The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1898-06-18


OF stopping machinery upon which
such person was employed or dependent
for employment: but no stopping for ma
chinery for shorter continuous time than
30 minutes shall authorize such overtime
employment. nor shall any such stopping
authorize such employment unless. or un-
I'll. written report OF the day and hour OF
Its occurrence. with its duration. Is sent
to the chief OF the district police or to tina
inspector OF factories for the district.
And the manufacturer groans when
he reads IL, and the girl looks TO IL for
shelter. A violation means a fine for
the manufacturer TO pay of not less
than $50 nor more than 500 for each of
Tense.
Restrictive Regulations.
To stop night running the law for
bids the employment of any woman or
minor in any capacity for the purpose
of manufacturing between the hours OF
ten o'clock at night and six o'clock in
the morning. The employment Of q
child under 10 years of age is prohibited
at any time in any factory, workshop or
mercantile establishment. Many and
strict are the regulations regarding
children over 10 years old, and they can
be employed only when having a certain
amount of education. The district POI
lice has power TO say at what work they
| shall not be employed.
The law provides for ventilation,
| good sanitary conditions, fire escapes,
seats for women and a multitude OF
other safeguards TO health and life. As
women and children constitute large
| part of the help in the cotton mills, ID
can readily be seen that the mills can
not be operated more than So hours in a
week.
In the south there are few II any re-
strictions, and the manufacturers re-
| ferred TO yearned for the freedom of his
southern competitor. The average days
\ work down there Is IL hours, and many
mills run night and day. The manu-
facturer of Massachusetts, spreads his
insurance, taxes, interest on investment
and all general expenses over the prod
uct Of SO hours operation.
No Restrictions I'm the south.
The southern manufacturer can
| spread his over 60 hours operation, and
| IL makes material difference in the net
cost per yard of cloth. But when he
comes to spread IL over the product of
| difference, and the man of the south il
at q great advantage. II is like cutting
the investment, interest and general ex-
penses in two and then saving some be-
sides.
OF course, in the south the machinery
wears out sooner. In the north IL is n
| general practice of owners of mills TO
charge off five per cent. of product for
improving plant. Experience has
| taught them that this amount will keep
the mill as good as new.
spoke TO Mr.. George A. Gray, of Gas
tonia, n. c., about it. He said that run
| ming his mill night and day was to his
advantage instead OF disadvantage.
In week he charges of five per cent.
| of the product of 1872 hours work, while
his northern competitor charges off five
| per cent on the product OF but So hours
| work. The effect is the same on the
relative cost per yard of production in
both cases. In eight years Mr.. Gray's
machinery will have received about the
| same amount of wear that the northern
machinery would get In 10 TO 20
years, but in the eight years he would
have the same amount charged off that
the northerner would have in the long
er time, and he would have n fund with
which TO take advantage of any inn
provements In machinery by replacing
his old with new, while his northern
brother would have to GO on using the
old machinery for eight or twelve years
longer before he could buy new. This,
Mr.. Gray said, was great advantage
To him.
North wants Greater Freedom.
As the northern men learn of the con-
ditions in the south and weigh the diff
ferences, IL makes them want greater
freedom In employing labor, and they
strive to have some of the laws repealed.
But then there is that girl. Can she and
her sister workers stand IL TO toll IL
hours a day? Ought they 20 work
nights? Should the educational laws
be any less strict? As IL Is there are
now some very old small children, or
some very small old children, In the
mills.
But the south works them younger.
works them longer, works them I'm
many places day and night. That Is
simply a condition that must be faced
in considering the differences. The
north ought not to take backward
step, for the south will go forward The
soutberners will pass through what the
north has already experienced; they
will evolutionze, step by step; the adj
vanced conditions OF labor will come,
until the educational and other priv
leges equal those in the north. Southern
mill owners seem deeply interested In
the welfare OF their employees. The
hands about the mills are all Americans,
intelligent, and have within their
breasts q hope that the condition OF
their children may be better than their
own condition. The world IL looking
nc the south, and the south In return Ia