The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-07-15

"The constitutionality of the Act Of
June -. 1901, which was designed to
put out Of business the company stores
conducted by coal and other corpor-
ations. is to be tested, and one of the
prettiest and most important legal bat
ties ever fought will result" says the
Pittsburg Times.
"The corporations running the stores
have been stirred up through receiving
from the auditor general notices and
blank forms that are to be filled out
and for the past several days lawyers
connected with firms that represent
corporations principally, have been at
work in the law library at the court
house studying and taking notes from
all the acts bearing on the matter ot
company stores and the like. Copies of
the recent act are also in demand, and
dozen or moro stcnographers have
taken IL off verbatim.
WHAT LAW SAYS.
THE law reads in part: That every
person, firm, partnership. corporation
or association shall upon the first day
of November of each and every year,
make a repoI, under oath or aflirma-
tion TO the attorney general of the
number and amounts of all orders,
checks, dividers, coupons, pass-books
and all other books and papers repre-
senting the amount in part or whole
of the wages or earnings of an cmploye
that was given, made or issued by him,
them or il for payment of labor and
not redeemed by eaid person. firm.
partnership. corporation or association
issuing the same. by payment to the
employc or a member of his family the
full face value.of the order, check, di-
WIDER, coupon, pass book or other papers
representing an amount duc for wages
or earnings. in lawful money of the
United States within thirty days Of the
giving or issuing thereof. the honOring
though of said order, check, etc, rep
reSentinE an amount due for wages or
earnings by duly chartered bank. by
the payment in lawful money of the
United States. to the amount of said
paper representing an amount due for
wages or earnings, is a payment, and
he they or ii shall. besides other re-
quirements of the law, pay into the
treasury Of the commonwealth twenty
FIVE percentum on the face value of
such orders, checks, etc
PENALTY IMPOSED.
"On those neGectinS or refusing to
make report AS required by the act to
the auditor general on or before De
cemher / of each and every year is i'm
posed penalty of twenty-five per cent.
in addition TO the twenty-five per-
centum tax. 1t is specified that the act
shall not apply to tools and blasting
materials and other mine supplies fur
nj hN. Ip tn ka rIp
used by tn, employe at or about the
employees vocation, nor to coal sold by
the employer to the employe, nor to
rent for houses leased from the en-
ployer and occupied by the employe.
Neither does the act apply To moneys
paid to the treaSurers of the employees
about coal mines who have agreed To
have a pro rata part of their earnings
paid by TIE operators to such treas
urers who are to pay check weighmen
or check measurcrs.
THE act is considered one of the
broadost ever passed, and it is learned
that the big concerns will cxpend
thousands of dollars to defeat its pur-
poses. Much money, it is said was
distributed at Harrisburg in attempts
To prevent the passage of the act but
representatives from the anthracite
coal region procured pledges for its
passage before they would agree to
voIe favoraby for the new capitol
bill 1t appears to mean great deal
10 the corporations, and certainly
means equally as much to the employe.
WAYS OF AVOIDING IT
There are ways of getting around
the act, and legal talent is now at work
ferreting out schemes. 1t is under
stood that some firms will simply ne
glcct to report to the auditor general
as required, and the state will have
10 sue, and once the matter gets be-
fore the courts il is the intention of
the corporations to fight until they
have exhausted every means to de-
feat il. While the law was intended
for the big corporations, principally
the coal operators, its strict applica-
tion, lawyers claim, will affect many
individuals and small firms who en-
plOy help-for instance, the man who
works for the grocer or dry goods
merchant, taking out pa-t of his
wages in goods.
1T might mean that all trading, for
things not necessarily needed by the
Cmploye in his vocation, between the
employer and employe would have to
be done on cash basis. And there
are thousands of grocery clerks, dry
goods clerks, butchers helpers, shoe
clerks and others who get part of
their wages in trade. 1t will also stop
the practice of some small store
keepers employing "A man to work for
them at special jobs and giving the
hired man an order on somebody else