Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-06-18
QUESTION OF LABOR.
Work Of Women and Children and Of
the Machine.
An Important Congressional InyesiiSa tion-
Efec. Of Machinery Upon Labor.

WASHINGTON, June F.-(Special. y
Chairman McGann Of tho house commit
tee on labor takes more cheerful view Of
things in general than he did few weeks
ago end considerably more so than do
most cf the members whose districts have
recently been ratded by strikers and swept
by the militia. The prospect that the
great coal strike draws near an end and
the slightly improved condition Of labor
In genera, account for part Of the increas-
cd checrfulncss, but much the greater part
Is due to the fact that the senate commit
tee has got to work, and dozens Of organi-
cations extending over the country are in
vestigating the labor question with more
earncstncss than ever before. The various
measures before the committee have been
reduced to very compact form, and 1t is
the intention to complete the committee
work entirely within week or 10 days
and then ask the house to set a time when
its propositions shall be taken up and dis
cussed seriatim. It was on the 10th of
May that this committee gave General
Coxcy hearing and then completed its
report in favor Of joint committee Of tho
two houses to investigate tho Industrial
and financial depression.
EJECT OF WOman's Work.
Another measure Of this committee has
been the subject Of very earnest study and
is recommended to the house for passage.
This is "a resolution for an exhaustive in
quiry on the work and wages Of women
and children and tho effect thereof upon
labor In general. So far as can be gath
br tat i,r,.-
interested in the subject, it is probable that
this resolution will be considerably en-
largcd In its scope In its passage through
the house, and that If special committee
Is appointed its work will extend over
long period, certainly to near the close Of
this congress and possibly over the vaca-
ton, ending in a general report to be con-
sidcrcd by the Fifty-fourth congress-.
Tho literature on the subject Is OF n
mass to astonish one who has not looked
into it and to appall the average journalist
It appears that about the time Victoria
became queen the condition Of lnboring
women and children in the mines and fac
tories OF England had sunk to state Of
degradation that would now be incredible
IL we had not positive proof Of it, Tho
inquiry ordered by the house OF commons
was the most minute and exhaustive ever
made on that subject and tho result Of it
appeared in the successive factory acts,
and now tho condition Is SO much improv-
cd there that the statements of old laborcrs
arc regarded as false by tho younger gen
Grafton. The house committee docs not
contemplate so exhaustive an investiga
tion here, but thinks u tolcrably thorough
inquiry necessary, and that with duo dill
gchcc 1t can be completed in time for some
definite action next winter
Effect of Ono Machine.
Another resolution about which the
committee Is not nearly SO unanimous is
that for an inquiry into tho effects of ma
chncry on labor, as TO which % member
of tho committee says: This invcstiga-
ton ought TO be made Mt once, as before
long it will DO imposslb, to make it thor
ough. Tho old men who have had expert
cncc in both kinds of production arc fast
passing away, and vet there AFRO enough
for our purpose who cid what is commonly
called hand work in their younger days
and are now doing machine work. Tho
young men brought up to tho machine
cannot tell us what we want to know.
There was ono man hero who said that n
machine now turns out MS many horse
shoe nails i'm u day IA 80 mon could when
he learned tho trade Possibly there il
some cxargcration I'm this, and of course
if il wcro true it would not make the nails
90 times rs cheap, for the material counts
for good deal, and the inventor and max
or of tho machine must have something,
and rs the man who runs it is "a skilled ia
borer he gets much higher wages than the
old hand worker did. Yet it is a good il
lustration and Is enough to put us upon
inquiry as to the question whether ma
chincry may not bo introduced SO rapidly
as TO work great evil"
The so called Hayes bill for adjusting
accounts arising under tho eight hour law
is also favored by the committee. This
can apply only TO tho government employ
ccs and provides that they shall have the
right to sue singly or in groups and that
appeals may be taken even to the supreme
court, the government having tho same
right of appeal. 1t is not now possible to
forecast action as to tho many petitions
and propositions in regard to the products
of convict labor. II is u subject on which
the variety of opinions is simply amazing.
1t is alleged ON the one hand that the en-
tirc product of all tho convicts--that is, in
manufactured goods-is SO small that If
given away 1t would not affect prices the