The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-07-23
CHILD LABOR
 IS UP TODAY Belief That Bill Will
 Pass the House. COMER OPPOSES AGE LIMIT Not Believed That His Wishes Will
 Be Followed By Solons. 
 Opposition Expected for Measure That Has Been Held Up for So Long,
 But It's Friends Profess En- tire Confidence In Its

Child labor. practically quiescent for forty-two out of the fifty legislative days. will today assume place as the great question of interest in the Ala bama Legislature when Senators and Representatives are in their places af- ter three days rest.
 Both the Senate and the House will grapple with the issue. In the House the child labor bill. which some mys terious influence has held back so long. will be up for consideration and final passage. if such be the will of the Representatives.
 In the Senate the Committee On Min ing and Manufacturing will have separate bill before 1t seeking to cor rect the evils of child labor.
 The hotel lobbies last night were nlied with returned lawmakers and legislative attendants, the only time a crowd has been in evidence since the Legislature adjourned Friday.
 There will be no more long recesses for Committee work The recess of saturday and Monday was disap- pointment in the amount of work ac complished. The two days were given In order that the Committees could do their work and clear the way for the hnal adjournment. But as soon as inc two Houses had adjourned, A great majority of the lawmakers were moved oy the same impulse. the impulse to home.
 As result the few members who remained in the city could not muster up enough of their fellow members to get Committee quorume Practically no committee meetings were held du- ring the recess. Several of the com mittees will meet this morning ana get through with their work before the two Houses meet.
 Adjourn August 5.
 The hnal plan for the distribution of une remaining eight days. and the work that is to be done in them. will probably be adopted to asy. Among the leaders. the belief was expressed yesterday that the two houses would hold three days of the present week and Tour days of the week following. This would give one day remaining which would be devoted to the last and final session a week from next Monday which would be August 6.
 It Is believed that such a plan would enable the committees to clear all dockets. It would moreover give inc clerks chance to get abreast of all the books and records necessary before adjournment.
 In the Senate Senator Leith will to- day call up and ask the passage of his fertilizer bill. The bill Is a seouencs of the investigation of the business or manufacturing and selling fertilizer in Alabama conducted by special com mittee appointed from both Houses. The Leith Dill throws new restric- tions around the selling and buviny of fertilizers. For one thing 1t makes illegal the sale of "ffiiers.'' The biII would make good the guarantee nrint- ed on each sack of fertilizer sold in the State. It provides that when an analysis of the fertilizer shows that if is not up to the guarantee printed m the outside of the sack. the purcbaser may not be required to pay for the guano.
 Some fear has been expressed that the provision. eliminating filters will interfere to a considerable extent with the collection of the tag tax, which has proven Itself beneficial to the educa- tional interests of the State. The Committee reported, however, that "fllers" were of no benefit whatever TO the soil and that the buyer should not be compelled to purchase sand and cin- ders under the representation that they were soil food.
 Hitch in Child Labor Bill
 The hitch. which has hung up inc child labor bill in the House for week after week, has been one of the leeis- lative mysteries of the session. The bill was introduced early in the ses- sion by Representative Pitts of Perry. The Committee sat up with the bill but the measure. somehow, went for ward very slowly. Now that the ses- sion lacks only eight days of the close the bill is only on the House calendar with favorable report from the Com mitee.
 When the House reconvenes today. the lawmakers will find the first fight on their hands is the child labor problem. according to those who are best informed on legislative matters.
 It has developed that the admins tration is opposed to the law as 1t now stands approved by the committee and that there is likely to be quite a fight on the question of age limit.
 According to the most authentic re- ports around the capitol building yes terday, the Governor had sent for Speaker Carmichael of the House and had told him there were certain fea- lures of the bill that were objection able to him. and that unless they were changed he did not wish the bill passed.
 Governor Not In Control.
 Both the Governor and Mir. Carmi- chael refused to discuss this feature of the situation yesterday but 1t was admitted that there had been a con ference, and from indications, 1t looks as though the Governors wishes in the matter will not have any great weight in the House.
 Chairman Block, the Committee on Mining and Manufacturing, which has the bill favorably. intimated that he anticipates no diff ficulty In having the bill passed as the committee has amended it.
 MT. Pitts, of Perry the author of the bill. Is also confident that the measure will go through. It Is not thought that this will be done with out opposition. but 1t is the opinion of the friends of the bill that the op- position will not be sufficient to ma terially change the text of the bill.
 The point at Issue between the fram- CT of the bill, the committee that has passed it favorably, and the admin istration Is the fixing of the age limit for girls as not less than fourteen years.
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