The record-union., 1897-02-16

sion of the Legislature.
| l.. Harris, N E. Malcolm, Ed. S.
| Ryan, committee.
SUPREME COURT COMMISSION.
| Warehouses; S. B. 5S3, which was
! identical with S'hanahans a. B. 49,
the bill providing for the reappoint-
ment of the Board of Commissioners of
| the Supreme Court, was placed on third
reading and passed by vote of 90
! ayes to ) noes.
THE CONTINGENCY FUND.
Guys bill $40, appropriating an ad-
ditional fund of 500 900 for the contin-
gent expenses of the Assembly, was
read the second time, considered in
Committee of the Whole, approved and
went to the third reading file:
THIRD READING.
Godfreys 1873, amending section of
/ the Code of Civil Procedure relating to
| exemptions from execution, was
| passed.
FOR LABOR'S GOOD.
Sanford of Humboldt has shown
| great interest in his labor bill, which is
! especially framed with reference to the
laborers in the lumber and logging
| camps of the northern districts. He
has done all in his power to forward
| it, made a good speech upon it when
on it's final passage yesterday, and had
| the pleasure of seeing it passed without
a dissenting vote.
The title of the bill is as follows:
| An Act requiring every corporation
| doing business in this State to pay
| their employees, and each of them, at
! least once in each and every month,
| the wages earned by such employe; to
define the duties of the Labor Commits
| sioEer and District Attorneys of the
several counties of this State in enforc
| ing this Act; to limit the defenses
which may be set up by such corpora
! ton TO assignments of wages, set-off or
counter claims, or the absence of such
! employe at the time of making pay
ment, and in case of such absence the
wages are payable upon demand; to
prohibit assignment Of wages for the
! purpose of eVading the provisions of
| this Act, and agreements to accept
| wages at longer periods than as here
! in provided as a condition of employ
ment to fix a penalty for this VIOLA
! tion of the provisions of this Act by
! such corporation, and to provide for
! the disposition of any fines recovered
from corporations violating the same.
Concerning the measure, Mr.. Sanford
explained that it's purpose was the COR
rectiOn Of abuses in the payment of la
! borers by corporations, especially in
Mendocino County, although the abuses
in question prevail in many parts of
the State Mr. Sanford gave a plain
statement of the existing conditions;
| that r 10 a r1gOt maid rppnl9TlV.
that they are compelled to trade in
stores belonging to the corporations,
where they are charged double prices,
and that they are paid in checks re-
! deemable only at these stores. If the
| la borer refuses to take "a check or if
he demands his pay regularly and in
coin, he is discharged and blacklisted,
so that e-employment for him in that
meek of woods" is practically out of
the question.
Beside the hardship wrought to
/ the laborer, the effect upon the coast
is deplora BILE. The system practiced
keeps money out of circulation; small
| stCrekeepers. Independent of the cor
porations, are crowded to the wall; ho-
/ telkeepers are without money or are
| paid in worthless checks, and the
same is true of the farmers. 1t is
/ really a deplorable condition and one
which hampers business and trade of
all kinds.
| On the other hand, by this method Of
payment in drafts, the company gets
! interest not lawfully due to it, and which
| is really due TO some one else. They are
! able to control the entire trade of the
camp at exOrbtant prices and prac
tically get their labor for nothing, the
| laborer not unfrequently coming out in
debt to the company.
Such a condition of affairs is unjust
and unfair. Every man should have
the money for his labor to do with as
he pleases, and he would rather work
for less and make his calculations ac
cordingly than work for an uncer-
tainty.
| Sanford then drew a vivid picture Of
the colorless and comfortless life of the
! labOrer in a logging camp; of the in
sufficient and ill-cooked food in the
! boarding -house-of the ill-built hut
which he calls his home, where the
cracks between the boards admit all
the light and the fireplace is a heap
| of sand in the midst of the one room,
with a hole above in the roof for the
smoke to escape, and where the bed for
his weary frame is a rough box filled
with straw.
You that have never seen life in a
| numbering region" said Sanford, can
have no conception of its hardships.
have come down from them to tell you
of it and TO appeal to you on behalf of
these men"
Mr.. Sanford's appeal was, as has
been said. so successful that the bill
was passed by a rousing vote.