The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-12-02

81
selves. Provided, however that sickness
shall exempt a man from the operations
of this section OF this act
FACTORY INSPECTOR.
5. A factory inspector shall be appoint
ed by the Governor of the State whose
term of office shall be two years. He
shall be provided with an office and office
facilities in Raleigh His salary shall
be 81 800 per annum He shall be allowed
clerk at 81 900 per annum and necessary
funds for stationery and other legitimate
expenses. He shall be allowed also act
ual travelling expenses.
His duties shall be:
To keep posted by correspondence or
travel as may be necessary as to viola
tions OF this statute.
TO cause proceedings TO be taken for
the proper punishent of those violating
any of the provisions Of this statute.
AN EXPLANATION.
The reporter asked Mr. Tompllins for
a statement of his reasons for proposing
the several sections contained In the sug-
gestion Of the basis Of law as above
given. In answer Mr.. Tompkins made the
following explanation:
Section l. AS to hours OF labor, ex-
plains itself
Sec. q AS to quit notice The purpose
of this is two-fold
Cd To improve the moral, educational
and social condition of people who work
in cotton mills and who live in cotton
mill villages.
CD TO improve the efficiency OF the op-
eratives in the mill
proacnarc and faonbarg
stating that the great difficulty they
have to deal with is the disposition of
mill families to move from one mill to
another. This is partly due TO impa-
tience in little matters that few days
consideration would remove and partly
to influence OF bosses and superintendents
who go out and persuade families to
move. time notice would be greatly
to the advantage of the operative and
the mill In the interim the operative
could have advantage OF counsel and ad
vice from preacher, teacher and person
al friends, whereas now some OF them are
persuaded by rumors to load their furni-
ture and move in the night without OPP
poftunity to think even over night about
the move.
Sec 3 AS to child labor. The exclu-
sion ot children from a factory should be
coupled with compulsory attendance at
school. One OF the easiest faults to fall
into is for people to couple sympathy
for chldren-especially children of mill
operatives-with some prejudice against
the m!ll
In truth it is much better to have
the children of a mill village in the mill
under the charge of the superintendent
and bosses than to have them in the
streets to grow up wild and perhaps dis
solute. The superintendents and bosses
are selected for being the most intelli-
gent. judicial minded and Industrious Of
all the people in a mill village. The
work OF the children is always very light
While it would be far better to have
the children in school rather than in
cotton mill ii would be better to have
them in the mill rather than turned out
side.
TO enforce attendance at school it
would seem necessary to punish the pa
rent for wilful neglect in the matter.
Sec. A. AS 10 indolent parents There
could hardly be two opinions on this sub
ject.
Any law relating to cotton mill labor
should be directed at the improvement
of the condition of humanity. To do
this the punishment for faults SHOULD
be exactly and impartially where it be-
longs. If child labor is forbidden by law
then both the factory and parent should
be punished if the law is violated. In
such cases it is the parent and not the
factory that is most to blame Even
without law the factory would prefer
10 uhfI ~
The parent forces it by threatening to
move the older members of the family.
When a man wants TO work his chill
dren and himself remain idle it is the
man alone who ought to be punished.
Any labor law should be perfectly i'm
partial in Furnishing all serious faults.
Restrain and punish the factory when at
fault but also restrain and punish the
operative when at fault. Those who for
mulate and pass a law should have in
mind only the Improvement of the hu-
name condition and whatever does this
will be to the advantage OF the factory
The great bulk of mill managers are
disposed to do right without any law.
The laws are necessary only for the very
few who are greedy or would oppress hu-
manity.
Equally the great bulk of operatives
would do right without any law. II is
only the few indolent and vicious who
make a law necessary.
1t is the tendency for politicians who
are greedy for office to think OF such la
Dor laws as would be directed against
the mills, thinking thus to please the
operative ard get the most votes.
1t is also The tendency of many peo-
pie of sympathetic nature to think that a
factory should assume all the responsible
tiles of life for ell the humanity in its
village This is the same sort of senti-
ment that misleads many tender-heart-
ed parent to spoil child.
Factories should be held strictly ac-
countable by law for fair dealing with
all operatives.
And II would be an exceeding Injustice
to any human being to attempt to divest
him or her OF any of the privileges OF
responsibilities of citizenship.
Many factories voluntarily support a
school or contribute TO church funds.
These things are no part OF the duty OF
a factory. The operative ought to pay
a full share OF school tax and ii is better
for him that he should be required to
do so.
See. s. As TO Inspector. It would be
useless to make laws without some way
to enforce them Labor laws are best en-