The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-12-02
LABOR BUREAU. FINDS
. LITTLE CHILD LABOR.
Minneapolis Factory Inspector
Makes Careful Search Of
Flour City.
More Safe Guards in Large
Mills Are Needed-Good
Water is Ordered.

AvA 6ooOA AdS JUST dOVuI COuQ1oIeU
very thorough tour of inspection Of
all the factories in Northeast and
Southeast Minneapolis. While the.
factories are subject to constant i'm
spection in the spring and fall of each
year, the inspector makes contin-
uous round right along, and takes I'm
all the points of machinery, fire es-;
| capes, sanitary conditions and many
other details, which are part Of the
duty of his office. Mr.. Torgeson has
been in office since last January, but
he has studied the question for many
years and his Investigations have
shown that for several years there
has been a marked improvement in
the methods of applying safety
guards and other means, which are
a protection for the lives of the en-
ployes of large wholesale houses and
factories.
One great trouble the building in
spector has to contend with is the
lack of machinery guards in the plan
ing mills, in the large factories and
in the flour mills. This lack of safe
ty appliances is in no way Intentional
on the part of the employers, but 10
merely matter of oversight, and one
which is usually remedied upon the
slightest suggestion of the building
inspector. ~
East Minneapolis is one network Of
factories and immense beehives Of
working humanity, and alone on Mic
ollet island are over fifteen factories
while the total Of such places in East
Minneapolis is over 100. Mr.. Torge-
son issued ninetytwo orders for Inn
provements in East Minneapolis fac
tories and mills.
The machinery used in the flour
mills, the planning mills and in all the
woodwork factories is of the danger
GUS type, and one which necessitates
every possible caution to prevent ac-
cidents OF a serious character. Thru
the constant inspection. the evil has
been lessened and safeguards are now
installed in places where there is the:
slightest, danger. so it comes that
from year to year the accidents are
fewer and fewer and comparatively
seldom against those Of former years.
Several OF the new Wholesale build
'lngs have received orders from the
building inspector to at once provide
suitable fire escapes, as there was ab-
solutely no means Of escape from the
upper floors of any of these build
ings, and they would prove death
traps in case of q serious conflagra-
tion. The need of the fire escapes
can only be appreciated after one has
made the rounds Of one of the large
buildings and has observed with what
care the powerful elements have to
be checked and handled in order to
be useful to humanity instead Of de-,
structive.
''In comparing the permits issued
for children working under the age
allowed by law, with those of two
and three years ago, find that child
labor in East Minneapolis is more o.
the decrease than on the increase"
said Mr.. Torgeson, who is also re-
quired to keep an eye upon the child
labor question. There is a scarcity
Of children, and especially the girls
are by far less numerous than they
have been. In many cases children
were allowed to work when it was
not absolutely necessary to have them
do so. At present it is q matter of
allowing a child to work before he
has reached the limit, which is II
years, and the permit, which is is
sued by the superintendent of the
public schools, is by no means easily
obtained.
As to the sanitary conditions.
There are instances where they ara
not what they might be, and there are
instances where the very, best atten-
ton is paid to them. In one instance
Mr.. Torgeson inspected a factory on
Nicollet island, where the employers
furnished the drinking water out Of
an old barrel. Into this was thrown
a chunk of ice every morning. and
generous stream of water from, the
hose supplied the fluid. BY after
noon the water was Shiny and unit
to drink. AS soon as this was re-
ported to Mr.. Torgeson he investigat-
ed and orGeref good supplies Of
drinking water to be furnished by the
employers.
feeling that this grossly unequal dis