The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-04-03

did do with regard to those stat.
istics:
In the first place statistics as
to child labor, number Of persons
employed, capital Of the mills,
etc, were furnished to the de-
partment Of agriculture, COM
merce and industries by the mill
managers. Last year, it should
be explained, there were 20 fac
tory inspectors under the act as
to mill inspections, there is from
the department Of agriculture,
commerce and industries. The
statistics sent in by the mill man
ayers covered certain points IN
the inspection that I needed in
pursuing my own work in the
mills, and openly and above
board I wrote to Commissioner
Watson from time to time for
statistics as to mills in certain
counties. These statistics, Ii
nearly all cases in which I made
the request, were furnished me.
Duplicates of these statistics
were on file with the managers,
superintendents or presidents Of
mills, as the case might be, and
IN some instances I made com.
parsons between the ones sent
Commissioner Watson and the
statistics on file with the several
mills. This was for the purpose
of keeping tab on some Of the
mills as to statistics furnished.
In some instances Commissioner
Watson's statistics, even If fur
nished me were not used, as l
examined the statistics on file in
the Offices of the mills and from
these obtained the data | wished.
I have never denied asking Com
missioner Watson for statistics to
aid me in my work, however, and
7 thanked him for them in my
letters which he chose to make
public during the legislative ses-
sion. The statistics that were
used were incidental parts of my
reports and in the one case where
I used a form of the department
of agriculture, commerce and in
dustrles inclined the statement
that the matter was compiled
from reports made out and sign
ed by the mill managers. Hence,
there was no effort to conceal the
fact that I was seeking to co op
crate with all persons charged
with the enforcement of the laws
relating to the work that I was
doing. The same thing is true Of
the yearly summary which was
appended to my last monthly re-
port. | endeavored to have this
statement read as it was given
out from the department. The
summary of general statistics be-
gins as follows: according to
reports that are On file in the de-
partment Of agriculture, COM
merce and industries for the year
l911," etc. Newspaper men who
have handled capital correspon-
dence know that often (and, from
some Offices, practically always
statements are given out ready
for appearance in the news
papers. To bring this home to
the matter in hand. I was under
the impression, which I have
verified as far as possible, that
the short summary lit took up a
half page, or little over. in my
report) was given out in that
form from the department Of ag-
riculture, commerce and indus
tries. and so appeared in all the
papers. This public information
should not be used as an lnciden-
tai part of my report? If I had
wished to conceal the source of
my information I should have
changed the wording and not
given credit to the department at
the very opening sentence.
1t is extremely difficult, in the
confines Of a statement such as |
am seeking to make. to explain
to persons who may not be IA
miliar with the laws in this State
for the inspection of manufaetur-
ing p.;,rts, just what the sltua-
ton was as to these statistics.
To sum up, with regard to The
statistics:
These were used merely as an
incidental part Of my report.
The statistics were duplicates
of complications on tile in the Of
fees of the mills throughout the
State.
The statistics were obtained
by letter in several instances
from the department Of agricul-
Uure, commerce and industries
and were not obtained by the
scissors as has been erroneously,-
stated and, in some instances,
deslgneely misrepresented.
In some cases the statistics
were not used at all in my re-
port, but data obtained by me
were given.
ACTUAL PHYSICAL INSPECTION.
The greatest misrepresenta-