The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1909-05-27
Gnun Aiupr 6larter
Issued Every sThur day by
ARTHUR %. MOB. Publisher.

lOOt DOl NAVh 1hASh Va WI A"S 49,
have a license to fish. 1t certainly
takes lot of "cheek" on the part
of some of the mem beIs Of the legisla
ture to dish up some of the dope that
they have handed the citizens TO Ore.
gon, il the 'groans aud knashlnR OF
teeth,' Of the victims ia criterion
of how they feel
1t has been held aud decided by the
state bureau OF labor statistics that
any one press printing office is fac
tory.
The effort ia being made to compel
all printing offices to pay ten dollars
of back taxes for inspection of their
''factory. ("
As there are between three and four
hundred newspapers offices and job
offices in the state and If this is col
leoted from them all IL will amount
to large tax on the industry, let US
inquiie into 1t for a few moments
Who will get this money? II any one
In the legislature had proposed such
an inspection and such tax, the
factory inspection act" would never
have become law.
But the factory inspection law was
aimed at large manufacturing estaE-
lishments, sawmill, woolen mills,
machine shops, etc.
1t was aimed to protect life against
dangerous machinery
at first its provisions were not en-
forced against the One Press country
printing offices. ihe commissioner was
working 1t easy.
The commissioner of labor statistics
believes in holding his job along the
line of he least resistance.
lie would not have dared make o
demand tor an inspection fee from
the One Press country printing offices
because they are In no sense work
shops or factories, and many have
not even pay roll.
The Capital journal has been run
ming it's One-Press workshop for
twenty years, and not a boy man or
woman has ever so much as had fin-
ger mashed, although there have been
several cases of employe getting mash.
cd on one another and marrying as a
result OF their workshop experience.
Now In the year of our Lord 1909
comes the honorable commissioner and
tries to collect two years back pay for
the years 1908 and 1903.
This ten dollars IL to come out Of
the pocket OF every One Press Print
ing office in the state, demand that
IL graft pure and simple.
In this year OF our Lord HoR would
take big hard dollars away from
every poor devil who has to run the
crank or pull the lever OF his One
Press jerk water printing office, aud
five dollars each year for ALL time
to come for denomination"
Brothers Of the press, shall we sub
init to this impcsition2 Are we to
be oIasaed as factories the mere
pleasure OF the hlRh.muck A. muck
OF the bureau of statistics, at five
plunks per Year, When you let the
camel get his head under the tent,
how short time before the animal
intrude4 his whole bodyY
Steps areto be taken through the
district attorneys to collect from each
aud every One-Press print shop OF
this state this ten dollars.
This office Is in receipt OF the fol-
lowing letter from the public pro
secutor, who is requested to collect
the same;
The labor commissioner has notified
me that you have failed to comply
with chepter 1853 OF the laws OF 1907 OF
this state, providing for the protec.
tion and health OF employees OF fac
tories, mills, workshops, stores, etc, +,
In this. yon have failed to to pay to
the treasurer of the state of Oregon
the annual fee for the last two years,
which is 50 for each year, as required
by $50. of said act. VIII you kind
ly send your remittance for the full
amount to the office of the secretary
of the stateY" The commissioner OF
labor statistics 10 doiag just what
many other commissioners are doing
extending its functions and multiply
ing its offices.
The newspapers should fight this
proposition to finish and should
make war on the aggregation OF sim.
liar leg pulling schemes.
The business men of Oregon are
bled for high state taxes, for high
county taxes, and toI Il multiplicity
of taxes like the above, that are
enough to create spirit OF rebellion
In the hearts OF a less spirited people.
The press of the state should above
all resent this demand placed In the
hands of the district attorneys and
probably to be followed up by in.
dlotments for violating state law.
Let the newspaper men and the
printers of the state unite to test this
law instead of paying this tax on
their industry.
II this eXtention of the factory in.
speotion tax will stand next year
peanut roasters will be- included
The gradual extention OF the law
in this factory aud workshop act is
noticeable.
At first ii was confined to big con.
Germs.
1t was extended to warehouses and
docks and all places where machinery
Is employed.
Now 1t is sought to extend 1t to
stores aud ali buildings where eleva-
tors are employed,
The fees In all cases are five to ten
dollars, and the next thing will be TO
extend 1t to cTeameries aud ioe cream
treezers, aud windmills
liz IL easy 10 see how, by extending
It's scope, any such system could
have princely income from the in
dustries OF the state.
Such proposition rs an annual
inspection of all the One Press printi
shops OF the state was never dreamed
Of when this law was enacted,
1t il always in order to start new
tax on industry. Let US fight to kill
oil lot of them aud allow no new
ones to TO established.
lt cannot he shown In any court that
an ordinary country newspaper office,
where one press runs few hours
day, or perhaps only once or twice
week, Ia factory.
This ten dollars back taxes cannct
be collected and should not be paid
by any newspaper or job printing of.
tlce III the state, because they ate no
factories
Let the State Press Association