The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-12-21
REQUESTS
OF LEGISLATURE

North Dakota Advocate: The ques-
ton is being asked ! n many quarters
what organized labor wants in the
coming state legislature.
There are a great many progressive
laws that all union men would like to
see on the statute books but there are
q number OF laws that more vitality
affect them than others.
One OF these, and it appears to us
that it is the most important, is that
of having a deputy labor commissioner
IN the office of the commissioners Of
agriculture and labor.
Such. a deputy should have charge
of all matters pertaining to labor as
does the dairy commissioner in all
matters pertaining to dairying. Conn
missioner Flint has made good in the
dairy industry and there is no reaso
why a deputy labor commissioners
should not also make good.
There are many things that such q
deputy could do, and among them is
the inspection OF factories and the en-
forcement of factory laws and the
child labor law.
1t should be his duty to ascertain
the number Of laborers needed in the
state and to try and have a sufficient
number Of them in the state when
needed, and to avoid both extremes
that Of having too many men here and
not having a sufficient number.
The laboring men of the state would
be greatly benefited by such an officer
and he would also be Of great benefit
to the farmers of the state,
The farming element OF the state
does not understand the aims and OBJ
jects Of union labor. A farmer con-
fuses union labor with the transient
labor that comes to the state In har-
vest time or other times when badly
needed.
This class Of help is strictly nom
union and entirely unreliable. There
is no uniform scale of wages adopted
by them and they make n keep no
contracts.
Two years ago so many entered the
state of North Dakota that a great
hardship was worked on the men and
it was a case Of going to work at TN
wages offered or of leaving the state.
This past summer the shoe was on
the other foot. There was a demand
for labor all over the country and the
number of men entering North Dakota
was extremely small. The farmer
| suffered as a result of this condition
and today IN many of the large farms
OF the state there are many acres Of
grain still unthreshed.
A commissioner of labor could have
done much to remedy this matter by
a~scertaining the number Of men need
ed and in trying to get a sufficient
number of them into the state.
In connection with this Office free
employment bureaus could be used to
good advantage in Fargo, Grand
Forks and perhaps Bismark. and Mi
not. These bureaus would cost the
.k-A .z~.Arfra L,Yk rrrA haTfouH thai
the expense oceasinned by them for q
number of years would be Offset by
the usefulness and ~pecuntary advan-
tages they would afford in a season
like the past one.
1t is making a conservative state
ment to say that two free employment
bureaus running the past season
could have put into the state OF North
| Dakota every man needed to harvest
the immense r raised by the state.
While these bureaus would be a big
benefit to the laboring man, they
would be still a bigger benefit to the
| farmers Of the state and to the en-
ployers of labor.
There is now on the statutes Of the
state a child labor law. It is ! many
of the other laws of the state, defec-
tive in places and there is no effective
provision for it's enforcement.
There is no crying need at present
| for a child labor law is manufacturing
in North Dakota Is still in its infancy,
but it is a good time to get suitable
laws on the books SO that when man
ufacturing begins in the state manu-
facturers MAJ adapt themselves To
conditions and we may avoid trouble
like that at Lawrence, Mass.
IA proper penalty should be attached
Ito the law, provision made for its en-
lforcement and the number Of hours 9
child NAV work in a week should be
fixed and night work for children o.
tender years should be absolutely pro
hibited.
Hand In hand with this child labor
law goes the mothers compensation
act which allows dependent motherl
a certain allowance that they may
keep the family together and the chill.
dren in school.
This mothers compensation act has
been adopted in Illinois and ita work
iug has been highly satisfactory.
While this measure may appear u
be OF d charitable nature Ii is in real.
ity for the best interests OF the state
and in a state like North Dakota
where the amount OF wealth per capita
is SO great the additional expense is
very small matter and hardly worthy
OF consideration and be it said to ths
credit OF the state that there would bs
very few applications for benefit under
such d law--but when the measure Il
needed At is badly needed.
The printers union label is another
measure that could be adopted by thu
state to great advantage. Eighty-tly
per cent OF the printers OF the country
belong to the International Typograph'
IicaI union and the label stands for th'
hest OF everything In the printing line
The adoption of the label on al
state printing of certain classes wouit
be Oh great advantage TO the state Al
the grade of work that would be givel
the state would be be~tter--there would
be no child labor or apprentice worl
employed on the same and he price
paid for the work would be uniform
with those paid In other sections Q
the country.
TOO much printing has been shippe'
out az the state to he done by firm
outside! which hire cheap help. putin
up an inferior quality OF goods am
Workmanship.
with SIS per cent of the competen
sfNttat AEHBHNH 1870