The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-23
Senate Committee VIII Probably
 Report Bill FaVorab|y
THE GOVERNORS POSITION
1t Is Said That He Is Misunderstood On the Child Labor Question. Earnings From conVcts
 Show Increase.
BY HERVEY ". LAIRD.

BY HERVEY w. LAIRD,
 Montgomery, July 22.-tSpecial)-It is expected that at the meeting of the senate 1 committee on mining and manufactures 1 tomorrow, the child labor bill, as reported in the house, will be amended to some ex- l tent, and then reported with favor. These amendments seem 10 be along the line of preferences of the governor and it is sad that there Is a disposition among the members of both houses to get a measure that will meet his approval Several have been in conference with leaders of both houses, and the tip today is that there will be a compromise bill that will pass | and all will be satisfied
 The bill reported in the house provides for the minimum age for girls to be l4 years and boys 12 The governor Is re- ported to favor the ages of both being <, put at 12. He is also thought to favor the changing of the ffty-six hour per week stipulation to sixty. These changes are expected to meet his views on tine subject, though he has not given m inter- view to this effect
 Position of Governor.
 great many of the friends of child labor have seemingly been mlsnformed of tine attitude of Governor Conner on the question of children laboring in the mills.
 He is responsible for the inspection as provided for now, and 1t is said by men
 who know that there Is not a child in
 either of the mills in which he owns stock
 that is below the age allowed under tha
 present act. He is also said to favor
 increasing the inspection by the giving of an assistant as the present bill provides, 7 in order that there will be full and com [ plete observance of the law. He nas , frankly stood for conseryari s In tic ? handling of the situation and, as a f9- suit, has been placed among those who
 are against restrictions. 'rf8 i The two arguments have each good foi- lowings. The governor has. along with
 many others. held that the children end the grown folks. as a rule, who have
 come to the mill towns, are those who
 were so poor before that they did not
 have many of the comforts of life. They
 lived in the poorest parts of the rural ter.
 ritory and spent the days scrapping up
 little by little what they had to eat. Tho
 mills, even with the conditions that now
 prevail are edueative, and in many cases
 windfalls for the people who thus como
 to them from the country territory. This
 being the case, it is argued that to put , an arbitrary age limit would be to work , great harm not only to the mills, but the people themselves.
 Other Side of 1t. On the other hand, the men and women
 who are anxious to see a strong law passed take the position that the people 5 are so little able to take care of them- 5 selves that 1t Is the duty of the state 10
 protect them from conditions that Will destroy health and make them less men and women when they grow up. These do not think well of the law that gives the , inspection over to the jail Inspector, claiming that there should be inspectors for the mills alone These also take th9
 ground that the children ought to be kepc out of the enclosed factories altogether ? The mill men present the argument in this way: Poor children, or, rather, the : children of poor parents, have 10 Work. r If they remain on the farm they are
 worked all day, and in many cases not sent 10 school at all In fact, comparative ly few of them are given the advantages
 that do exist in the schools. On the other hand, the law now proposed provides that every child who works In mlI, up io
 the age of iG, must go to school at least
 three months in the year. that no child
 under IS shall be worked at night and
 none between 16 and IS more than eigh, | hours at night.
 | Penalty for violation of the act is S1o 10 slO0 for the first offense, with $loo 10 SSo for subsequent violations wlth hhpfisoh-
 ment feature added
 The King Bill.
 Representative King is sansulne over
 inc prospects of his bill for Greater Bir- rning,ham. believing that it will go through and become A law He said tonight that with the aid of several Birmingham friends, who came down tonight ne ex- | poets 1t to go through
 The smyer bill will be taken up by the senate committee in the morning with
 Felix Blackburn on hand to fight It. Lieu
 tenant Governor Gray said tonight that he
 is for the King bill.
 | Lieutenant Governor Gray salu' am
 o,lite sure the objectionable red hgnt see ton of the municipal code bill passed tne
 senate without its intent being appreei- | ated and the bill Will De tecaieu io' 0
 rection."
 May Be Recalled.
 motion Is pending in the senate to recall it This will either be adopted or the amendment provided for in the house. , At a joint session of the two comm ln
 carriers committees the bill to alloW .he . railroad commission to Install a sunday
 freight train law and providing for elee-
 tric headlights were agreed upon TOT Ia
 vorable report Also the amendment to the demurrage bill taking of the limit al- lowed for railroad charge fo SD.
 The bill allowing cities 70 purchase "" } ter works was argued before the senate , t,,a,c,arv committee today. E. k. Camp
 IeII was against the measure and City At : torney Smith of Birmingham Tor II. So r report has been agreed upon
 , Jemison Present. The fact that the tax commission Will
 take up the intangible franchise tax to- 5 morrow has drawn President Jemison and : other officers of the Birmingham Railway. Light and Power company to the citF'
 Quite a number from Jefferson are here
 e. the erst tilt on the mining bill to- | morrow. n, The insane hospital investigation VII P | likely 20 over to after the session, With l permission to report to the governor wno s has full power to meet the situation wha.- ! nN RA