The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-12-06

contains 80 per cent or the privately
owned timber Of the country. His re-
port shows that one-half of the timber
in this area is owned by 200 individ-
uals and corporations, that IA per cent
is owned by three corporations and
that there is very extensive interown-
ership of stock as well as other cir
cumstances, all pointing 10 friendly re-
lations among those who own ma
jority of this timber, relationship
which might lead to a combination for
the maintenance of d price that would
be very detrimental 10 the public In
terest and would create the necessity
of removing all tariff obstacles TO the
free importations of lumber from other
countries.
Bureau Of Fisheries.
/ am glad To note in the secretary's
report the satisfactory progress which
is being made in respect to the preser-
walton of the seals of the Pribilof
islands. Very active steps are being
taken by the department of state to
secure an arrangement which shall pro-
tect the Pribilof herd from the losses
due to pelagic sealing. Meantime the
government has secured seal pelts of
the bachelor seals (the killing of which
does not interfere with the mainte-
nance of the herd, from the sale of
which next month it is expected to
realize about $4,000. sum largely
in excess of the rental paid by the
lessee of the government under the
previous contract
Coas. and Geodetic Survey.
The coast and geodetic survey has
been engaged in surveying the coasts
of the Philippine archipelago. This is
heavy work because of the extended
character of the coast line in those is
lands, but | am glad TO note that
about half of the needed survey has
been completed. So large a part Of
the coast line of the archipelago has
been unsuryeyed as to make naviga-
ton in the neighborhood of number
of the islands. and especially on the
east side, particularly dangerous.
Bureau of Labor.
The commissioner of labor has been
actively engaged in composing the diff
ferences between employers and en-
ployees engaged in interstate trans
portation under the Erdman act joint
ly with the chairman of the inter-
state commerce commission / cannot
speak in too high terms of the success
of these two officers in Cancellation and
settlement of controversies which but
for their interposition would have re-
suited disastrously to all interests.
invite attention to the very serious
injury caused to ali those who are en-
gagged in the manufacture Of phos-
phorus matches. The diseases Incl
dent to this are frightful, and as
matches can be made from other ma
! terials entirely innocuous l believe
| that the injurious manufacture could
be discouraged and ought to be dis
couraged by the imposition of a heavy
federal tax. : recommend the adop-
ton Of this method of stamping out a
| very serious abuse.
Eight Hour Law.
Since 1868 1t has been the declared
purpose Of this government to favor
the movement for an eight hour day
by a provision of law that none of the
employees employed by or on behalf Of
| the government should work longer
| than eight hours in every twenty-four.
The first declaration of this view was
not accompanied with any penal clause
and with no provision for its enforce
| ment, and, though President Grant by
| proclamation twice attempted to give
| it his sanction and to require the Off
GERS of the government to carry it out,
the purpose of the trainers of the law
was ultimately defeated by a decision
| Of the supreme court holding that the
statute as drawn was merely a direc-
ton Of the government to its agents
and did not invalidate a contract made
in behalf Of the government which
! provided in the contract for labor for
a day of longer hours than eight.
Thereafter, in 1892. the present eight
hour law was passed. which provides
| that the services and employment Of
all laborers and mechanics who are
now or may hereafter be employed by
the government of the United States,
by the District Of Columbia or by any
contractor or subcontractor on any OF
the public works of the United States
| and of the said District of Columbia
is hereby restricted to eight hours in
any one calendar day, and it shall be
unlawful. etc.
This law has been construed to limit
the application of the requirement to
those who are directly employed by
| the government or to those who are
employed upon public works situate
| upon land owned by the United
| States This construction prevented
| its application to government battle
ships and other vessels built in private
| shipyards and to heavy guns and ar
| NOR plate contracted for and made at
private establishments
The proposed act provides that no
| laborer or mechanic doing any part of
| the work contemplated by a contract
with the United States in the employ
Of the contractor or any subcontractor
shall be required or permitted to work
| more than eight hours a day in any
one calendar day.
1t seems to me from the past history
that the government has been commit
ted TO policy of encouraging the linn
itation of the days work to eight
hours in all works Of construction ini-
! tiated by itself. and II seems to me IL