Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1899-07-12
STOP CHILD LABOR.
Oysr 500 Under Legal Age Or
dered to Their Homes.
II EFFECTIVE COMMISSIONER.
Funny Anti-Pass Episode with a Hand
car-When Governor Hoard Was in In
s'itnte Work-How Milwaukee Germans
helped Hiram nith-Deb Is Gentler-
-Beer Only Part of M~iIwaukee's Great

- lha stdiiStitdl bureau is HaIfofG
Erickson, Of West Superior. born IN
Sweden Re is a man Of about 80 and
n of the most impressive men one
meets about the capital. His accent Is
marked, he is quiet: he is determined
ne does things. as shown by the ad-
vanced legislation secured last winter
lie hasa strong, fine-lined face. Not Only
Is he a success in his de. artment bat n
is effective in practical politics. He il
believed to have a future. 1t will be well
fer h state IL he does. Sorae two years
ago when an effort was being made to
have Governor Upham appoint Profess
sor Scott of the university TO take
charge Of the statistics of the state the
professor said, mo, Erickson is a sue
cess. Keep him." The latter was Their
studying economics under Scott-in his
leisure hours. / would not imply that
office ranks with Massachusetts,.
Politics decide the appointments in the
Wisconsin department. But. Commits
sioner Erickson is an unusual man.
The office SIAN inriudesCharle Lewis
ton of Hudson as deputy, and W clerks
and a stenographer. Travelling about
the state are the six inspectors.
Frank Flower the First oficiaI.
Frank a. Flower was with this posi-
ton when It was born. He rocked its
cradle six years He now holds a Wash
ington appointment. Then H. M. Stark
served two years. He is now with the
Northern Pacific up West Superior way
Jerry Dobbs. who held down the post
fer four Democratic years and nnally
went out after a funny row with
Governor Upham, was from Ripon; but
Mr.. Erickson is also from West Superior.
The post seems to be that city's inalien-
able right. 1t carries a $4,000 salary.
Mr.. Erickson may attend the nation
al convention of statisticians al Au-
gusta, Me, JUL. Is. Thirty-four states
now have Q statistical department. The
southern states are slow in establishing
it. Georgia has just authorized it, and
North Carolina has me-; but not South
Carolina, nor Louisiana. Massachusetts
leads in statistic statecraft, as it does
in all else. 1t was so with its railroad
commission Charles Francis Adams
headed it. Out of that grew the inter-
state commerce commission. Carroll ID.
Wright began as Massachusetts labor
commissioner. Horace Wooten has held
the position many years. That state
spends $4,000 a yea for statistical
work. 1t has forty-nine factory inspec-
tors. They cost 500, 900 more. In Wis
consin we spend less than SIS 600 all told.
Hitherto factory inspection has mot
amounted to much in Wisconsin. What
could tUo inspectors do in 1850 facto-
ries? To inspect five buildings a day is
considered good work. But Commission
er Erickson secured from the last legis-
latp.e authority to appoint -four more.
These six men give their whole time to
it. They receive ST. 900 a year and their
expenses. They inspect al public build
ings of more than two stories-even
churches and school houses. Fire es-
capes come within their purview. Then,
too, doors should swing out not in.
Capitol Doors Swing Illegally.
And, by the way, it has always been
an amusing violation of law near home
that the great doors Of the capitol build
ing swing the wrong way-they swing
in. The idea of the law is that in case
of panic a crush may be avoided. Fear
full loss of life has occurred in school
houses and theatres through inability
to get exit doors open.
superintendent Of public property
for many years been promising to
correct the matter in the capitol, but
they never get to it. Practically it is
an evil. Every n could jump out
of a window except big Judge Price, and
he is too jolly to burn anyway.
The department has authority to or
der such changes as it wishes within
thirty days. A second notice usually
brings the owner of a defective building
to time. The bureau busies itself with
three activities. One is the investfga-
ton of the cost of growing corn and
grain generally in Wisconsin and the
relation of this cost to the prices of the
products.
Part two relates to factory inspection.
Until the recent increase of number of
inspectors child labor seemed to become
very common. The law forbids those
under Ia to work. A census was taken
of all children 16 years of age and UNI
9er who were employed at factory work.
the case of children who appear
younger than the age given, or too weak
for their duties, the investigation was
to their homes and to the
schools. This examination continued
to April of this year.
Overs 500 children were examined and
about $50 of these dismissed from work,
because of being under the legal
age. The conditions thus revealed were.
before the legislature last winter,
and more than anything else caused the
of laws increasing the num-
Der of inspectors and providing for
greater restrictions ia the employment
of children and in tie operation of fac
tories generally.
OF the 1,500 factories in the state this
research touched 215 establishments,
classified into twenty-five industries
and employing in all SS,S05 workers. OF
the persons thus employed 1850. or prac-
tiealIy 10 pei cent, were under 16 years
Of age. and of these 4.6 per cent. were
under IA years. OF those under 16 years,
81 per cent. were male and 2s per cent.
The average weekly wages
varied from s1.96 to $3.50, with an aver
age for all of $3.50 per week, Thirty
per cent. had attended public schools
and IS per cent. parochial schools, ey-
clusively. Nearly II per cent. had at
tended both of these classes of schools,
a. "a 8 per cent. had not attended any
Under the new law the parent who
has a child under is years must file
an, affidavit with the employer, SWEAR
ing that the child is over IA years of
age. Better things are confidently ex-
A Reformer Refused a Ride.
A story as to Senator Munson, vire-
qua PeopIes Friend, can be sup
no longer.
The legislature had adjourned andthe
was vending his way horne
ward over the Northwestern road.
he was in TO hurry and he got off at
Lodi. filled with curiosity to see a rail-
'oad wreck just ahead. He walked
diligently along over the ties toward
scene, bat the rocks had many
sharp edges and the statesman g1e%s
under the collar and biisters
on his feet.
He was weary, in fact, and the scene
IF the wreck was some ways ahead.
a hand car came up behind him.
manned by an Irishman with whiskers
his throat.
Pat. give me a rider" cried the
II want to sea the wreck"
Il can't do that thing" shouted Pat
n a brogue. 1--WE me orders to let no
nan Of the legislator ride free on these
Munson says he dosen't know how the
conscientious official knew he was a
as-maker.
Hiram Smiths Profits in Dairying.
A pioneer was recalling h early
nf the Farmers, Institute This