Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-04-02

| piece of legislation asked for here this
| winter that has been SO plain a case
4 Of class legislation as this one; it is
for the benefit of the American Car
Mfg. Co., and for them only.
Why should we as men sent here t.
represent and make laws for the people
of our State Say that children cannot be
employed in a cotton factory under four
teen years of age. nor over IS hours a
| week, and in almost the same breath
say that they may be employed in tir
| can factory as soon as they are large
| enough to stand on a box and reach the
top Of the bench.
| The members Of this House who are
interested in the canning of corn or any
| other vegetables have been told that
this was a great help to those indus.
tries and If this measure was defeated il
| would injure that business.
| I want to say to you gentlemen that
| this law does not affect your business
in any way, that these stories are cir.
culated to get your votes.
Mr.. Speaker, I move that the minority
| report be substituted FOR the majority
| report.
| Mr.. TRIMBLE of Calais: Mr.
! Speaker, as representative from
| Washington county where these in-
terests are very important to us, and
as member of the committee on labor
and one of the signers of the majority
| report, wish to say just a few words
| to the House. The canning interests
Of the State of Maine are of great con-
! sequence, they are very important
Last year the total output was in the
vicinity of $S,O00,O00 The sardine
| business was about s5,000,000. The
! conditions in the sardine business are
| different from what they were 10 years
ago. AT that time all the factories
| made their own cans, while today very
| few of the factories make their own
cans. 1t is necessary when the corn
or the blueberries or the fish come to
| the factory in large quantities that
| they should be taken care of at once.
This is especially true of the fish. In
| order to take care of them at once it
is necessary for the people in the sar-
| dine factories to work overtime, and
| it is also equally necessary that cans
| or containers be prepared for inn
| mediate use. They must have the right
size cans on hand. The gentleman
| from Auburn says that the factories
run from April to December but it is
a fact that they never run full time.
| The only busy season in the sardine
business averages in the vicinity of
three months and in that time prob
ably only three or four weeks would
| it be necessary to work crews over
time. The amount of labor is limited
| 1t is fact that the operatives in these
| factories wish to have this law enact
ed. They wish to have the exemption
| That is practically all the work they
do throughout the year, and during
that three or four months they have
to earn enough money to live during
| the rest of the year. I would like 70
read the amendment for the benefit
| of the House:
| Section l. Section Sc of Chapter
40 of the Revised Statutes as amended
| and remembered Section IS of said
Chapter 40, by Chapter As of the Laws
of 1907 is hereby amended, SO as to
read as follows:
| Section SIS, nothing in the seven
| preceding sections shall apply to any
| manufacturing establishment or bust
| ness, the materials and products OF
| which are perishable and require i'm
| mediate labor thereon, to prevent decay
| thereof or damage thereto, nor to any
| establishment the business of which is
the manufacturer of cans or contain
ers for such perishable natural pro-
| ducts. Provided, however the employ
ment of children therein shall be under
the supervision of said inspector who
shall on complaint investigate the sani-
| tary conditions, hours of labor and
| other conditions detrimental to chill
dren and il in his judgment he finds
detrimental conditions to exist, he may
| in conjunction with the municipal Of
flcers of the town or city in which the
complaint is made. prohibit the en-
| ployment of children therein until such
| conditions are removed
At the hearing before the committee
| it was demonstrated that the percent
| age of attendance at school in the
| towns of PASSPORT and Lubec compared
very favorably with any town and city
in the State. The packers of fish claim
| that it is absolutely impossible to make
I'D the number of cans and the par
ticular sizes if cans in advance, sc
that you can readily see that in order
| to take care Of the fish as they come
| in it is absolutely necessary that the
can factories themselves be allowed to
| work overtime in the rush season
and hope that the motion of the gen
tleman from Auburn will not prevail.
Mr.. PIKE of Eastport: Mr. Speaker
| l yield to no man upon the floor of this
! House in my desire to have enacted
| legislation to alleviate the conditions
of the women and children, but SUBJ
nit Mr.. Speaker that down on the
coast of Washington county we have
a peculiar condition. The State OF
Maine ranks first in but one industry
and that is well known, and that in
dustry is in the preparation of sar-
| dimes. 1t is as you all know, a perish
able product. Sardines when they
come to our canning establishments
must be taken care of Immediately
The open season is from the 18th OF
April until the first day Of December
but it seldom happens that sardines
come until July or August. and our
season is practically about three or
four months. During that time sar-
| dimes come in in great quantities. and
they must be taken care of forthwith
! I do not believe that this House desires
| Tor 1o%a !, ;rI CT ~ nj