Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-09-14
STATE HOUSE.
The Truancy Law and Some Of Its
Workings.
Decision Of Fish Commissioners The Library
Season Here-Othcr Items.

The fish and game commissioner vote1
Monday, to grant the prayer of the pcti
TONERS for a screen to be placed at the
outlet of Rangeley lake to prevent the
sa lmon and trout from escaping into the
other lakes and streams. This will, of
course. not be done by the State but by
the association that has been formed
among the business men and the camp
owners of Rangeley and vicinity. The
commissioners were dined by this asso
citation at the Rangeley Lakes house
that evening after the hearing.
1t seems there has been some confusion
this year in the newspapers about the
time when the law will be off the birds.
some of the papers announcing that the
law was off September /. The law goes
off woodcock and cartridges next Friday
morning which will be the 18th.
The truancy law passed by the la {
Legislature that was SO very stringent in
its workings. in case the law is followed
to the letter, has. as was expected, been
the course of much contention in the pa It
few months. In the first place it was de
cided after the law was passed and it was
too late. that in case the law was oh
served the factory law in relation to child
labor was dead letter Then it was
feared the law gave too full power to the
officers when it made punishment by i'm /.
prisonment of the parents who did not
make their children attend school,
However it is working around so there
is little or no trouble. the first working
being over and the real side that was in :
tended having come to the surface II is
doing good and of late there has little
protest been heard against it.
There was a loop hole in it, that
strayed in unintentionally. it is supposed
that leaves the enforcement discretionary
Of the towns. so that in any case where
they deem it for the betterment of n child
and its family they can allow the child to
continue work. even though they make
others leave their work.
Many inquiries were semitic the educa-
tional department earlier in the year ana
some of the disputants appealed TO this
department for aid. The only reply that
could be given was that the law had been
passed and there was nothing for the OH
GERS to do but to follow it. The educa
tional department was not founded for
the enforcement OF laws ana IN cOnSe
quence could not take part in the various
discussions in the towns. except to refer
to the law. over in Sanford they had
quite a little excitement over the enforce
ment and the committee tried to have the
children all taken out of the mills
Though in the cities the law is not be.
ing enforced a the mills, in some of thu
smaller towns it is doing much good.
Many cases are known where the children
have heretofore staid out of school for
the purpose of working in factories that
operate for a few weeks. This caused
them to lose quite a little schooling and
to make but little money, and in many
cases it would be the ultimate cause Of
many leaving school as they would get so
behind in their studies. The school COM
mttees in some of these places have ruled
that none of the scholars shall work in
the factories and this has done away
with the stay at home for "a few week
scholars.
1t is thought among those interested
that some change will be made in the
present law at the next term Of the
Legislature 50 that there will be no CON
fict between it and the child labor law of
the factories. so that the two can work in
conjunction rather than in different man.
ners.