The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-08-09
LABOR MEN AND ~
CITY Off AIS
Is Claimed That the Farr Act Is Being
Violated Here.
EIGHT HOURS FOR A DAYS WORK
Heads of Departments Liable to Re-
movai from Office and a Fine of
el,OOO--Labor Leaders Say the
Law Is Being Violated in the street
Department--Tbc Act Seriously
Affects Future City Contracts.
What Mr. Thomas Says.

Officers of the Central Labor Union
propose to make 1t decidedly interest
ing for certain city officials for alleged
failure to comply with the provisions
of the Farr eight-hour act. The act
went into effect July 26, and provides
that employees on state and city work
or on state and city contracts shall
not labor over eight hours per day.
The third and fourth sections OF the
net reads as follows;
'~sSeotion 3. Any officer or officers or
agents of the state or of any munich
pal corporation therein who shall will
,fullyYyiplate or otherwise evade the pro-
visions OF this act shall be deemed guilty
of malfeasance in office, and upon con-
viction thereof may be removed by the
governor or head of the department to
which said officer is attached.
Section 4. A person or persons con-
tracing with the state or municipal cor
poratior therein, and any officer or agent
of the state or any municipal corpora
ton therein who shall fail to comply
with or attempt to evade the provisions
of this act shall, on conviction thereof
be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and
be punished by a fine of not exceeding
one thousand dollars.
p. ]. THOMAS VIEWS.
No attention has been paid to the
act In Scranton. p. ]. Thomas, of the
carpenters union and an officer of the
State Legislative Labor league which
was largely instrumental in securing
the passage of the act, remarked to
q Tribune reporter last night:
atrsOura organization spent a great deal
Of money in creating Mr.. Farr's eight
hour law and we stand ready to spend
as much more to see that it is enforced
tbs being violated by Street Commits
sloner Dunning, whose gangs of city
street cleaners are working way over
the limit.
" We had an object lesson here re-
Gently when postoffice employees re-
ceived nearly $4,000 from the govern
ment for overtime. That was the re-
suit of the governments violation of it's
own eight-hour law. Its seriousness
was finally shown in the postal depart
ments' instructions to postmasters to
observe the eight-hour law or be sub
ject to dismissal from office.
Each city employe has the same
case against the city as had the letter
carriers against the government. This
Of course applies to employees who are
PAID by the day ana not policemen and
others who are paid by the month or
year."
MR.. DUMMIES POSITION.
Street Commissioner Dunning has
been made acquainted with the
criticisms of the labor leaders.
On receipt Of the information
he said he would most certain
ly abide by the provisions of the act.
but suggested the withdrawal of any
further criticisms until he could exam
inc an authorized copy of the Farr bill.
Contract work for the city now un-
der way is not affected by the act as
the contracts were made previous to
the approval of the bill. On all future
paving, grading, sewer, school building
and other city contract work the local
labor leaders will make it their busi-
ness to see that the law is enforced.