Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-02-01
LAW
LITTLE REAL PROGRESS BEING
MADE IN THE LEGISLATURE.
WHAT THE SMELTERMEN SAY.
Prof. Traphagan Fighting for Pure
Food Law-!The Senatorial
Contest.
Special to the Inter Mountain.

Helena. Feb. 1.-The question of dish
ing up eight-hour legislation In proper
form is sadly disturbing the gray matter
of the fusion brains in the senate of the
state of Montana. So ratified are the
sulons over the disposition of the prob
lem that they do one thing one day and
the next day set assiduously at work UNI
doing it. After wandering around in the
wastes of legislation for a week or two
longer they may strike an oasis. Up to
date they have got no closer to their
destination than to see mirage or two
in the distance.
The senate committee on mines and
mining had two reports prepared yester-
day. a majority and a minority report.
Neither was presented and the whole
question of eight-hour legislation was
once again referred to the committee,
the probability being that today there
will be majority report. a minority re-
port and boilers report. OF course.
bolter's report would not be strictly in
accordance with parliamentary practice;
but then. one should not lose sight of the
fact that this is fusion legislature.
Aided and abetted by Speaker Cor
bett, Representative Quinns eight-hour
bill passed the lower house and is now
before the senate. Also before that aug
ust body are two bills by Senator Hob
son. Quinn's bill provides that eight
hours shall be legal working day in
both shelters and underground mines,
and that the law shall go into effect as
soon as passed: one of Senator Hobsons
bills provides for the eight-hour day for
miners employed underground and is to
take effect as soon as passed, while the
other provides for the eighth day in
snlelters. concentrators and dry quartz
mills and is to take effect on May l.
Senators Biggs. Clark and Hobson,
forming majority of the committee on
mines and mining. to which the bill was
referred, favored report advocating
the passage Of Hobson's two bills, and
Senator'S Courtney and Connolly were
favorable to the adoption of Quinn's bill.
Manager Frank Klepetko, of the Bos-
ton & Montana Mining company was in
town last evening. He declared that his
company intended to grant the men in
the smelters an eight hour day whether
the bill is adopted or not. The intention
is to put men at work in the worst places
in the shelters in accordance with the
provisions of the eight-hour rule by Feb
ruary and to make changes in the 9TH
er departments as soon as competent
men can be secured to fill the places.
IAN we ask he stated. e" is that the
legislature be lenient and not require
us to either violate the law or shut down
some of the furnaces.
| We are now employing $500 men in
| the plants at Anaconda and Great Falls
and the change in hours will necessitate
the hiring of 1000 more men or the plants
Will have to be operated at great loss
We are starting a new smelter at Great
oil
to operate that.
1T will take at least four, and possibly
! six months, to secure enough men to run
| this new plant and allow the men in the
others an eight-hour day. Quinn's bill
would certainly WORK havoc with us, but
| we have no objection to Senator Hob
sens bill, which contains the same pro-
| visions, except that it would give us
until May l to secure enough skilled la
| Dor to operate the smelters on an eight
hour basis without a great loss to the
company
A. H. Wethey of the Butte Reduction
| Works and ExSecretary of State T. S.
Hogan, who had three years experience
il, the Anaconda smelters, also ad-
dressed the committee. Mr.. Wethey de-
ciared that an inexperienced skinner
would skim copper off with the Stag and
! in a short time work company material
| loss. Where two swimmers are now en-
Iloyed three will be necessary under an
elght-hour law, meaning an increase of
| 30 per cent. in wages, and time will be
required to secure experienced men in
the various branches Of the work.
Mr.. Hogan was opposed to a division
O. the bill. as he stated because he
feared that the one relating to smelters
| r,7; oh 6afa ted fr
tude was touching and there We're tears
in his voice. but it would appear from
the wooden Indian look on the faces of
the committeeman while he was engaged
in talking that little attention would be
laid to what he said anyhow. So, if
the committee should make wicked re-
port, Mr.. Hogan may have the Salts
faction of knowing that nothing he said
Influenced them in making up theil
minds what to do.
The bills have been referred to tn:
committee again and report will prob
ably be handed in today. The opinion
seems to prevail that, even if Quinn
bill is recommended for adoption, the SEN
ate will turn it down." The vote is
figured cut as remarkably close ana III.
ballot of President Higgins may be called
uron to decide it. Il Quinn's bill is
killed in the senate, it will be another in
stance OF the vanity of human cndsavor
Quinn and Speaker Corbett, after theil
arduous labor in defeating the aslpira-
tons of Representative Tom Kilgallon
will suffer pleXus blow, and the fusion
'hoodoo'' will once again lay hands upor
it's old horse Stradivarus and grind out
the enhancing strains of Tommy. Tn
with You. And then won't Tom Kill
gallon dance with delight and hoppe
skipie jumpje from kopje to kopje o.
delight and satisfaction.