The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1900-05-31
MAKES REPORT ON LABOR
industrial Commission Makes Rec
concentration Regarding Leg
islation to Congress.
YAVORS UNIFORMITY OF LAWS IN STATES
Think. EmpIoymcnt of Children I'm
der II in Factories should BE Pro
hibited-Fnyors Eight-Hour Day
Question of InjuDctions 'Dhsid-
rred-Minority Report submitted.

Washington. May 2G.-The industrial
commission, in its report to congress
on labor legislation, recommends I'M
proved Legislation TO the state regis
latures rather than TO congress dl-
rectly
'-The subject Of greatest public interest
To-day" says the report rs perhaps tIat
of the regulation of the hours OF labor per
mittcd in Industrial occupations anu co
pccialy iu factories.
As congress has no power to legis-
gate directly in this matter the com
znittcc recommends that Simple
statute be enacted by all the states
regulating the length Of the working
day Tor all persons between the ages
of II aud q years who work in FAC"
FOrieS.
The report in brief says:
.srhc ernpIovment of children below the
-asr of II should be prohibited IN factories
The length Of the working day IN hh pup,
lic employment should be fNed az elsht
'I,urs The same time should be iiNed ior
Vorkmcn .r underground mines ehoePl III
.,~,scs Of emergency Employment IN mines
of children less than IL years OF age. anu
all women and girls should b" iofpI"u'H'
Congress might well enact that no peIAon
under IS should be employed as tcifEt"p"
generator upon railroads, ana that al en-
,,inacrs and gWltchmcn should submit 70
an examination for color blindness ais"
that IT be made q misdcmeanor TOT an IN,
l,ineer or switchmau 70 be imtoNlGa ,
while on duty. simple ana hprfal "a"
regulating the payment OF lapoi 9i''"'U -.
adopted by all the states, providing that
all Iaborrrs shall be paid In caSh orhrtS
without discount not In goods or due hiils'
End that no compulslon. direct or Indirect
should be used to make them purchase
goods at any particular store
Question Of Injunction.
'Thc question Of the enforcement OF ihc
labor contract by injunction or contempt
tu equity process rs very difficult one,
mainly made go by the abuses "hlch my,
arisen from lntuuctiOns Carelcasly issued
n "a suggested that It might be well 10 lmlt
punishment for contempt to Imprisonment
for a brief period, but equity courts mus.
not be- deprived OF the power 10 P'o',,'
themselves and 10 make their DEGREES re-
sspc,tpd The practice Of awarding blHhk'l
tulunotluus against all the world, or against
unnamed defendants, as well as ihc pI1c
,icc of indirectly enforcing the r"hlr'C' lo'
personal service by cutonlng 'mP"y'S
from quitting work should b" discouraged
not only by popular sentiment but by IN
s,lligont judicial opinion
RniIwny Labor.
ON the subject Of railway labor, the com.
fnlaslon rs Of opinion that congress should
fdDpt ID consistent code of law regulating
an matters concerning employment Suth
as hours Of tabor, limitation 81 continuous
runs by engineers or continuous service by
telegraph operators or sWitChmoni tn" en-
artmcrt Of "A consistent employers llabl-
IT, code, the liability of IN" employer or
corporation for defective appliances. etc.
The statutes already adopted In the sew
cral states, discriminating as between uh-
Ton ana uuu-union labor by making II a
pcual Offrusr for an employer 10 exclude
uniou labor only, seem to the commission
ca be uuCuu-titutiOU being class Icgls-
iatiUn. The statute should apply To non
union aa well as union labor alike, u II Us
30 be- enacted at all. The right to be- en-
pIoyrd and protected without belonging
10 "a union should boz preserved, but every
taCility should be given labor TO organize
II n desires and the last vcstiEc OF the
notion that trade unions are "a criminal
conspiracy should bo swept away the
use Of private polio" detectives or Olhcr
hired bodies Of men TO be used In Cnnncc-
ton with labor troubles has aroused con
uidcrabio attention, and congress probably
has the power 20 enact reasonable l'gis-
iatiou 10 prevent abuses In this direction.
Cancellation LAWS.
In a general way the commission reports
chat cancellation laws have been found
effective. but that strict arbitration ma
. rhlncry rarely works we'll II rs recon-
mrndrd that labor bureaus or commissions
F,c established lu an the states.
MInority Report.
Commissioners T.. A. Smyth and g. J.
Harris unite In a minority report. In which
they express the opinion that 1t would be
both unjust ana impracticdblc to attempt
any uniform laws r,Rp' ing labor IN all
the states, II labor and capital are to have
their full development They say the right
of private contract should be allowed "a
both lHbnrrr and employer. and therefore
the limitation Of hours Of labor would be
fTaught with danger.
Commissioner Iunn W Daniel In sep
aTatc report cOncurH In the spirit OF the
views expressed by Commissioners Smyth
and Harris.