL some
interesting lawsuits and decision Of the
supreme court upon II VIII be aHxlOusiV
looked FOR.
No one can see any way = avoid a spe-
ciai session, although the governor y
strongly opposed 20 such action On general
principles