Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1911-02-23
Asks Election
Of Inspectors
Safeguards In Penusylsanta Nil; De.
partment Considered Prac-
tical Joke.
(Ry Edmond Mckenna.)

(By Edmond Mckenna.)
Harrisburg, Pa.-James H. Maurer.
Socialist representative from Reading,
presented to the legislature at the
early session on Wednesday bill, the
purpose of which is to take out of the
hands of the governor the appoint
ment Of the Chief Factory inspector
for the state and to make the Office an
elective one.
Present Bill.
The acrempowering the governor to
appoint chief factory inspector was
approved May 2, 1905. and is entitled
ian act to regulate employment in all
Industrial establishments by regulat-
ing the age at which minors can be
employed and by fixing the hours of
labor for women and minors; to pro.
vide for the safety of all employees in
ALI Industrial adjustments. schools
houses, seminaries. colleges. hotels.'
hospitals, office buildings, etc; and to-
provide for the appointment Of inspec-
tors, who with the chief inspector,
shall constitute the department of fac
tory inspection, fix the term and
salaries Of the chief factory inspector
and his appointees."
Section 81 Of the act Of May, 1905.
says: s'The governor shall appoint
by and with the advice and consent of
the senate, a. chief factory inspector
for term of four years at a salary
of $4,000 year."
Purpose Of Maurer Bill
It is the appointive power of the
governor, set forth in THIS clause.
that Maurer In his bill seeks to
abolish, by amending it to read:
.To more effectively secure the OBJ
servanoe of this act and the fire es-
cape law, the qualified electors of this
commonwealth shall at the general
election in the year 1912 and quadren-
nially thereafter elect chief factory
inspector for a term Of four years
from the first day Of January next
succeeding his election at salary OF
$1,000 per annum.
Among labor officials and working
men the factory inspection department
in this state is considered in the light
Iof a joke.
They assert that the head Of this de
lDartment, since he is not elected Dy
the people Of the state. is not RESPONSE.
bile to them for his actions.
Robbed Of Power.
The Office, they say. is responsible
only to its creatures, the governor and
the senate. Its absolute control by
the political machine robs It OF the
mower Of any value that might come
| to the workers through the good IN
Itentions Of any Of its incumbents.
Maurer, commenting on the bill Of
l1sO5. said: aAs piece Of legislation
lii is meaningless, except to dope the
workers into believing that there Is q
Estate department supposed to repre-
sent them in measure and to work
lin their behalf.
It has managed to 90 this for the
mast few years, but the game Is a
lmost played out
The expense Of this institution Is
Ienormous and its value to those whose
hives it is supposed to safeguard +
lni, The cost Of running the ONCE
Includes yearly salaries for the chief
s chief clerk, statistician. an assist
liant clerk. messengers and thirty-nine
Idenutv inspectors, and reaches ths
lsnmNof $4,000. besides enormous
ltraveiing expenses for the thirty-nint
ldeputy inspectors, an for little heneh'
Ito those for whose benefit the depart
mant was ostensibly created.
up 10 Workers.
.srorkinemen throughout the state
continued Maurer. SHOULD insist O
lmakine this once an elective one. !
|sor nol6ther reason than that Ct tax
I;sr some traction Of It's power non
lie pennsylvania machine