Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-09-15
IOWA FACTORY LAWS
Labor Unions Will Ask Lesisla.
ture to Provide for More
Thorough Inspection
INCREASE IN APPROPRIATION.
More Money Needed to Make the Pres
ent Law Changes Will Al.
SO Be Recommended in the compuI-
sorry Education Law-Peculiar Law
Suit in the Supreme Court.

Suit in the Supreme Court.
Special to Times-Republican.
Des Moines, Sept. 15.-The next leg
islature of Iowa will be asked to make
Improvements in several laws, and es-
pecially in regard to the law under
which factory inspection is carried on
and the law providing for the compul-
sorry attendance at school of children
between the ages Of and Ia. Both of
these are new laws, but they have re-
|ceived already sufficient test to show
that they must be improved and
strengthened II they are to accomplish
all that was intended by their authors.
For instance, there Is n provision for
the inspection of factories, but not a
sufficient appropriation to make that
inspection as thorough as it should be
nor provision for a sufficient force to
make the inspections IN the time re-
quired. Then after the inspection there
is practically no provision for enforcing
the orders of the inspector. If factory
owners choose to ignore the orders and
refuse to make reports. 1t Is going to
be almost impossible to bring them to
time. This is especially true If the local
authorities, for any reason, neglect to
co-operate with the state labor COM
missioners. Another thing about which
the factory owners generally refuse to
make reports Is that of the number of
children at work in factories. The in
spectors can not prevent children work.
ing in factories, but they can order that
they shall not work with or near dam
gerous machinery. The compulsory
education law requires that children
|secutive weeks of the school year.
Nothing can be done toward enforcing
this law until near the end of the school
year. II an employer is proded in re-
gard to this he can say that he will all
low the children in his employment to
gr to school near the end of the term
Eanu aor at the beginning. lie ca11 nos
be punished for not allowing the chill
dren to go to school at this time of the
year. Some of the factory managers
are reluctant to give in the names of
children in their service because, as
they state frankly, 1t would seriously
interfere with their plans for the year
and might embarrass them in getting
their orders filled. Labor unions In the
cities are taking up the matter and 1t
will not be surprising II before another
legislature is elected in Iowa there will
be determined movement to have the
next legislature greatly improve the
factory laws and the compulsory edu-
cation law.
A somewhat peculiar lawsuit has
just reached the Iowa supreme court. 1t
is that of the Northern Telephone Com-
pany of Fonda against the lowe. .Tele-
phone Company, suit for an ihJunc-
ton to prevent the last-named company
from too closely paralieling the rural
telephone lines Of the former. The
Northern had it's wires strung along
the highways in the vicinity of Fonda
and the Iowa commenced to put up
poles on the same highways, in some
cases the poles being on the same side OF
the highway and very close to the poles
and wires of the Northern. In the suit
to restrain the Iowa from doing this the
Northern set up the claim that mas
much as the Iowa was using copper
wires and places these copper wires by
the side Of the galvanized Iron OF the
Northern, the electricity on the copper
wires would interfere with that on the
galvanized iron wires and wherever the
wires came within ten feet of each
other the wires of the Northern would
be rendered useless. The suit raised a
question as to how much air space a
telephone wire needs and the relative
value of copper and iron wires In tele-
nhone construction. The court, Judge
A. %. Baillie presiding, did not accept
the contention of the attorneys for the
Northern, but directed that the Iowa
should not place wires ana poles so
that in case of a storm they would be-
come entangled. The Northern has ap-
realed to the higher court for ruling
on the main points raised IN the petl-
tion. 1t is question entirely new to
the Iowa supreme court.
The Des Moines trades untonists are
in earnest in their efforts to help out
union workmen and to insist on having
union made goods. At the last meeting
Of the trades and labor assembly the
following resolutions were passed:
"Whereas, 1t is to the best interest
of Iowa to use the products of Iowa fac
tories so long as other conditions are
equal;
"And whereas. There are at present
numerous factories in Iowa engaged IN
the making of dress and working
shirts;
And whereas, There are few goods
OF this class at present sold IN Iowa
that are made under fair and union
conditions, the bulk of this class of
goods sold Being made in sweat dens
of the larger cities by female and child
labor for the most inadequate pay ana
under the most revolving conditions,
now therefore.
"Be it resolved by the Trades and
Labor Assembly of Des Moines, in reg
ular meeting assembled. that In order
to promote fair labor under union con-
ditions, that we hereby pledge ourselves
to use all endeavors to promote organ
ization among employees Of this class In
Iowa, and further, that in the event OF
any Iowa factory using the union label