The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1909-01-07


ly and seriously renew the SUCCESS
lions previously made by me to the
legislature of 1905 and again to the
legislature of 1907 for legislation upon
a subject which, to my mind, Is of
of the laboring people of this state
and which is generally described as
the common law doctrine as to the
non-liability of master to a servant
for injuries occurring through the
negligence of a fellow servant. What
ever may have been proper in the
past as to this common law doctrine
to the present time. High geared and
dangerous machinery performs q
large part in the production Of manu-.
featured articles and in the construc-
ton Of buildings. Within a decade,
too, we have come into mining con-
d1tion, which makes it necessary, it
seems to me, for the legislature to
surround the laboring people of this
state with every possible safeguard.
The risks now in mine, mill and fac
tory are greater to the laboring man
than they ever have been before and
appalling accidents and injuries are
happening with altogether too great
frequency. Scarcely a day goes by
without the report of some injury, ia
tai or otherwise, to the working man
employed in the construction. of large
buildings, In mines, or in great manu-
featuring enterprises and it seems to
me that the time certainly has come
when the fellow servant rule should
be abolished in every class of indus
try and require the industry itself to
bear the risk, rather than the poor
unfortunate laboring man, who fire.
quently feels unable to buy that in
surance which is necessary for him
self and for those dependent upon
him for support. ~ ~
Labor Department. ..r-.
Chapter 356, general laws Of 1907,
reorganized the bureau of labor and
by reason of the enlarged force of
factory inspectors the department has
been enabled to extend it's field OF
usefulness into many towns and cities
and to make two inspection visits an
nually to the larger industrial CEN
tiers of the state.
I would suggest the passage of a
law by this legislature giving inspec-
tors power to seal up ovens and uten-
sils of bakeries when places are I'M
clean If not cleansed within a rea-
sonable time after notification by in
spector.
The act which reorganized the de-
partment also confers limited truancy
powers upon the inspectors and this
function is one which will grow with
the years. It will mean that when a
child is illegally employed and or
dered discharged by the inspector the
officer will place the child in school
instead of leaving him upon the street.
The department has Investigated over
fifteen hundred cases of truancy in
different parts of the state during the
past year and placed over thousand
children in school. $685.. -. g.. d.
Officials of the department receive
many complaints from those who al
lege that they are defrauded by pri-
vate employment bureaus. Some ad-
ditional check should be placed upon
these establishments to prevent the
robbing of those who are utterly un.
able to protect themselves. > "a
" -. State Prison.
At this particular time the policy
Of the state with regard to the future
of the Minnesota state prison is
matter of great import. In addition
to the function of the state in the
care and detention of the criminal
population confined within the prison
there has come the added feature of
the business of one of the greatest
commercial enterprises of the state.
In the first instance it is sufficient to
say that the methods employed at the
Minnesota state prison are in keep
ing with the best reform methods
adopted anywhere in the country and
the only reason that it is not equal in
every way to any other prison in the
United States is because of old build
ings and inadequate facilities. AS you
doubtless know steps have been taken
looking toward the establishment of
a new prison. This, in my judgment,
is very important and merits the most
earnest consideration of the legisla-
ture at this time. The institution, in
it's manufacture of shoes, Irvine, and,
in the future, of farm machinery, has
made it necessary that the best BUSH
ness methods obtain, and that there
should be no handicap in denying to
the institution and those in charge of
it every opportunity to work out the
very best results from a state stand
point.
The Irvine plant has been expanded
from year to year and during the past
year the increase of output was more
than 100000 pounds. By authority
of law enacted by the last legisla-
ture farm fachinery plant has been
undertaken at the prison as well and
the development in this department
has been exceptionally gratifying.
Grain Inspection.
During the past two years there has
been but few complaints, so far as I
am advised, of discrimination in the
state inspection of wheat. Certain
millers of this and adjacent states
about year ago asked for a change
in the grades, but both the railroad
and warehouse commission and the
grain inspection board opposed such
change and concurred in their views.
There is some discussion in this