New-York tribune., 1913-07-24


additional factory inspectors. Tn.
work Of these inspectors is sorsIv
needed, but the Labor Department
without any head and without frs,
deputy, is paraIyzed.
mo one has authority to make IN.
appointments which should be mad.
and the lives and health Of the waos
workers Of the state must remain in
peril because, forsooth, Charles r.
Murphy is not permitted to seIee. a
Labor Commissioner instead Of thu
| Governor Of the state.
wicked Delay in Senate
I'm a message to the Senate to-day
urged that the nomination Of James NJ
| Lynch as Labor Commissioner be i'm.
mediately confirmed, TO the end that ths
demoralized condition OF the Labor De.
! partment might cease and that III.
amendments TO the labor law passed this
| year might he properly enforced for the
protection OF the lives and health and
general welfare of the working men and
women Of the state. The uncalled for.
unnecessary and wicked delay OF the
| Senate in causing the present demoral.
| ized condition OF one of the most i'm.
portant departments in the state may re.
suit I'm calamities more fearful even than
that Of Yesterday. Experience has shown
| that employers Of labor will not properly
safeguard the lives and health Of their
employees except through the interven.
! tion of the state. Every humanitarian
| instinct and every sentiment Of social
| Justice is outraged by the ignomnious
| servility Of the Senate Of the state TO
! the boss who controls the Legislature"
Senator Wagner. as chairman OF the
| state factory investigating commission,
which began its work on the heels Of the
/ Triangle disaster in New York, an
nounced to-day that he would head
subcommittee of the commission TO at
| tend the Coroner's inquiry on the Bing.
! hamton fire. He blamed the upstate
manufacturers who argued for mllder
restrictions on factories outside Of New
! York
Wagner, after denouncing as "untruth.
| full and malicious" Governor Suffers
statement attributing the Bnghamton
tragedy to the failure Of the Senate 10
confirm his appointment Of a Commits
sioner of Labor, continued:
Il have learned from Commissioner
| Williams, who has continued IN charge Of
| the Department Of Labor that the Bing.
/ hamton factory has been inspected regu-
! larly and properly and that there would
/ have been no other system OF inspection
| OF supervision had John Mitchell or any
other been selected and confirmed as
| Labor Commissioner
! Commenting upon the report that the
! BinghamtOn fire. Ike the Triangle IRE,
| was probably caused by lighted ciga-
rette being thrown into some rubbish, the
! Senator said that the Factory Commits
| sion introduced and had passed laws max
! ing the removal OF waste material and
cuttings from the floors Of all factories
! compulsory, as well as laws providing ior
flre drills and installation OF ire alarm
systems In all factories.
Lesson to Manufacturers.
This is a startling lesson" he said
TO upstate manufacturers who have ar
| gued before our commission that none Of
| the smaller cities could ever have a repe-
! tition OF the Triangle cOmpanys disaster
and who complained that our recon-
mendations TO the Legislature were dlto-
gether too drastic, COntendlng that an IN
| Justice was done them IN treating them
! IN the same way tnat the factories ~ the
/ City OF New York were treated.
! State Fire Marshal Ahearn issued
| long statement, going over IN detail MS
| efforts both before the state FACTORY
Commission and the legislative commit
tees TO have full jurisdiction over nre
prevention and protection IN factories
placed I'm his department. lie commented
| at length on the conflict Of authority be-
! tween his office and that oi the LABOR
! Commissioner on these matters and en-
phasized the point that his powers were
| extremely limited.
No blame. therefore, can justly De lald
| 20 this department" he asserted. Inc
! loss OF life evidently was again due. a.
| 80 often In the past. TO the panic !athes
! than to any other cause.
| This department has been greatiy
hampered by the aversion OF people 70
| take part In fire drills and, more tnah
| ali bv the failure of the last Leg s!a-
| ture 10 appropriate sufficient money 70
| increase the force Of this department
| and carry out its orders