The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-22
LABOR COMMISSIONS PAY
1T WILL ASK FOR LESS MONEY. THAN
IT is Now RECEIVING.
Fixed salary Might Remove Tempta-
ton to Encourage Strikes in
Future Years.

A bill is being prepared asking the Leg
islature to change the method of paying the
state labor commissioners from a per diem
for actual service TO a fixed annual salary.
This plan was agitated originally by the
commissioners themselves, who offer several
reasons for the move.
The present arrangement under which the
labor commissioners work is that for the
actual time they are engaged in adjusting
differences or consulting with discontinued
parties on labor matters, they receive per
diem of SO, with all expenses. Under these
conditions, during the last year, Commits
sioner Mccormack has earned about 81 200,
while Commissioner Schmid has drawn
about 81 500 out of the treasury. According
to the labor commissioners, the reasons for
asking the change from fees to salary are
not because the place does not return a
large enough revenue, for the salary to be
asked under the new bill is less than the
amount of money earned by the commits
sioners during the past year. The principal
reason for asking that the system of re-
enumeration be changed is, that, as it stands
now, there is room for abuses which will, in
time, work untold harm to many elements
which go to make up the prosperity of the
State Under the present law regulating the
pay of the commissioners every incentive is
given for making trips for the settlement of
labor troubles, whether large or small, real
fancied, and while the commissioners
would look on it as undesirable that money
not actually earned should be drawn from
the state treasury the injury, in their opill-
ion that would result from this filching of
a few hundred dollars from the State, is not
to be compared TO that which would follow
an organized plan on the part of future
commissioners to draw pay for every day
in the year. The labOring men would be the
largest sufferers from this abuse of the Of
sioners have 1t in their power to hold open
strikes by simply blocking the way for con-
Citation, if they choose, and the result can
be imagined were future unScrupulOuS COM
miSSionerS to keep the industrial situation
stirred up so that they may earn their $40
per diem by the suffering of the particGi-
pants in strikes which they are paid by the
State TO settle. The Legislative bill will ask
for salary of 81, 500 to each commissioner,
that under these conditions the incentive
will be given the commissioners to work for
a record for quick settlements of strikes
rather than to keep them open for weeks in
order that their own places can be made
paying ones
1t is also stated as a fact that several
legislators have in hand a plan for the con-
solidation of the offices of state statistician,
state factory inspector and the labor COM
mssioners into either body, or affiliate
them in such a way as to bring the work of
the three offices under one general super
vision. Under the existing law 1t Is a part
of the duty of the state statistician to COM
pile the labor statistics in his annual report
but the results have led several members
of the Legislature to believe that they could
be more comprehensively presented were
the three offices consolidated. AS it is now,
the report of the StatiStician deals almost
entirely with the soil and its products and
says practically nothing Of the labor which
has worked the former and produced the
latter. The Office of the factory inspector,
while it must, necessarily, always be sep
arate institution, it is thought will be more
productive of good if brought into closer
touch with the statistician's office. All par
ties agree that the industrial interests of
the State will be better served If report
covering. all three fields can be placed in
manner Just who will draft the bill is not
known at present. but every Indication
points to its emanatinE from Vigo county.