The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-12-17
Deposit your savings III First Ma
tional Bank Savings Department.
Open regular banking hours and Sat-
urday evenings from six to eight
o'clock.
PLANS TO SWOOP
ON GLASS PLANT.

CHICAGO, Dec. l3.-More frequent
visits to the glassmaking plants Of
child labor law are to be made by the
state factory inspectors. Chief In
spector Davies said today he believed
several deputies soon would be avail
able for the work. They probably will
be kept on the glass industry for sew
efal months.
: This plan appealed to Davies as being
with Mrs. Harriet M. Van de Vaart,
Miss Jane Adams, DR.. Cornelia 3. De
Bey, and Miss Anna Nicholes at Hull
house. Mrs. Van de War told Of the
discoveries she had made of the manu-
facturers schemes for lodging the law.
she and her associates proposed the
appointment of a resident inspector,
VINO should be an expect in the line.
II had hoped" said Mr.. Van der War,
TO find that the law was being faith
fully observed. That is what we have
been working for. learned that viola
tons were frequent. The glass fac
tories have been, the worst offenders
and the owners labored hardest to pre-
vent the enactment Of the law"
1T Is impossible to complete the
reform in so short a time" replied
Davies. Much has been done. Fewer
children than ever before are working
in the factories There have been prose-
cutlons and convictions and the manu-
facturers are coming nearer to living
up to the law than in the past
Davies then went into details of the
business of his office, showing that
there are eighteen nspectors-eleven
men and seven wonderland that the
funds at his disposal were 50 small
that with rigid economy much was left
undone
I'VE are covering every city in the
state,' he said. 1--WE are inspecting
every manner Of industry. There are
the stores, sweat shop and the theaters,
In addition to the great manufacture
ing plants. This year the force will
have visited 800 cities and made 81
900 inspections.
Counting the last investigation of
the glass works, they have been in
spected four times in the last year
and a half. We cannot go oftener to
them without sighting other indus
tries The coal mines now are to be
under the factory inspector
The law once was enforced at the
glass works. said Mrs. Van der War,
"by Mrs. Florence Kelley. Go down
TO the manufacturers and ask them
They will tell you Mrs. Kelley was
their scourge."
"seven of the inspectors are women
said Davies. 'They will not work out
o11S oA1Id6O. hey tdillOC PACK up
their grips and start out through the
state as men can. By the way" he
suggested, why not have the the club
women in Alton and the other cities
IN which the glass works are located
help out our work."
1T was tried and it was of no use"
Mrs. Van der War confessed when
the thing was first proposed to them
the club women took to. it with en-
thusiasm. But they came back in a
few days with all their ardor cooled.
The owners Of the plants appear to
dominate public sentiment. The women
talked with their husbands and their
minds changed
The Official report for the year 1895
OF Mrs. Kelley, whose administra ton
of the state inspectors office was
championed at Hull house, shows that
She made around 5000 inspections in
forty-eight cities. There were 542 con-
victions against 1900 for 1904 In a
letter she told of her efforts to enforce
the law against one glass company and
of her failure. She wrote that the con-
Germ employed 1900 persons, of whom
one-third were children. OF the latter.
200 were boys under IA years old. She
said it was impossible to do anything
with the management, and that she
could not get a conviction. The plant
today gives work to $500 persons of
whom ninety-four are children. Mrs.
Kelley reported that no attempt was
made by the officials Of the company
to keep records Of juvenile employees