The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1911-03-11
State Factory Inspectors Are Now
State Wide Truant Officers
and Must Enforce Law.
COMPULSORY EDUCATION
LAW MADE MORE PERFECT
Railroad Employees Busy on the
Job-Have Strong Lobby, and
Push Several Good Bills.
pecial Correspondence.

Wy W. 1Ls vANIL"ClAs/
ST. PAUL, March 9.-Labor legis-
alton had good inning in the legis-
ature this week. On Monday the
louse passed three bills Of much i'm
ortance to workingmen, all having
earring on the questions of compul-
,ory education and child labor.
H. F. 800, bill introduced by the
progressive labor committee of the
louse. was one Of the three. 1t re-
moves restriction on the authority of
factory inspectors to act as truant Of
ficers. AS the law Is now it is ne
cessary for an officer of the bureau
of labor to obtain authority from the
local school board to act as truant
officer.
Under this bill all officers of the
bureau are statewide truant officers
and are charged with the enforce
ment Of school attendance laws. It
is expected that the bill will pass
the senate with little opposition.
H. F. sos. which also passed the
house, requires truant officers to
make annual reports to the state
superintendent of public instruction of
the number of cases of truancy and
IlOD HlFCStl6dIcO, dIlu I1Ac
disposition of each case.
H. F. 3O4, as it passed the house,
amends a law enacted by the last
legislature providing for the manner
in which complaints can be made of
delinquent children. Under the pres
ent law none but a resident of a
country in which a delinquent or neg
lected child lives can make complaint
to the probate court of the delin-
quency of the child.
The bill as amended and which
is now up to the senate, gives any
reputable citizen of the state the right
to make complaint. This VIII en-
able state officials and humane Of
ficers to enforce the law more RI
gidly.
All Of these bills were drawn by
F. E. Hoffman, of the bureau Of la
hor, and were prompted because of
the inability Of the bureau of labor
to DO its full duty in enforcing the
law
The compulsory education law,
passed al the last session, was
amended by it's original author in the
house on Tuesday. The bill as it
passed the house is ideal In most
respects. 1t meets the objection of
the farmer, In SO much as it permits
the granting of excuses for non-at-
tendance of children under IA years
of age from April 1st to November
1st, If it can be shown that the la
bor of the child Is needed at home
1t does not permit the labor of chill
dren away from their homes.
The new law particularly charges
the bureau of labor with the enforce
ment of the compulsory education
authority to examine all excuses and
to revoke any that may be found to
be granted without proper or suf-
ficient cause.
From my experience in the bureau
Of labor I believe this bill to be one
Of the very best on the subject that
ever passed. through state legisla-
ture. Of course the poverty clause
remains in the law, but we do not
seem to be ready in Minnesota to
care for the children who are OBJ
liged to leave school on account of
the poverty Of themselves or their
parents.
However, there is fine public
sentiment growing in favor of the
state doing something towards pro-
vlding for the care of children who
are too poor to attend school. Some
day these children will be clothed
and fed by the state and given every
opportunity now enjoyed by the chill
dren of the well-to-do to acquire, at
least, common school education.
The senate is having merry time
over a bill to amend the anti-pass
law, giving policemen, firemen and
letter carriers the right to ride free
on street cars. 1t came up on gener-
al orders Tuseday, but an amend
ment was offered authorizing rail-
roads and street railways to give
these public servants lower rates on
transportation than is charged tc
others. 1t does not look like the bill
will have very smooth sailing through
the senate.
T. J. Nc Grath, secretary-treas-
urer of the labor joint legislative
board, and representative of the Bro.
therhood of Railroad Trainmen. and
r. f. Jones Of the Brother of Loco
motive Firemen and Enginemen, are
strenuously endeavoring to secure the
passage of a bill of material interes,
to every railroad man in Minnesota
The bill provides for the removal OF
all overhead distractions and proper
clearances between railroad tracks.
The railroads, In recent years, have
been building wider and bigger To-
comotives and cars. These do not