The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-07

prevented it's application 10 government battleshps and other vessels built in private shipyards and to heavy guns and armor plate contracted for and made at private establishments
 The proposed act provides hat no la borer or mechanic doing any part of the work contemplated by a contract -witI- the United States in the employ of the contractor or any sub-constactor shall be required or permitted to work more than eight hours day in any one cal endar day.
 It seems to me from the past history that the government has been com mitted to a policy of encouraging the limitation of the days work to eight hours in all works of construction in- itiated by itself, and 1t seems to me H. logical to maintain difference be- ween government work done on govern loent soil and government work done in private establishment, when the work Is of such large dimensions and involves the expenditure of much labor for a considerable period, so that the
 private manufacturer may adjust him self and his establishment to the spe- cial terms of employment that he must make with his workmen for this partic-
 ular job. To require, however, that
 every small contract of manufacture entered into by the government should
 be carried out by the contractor with men working at eight hours would be
 to impose an intolerable burden upon
 the government by limiting it's sources
 of supply and excluding altogether
 the great majority of those who would
 otherwise compete for its business.
 Inc proposed act recognizes this in
 the exceptions which it makes to con-
 tracts: For transportation by land or
 water, for the transmission of intelli-
 gence, and for such materials or arti-
 cles as may usually be bought in the
 open market wh ether made to conform
 to particular. specifications or not, or
 for the purchase of supplies by the
 government, whether manufactured to
 conform to particular specifications or
 not"
 I recommend that instead of enacting
 the proposed bill, the meaning of which
 IS not clear and definite and might be
 given a construction embarrassing to
 the public interest, the present act be
 enlarged by providing that public
 works shall be construed to include not
 only buildings and work upon public
 ground, but also ships. armor and large
 guns when manufactured in private
 yards or factories.
 One of the great difficulties in en-
 forcing this eight-hour law Is that It's application under certain emergencies becomes exceedingly oppressive and
 there is great temptation to subor- dinate officials to evade it. I think
 that it would be wiser to allow the
 President, by executive order, to de- clare an emergency in special instances
 In which the limitation might not ap- ply and, in such cases, to permit the payment by the government of extra compensation for the time worked each
 day in excess of eight hours. I may add that my suggestions in respect to this legislSJon have the full concur renee of the commissioner of labor. WOrI<mep's Compensation
 In view of the keen, widespread in- terest now felt In the United States in q system of compensation for industrial accidents to supplant our present thor oughly unsatisfactory system of em- ployers' liability Ga subject the i'm portance of which Congress has already recognized by the appointment of a eommission), I recommend that the international congress on industrial in surance be invited to hold its meetins in 1913 in Washington, and that ar appropriation of $10,000 be made tc cover the necessary expenses of organ izing and carrying on the meeting. Bureau of Immigration
 The immigration into this country is in. creasing each year. A large part of il comes through the immigration station al Ellis Island, in the city of New York An examination of the station and tho methods pursued satisfies me that a diff icult task is there performed by til, commissioner and his force with common | sense, the strictest fairness and with tn,
 most earnest desire to enforce the lav
 equitably and mercifully. It has beer proposed to enlarge the accommodation, SO as to allow more of the immigrants tt come by that port. l do not think 1t wist policy to do this. have no objection to- on the contrary, I recommend-the con struction of additional buildings for tn, purpose of facilitating a closer and nor, careful examination of each immigrant a!
 he comes in. but I deprecate the enlarge
 ment of the buildings and of the fore,
 for the purpose of permitting the examin
 ation of more immigrants per day thar are now examined. If it is unders tooc that no more immigrants can be taken fl at New York than are now taken in, anS the steamship companies thus are given reason and a motive for transferring i'm
 migrants to other ports we can be conf dent that they will be better distributed | through the country, and that there vii not be tha congestion in the city of Nev York which does not make for the bette condition of the immigrant or increase hi | usefulness as a new member of this com munity. Everything which tends to sent the immigrants west and south into rura | life helps the country.
 | I concur with the secretary in his rec concentrations as to the amendments t, the immigration law in increas | ing the fine against the com panies for violation of the regulations ans in giving greater power to the commis sioner to enforce more care on the par of tho steamship companies in acceptin; | immigrants. The recommendation of tn, secretary, in which he urges that the lav | may be amended so as to discourage tn, | separation of families is, I think, a gooS | one
 MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS NOT IN CORPORATED IN DEPARTMENTS Bureau of Health
 In my message of last year I recon | mended the creation of bureau of healtl | in which should be embraced all thos, government agencies outside of the wa and navy departments which are now di | rected toward the preservation of publi, | health or exercise functions germane t. | that subject. I renew this recommenda | ton. I greatly regret that the agitation | in favor of this bureau has aroused { counter agitation against its creation, oi | the ground that the establishment of suci | a bureau is to be in the interest of par ticular school of medicine. It seems tt me that this assumption Is wholly, unwar
 ranted, and that those responsible fol | the government can be trusted to secur, | in the personnel of the bureau the ap pointment of representatives of all rec | ognized schools of medicine, and in tn, management of the bureau entire freedom from narrow prejudice in this regard. The Imperial Valley Project By an act passed by Congress tn,
 President was authorized to expend S1 100000 to construct the needed work tt prevent injury to the lands of the I'm perial valley from the overflow of tin, cH= l1. t<nl