Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-10-18
WEEKLY PAYMENT HEARING.

Tho widespread interest In the matter
Of weekly payments wns evidenced hero
this evening when an audience which
nearly filled Representatives hall attend
ed the public hearing by the general com
mittee which has the bill in charge. The
meeting was called for the house cloak
room at 1880 o'clock and at that hour
that large room was packed to suffocia-
ton with many unable to enter. Col.
Gibson, chairman of the committee called
the meeting to order. Mr.. Beeman OF
Fairfax acting as secretary. Col Gibson
announced the purpose Of the meeting
and read the bill. lie invited a general
discussion of the matter.
Mr.. Jackson of Barre, the father Of
the bill was the first speaker He said
that ne introduced the bill not by request
but because he fully believed In 1t had
that It ought to pass he spoke Of the
privileges enjoyed by public service cor
porations and particularly railroads. say
ing that these latter concerns were the
groa test and critics Of similar bills In
the past owing to the Increased expense
attendant upon its enforcement He said
that he firmly believed that the bill would
be one OF the best laws ever passed in
the public generally He stated that our
statute books contained the lowest laws
for the benert or protection of the wage
Garner OF any State in the Union and that
he would We glad to see the time when
FOR the good Of employer and employee
alike that right ana just laws. such IS
the proposed, were passed. Mr.. jackson
expressed regret that his duties at court
had prevented a more general presenta-
ton of the cases. His remarks were
warmly applauded.
The crush in the cloak room had
become so great by this time that the
meeting adjourned to representatives
hall. Here DR. John a. Mead, repre-
senting the city of Rutland. made a
strong speech in favor of the bill He
referred to tho fact that IA years ago
he had prepared a similar bill and
tried to got passed but that II failed.
| He spoke Of the fact that all but two
corporations in his part of the State
now paid weekly ana told of the hene-
! FITS to those who enjoyed the work
ings of the system. He had found on
looking UP tho laws of various States
that nine out of ten paid weekly and
that none had ever gone back to the
monthly system ntter trying the
weekly. lie called the attention OF
the members to thetr oath to work and
vote for tho best interests of the
state and said that he believed it was
their duty to support the bill as he
would heartily do. Or. Mcads re
marks were heartily applauded MS h,
finished.
The last speaker was p. ]. Halvosa o
Rutland, who appeared as n representa-
tive Of organized labor representing TO- ~
working men. He strongly urged the pas
sage Of the bill, claiming. as did those VIII,
preceded HIM that it would work for IN,
general good OF all.
Colonel Gibson. after asking If other
wished to speak either for or against tn
bill, declared the public meeting closed
There seems 70 be a strong sentiment her
at present among members Of both house
in favor # tho bill and II Is believed b!
many that the bill should pass. Although
all the large corporations had representa-
tives at the meeting none made any AZ
tempt to reply to the speeches made.