The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1911-04-01
COMMISSION BILL
IS LIKELY TO PASS

MADISON, Wis. March 3O.-The
bill for the creation of an industrial
commission will likely go by this legis-
lature in some form or another. The
only reason for it's non-passage may
be that with the adoption of a wage
compensation act and the creation Of
a commission to take care of the ad-
ministrative work in connection with
this act it may be considered an un-
wise move to create another labor
commission at this time or to place
upon the new commission that is
created the work Of the bureau of Ia
Dor commissioner until 1t is found
just what the commission will have
to do in the work of taking care Of
the claims under the workmen's COM
pensation bill. The idea of the per-
sons who are favoring the creation
of labor commission to be composed
of three members is that it shall have
charge of both the administration Of
the Workmen's compensation act and
the enforcement of other labor laws.
There are many who think that the
initial year of the commission having
charge of the distributions Of compen-
sation under the workmen's compen-
sation act will have all it can do dur
ing the first few years Of it's exis-
tence handling the WOrkmens COM
pensation measures and the gathering
OF statistics as to the losses. to the
various branches of trade paying out
compensation to its employees under
the terms of the act. These people
argue against burdening a commission
having charge of the wage compensa-
tion act at this time with the duties
now performed by the labor bureau
in satisfactory manner. On the
other hand there are many who be-
lleve that under a commission g.
great deal more would be accom-
plished for the benefit of labor than
is now accomplished by the labor
commission alone and who argue that
the labor commission should be Great
ed anyway and that for three or four
years both a wage compensation COM
mission and the labor commission
can be employed successfully by the
state in looking after the conditions
OF labor. In case of the creation Of
two commissions, one would devote
all OF it's time to the work of look
ing after the distributions of claims
under the wage compensation act
while the other would devote itself
entirely to labor conditions and the
enforcement of labor laws.
The bill to which Assemblyman
Weber has given a great deal of at
tention providing that factory doors
be left unlocked it we'll on it's way
to passage by the legislature. It is
understood that no fight will be made
against the bill in its present form
will be moved along so as to reach
the governor early next week. An
other Social Democrat bill which is
moving along without opposition is
the Berner bill which provides that
the best safety appliances that can
be obtained shall be used for the
protection Of all employees in factories.
The sticking point over the child
labor bill is still as to the number Of
hours of service that children shall
be allowed to be employed The Ia
Dor commission and the university au-
thorities who have studied this ques-
tlon are making very hard fight
TO secure the passage of a law which
shall make eight hours the maximum
hours of labor that children can be
employed. The manufacturers are
very anxious that the maximum
limit for child labor shall be LETT at
nine hours.