The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-06-26
.ALLEGE VIOLATIONS OF LAW
Company is Charged with Forty one
Separate Causes of Action by Indus
trial Commission in Connection with
Employment of Girls and Boys.

Summons and complaint was served
on Tuesday in an action brought in
the name of the State of Wisconsin
against the Marshall Ventilated Matt
ress Company Of this city in which
the state seeks to collect penalties in
the sum of 100 for alleged VIOLA
tions Of the state labor laws in re-
gard to the employment of children
under sixteen years Of age. The suit
is brought by Attorney General Wal
ter G. Owen and District Attorney 4.
L. Drury Of Kenosha county, is nam
ed as an attorney II the action.
The suit is brought at the request
Of the industrial commission Of Wis
consin and it is the suit which was
predicted some time ago when one of
the agents of the commission made an
inspection of the factories in Keno
sha to ascertain conditions surrounding
the employment of children. There
are forty-one separate causes of ac
ton stated in. the complaint and they
are drawn under the provisions OF the
law against working of children under
sixteen years of age, against working
of children more than forty-three
hours week, against working child
rem without a proper permit from a
court Of record, and against the en-
ployment of children and forcing them
to work iIf a standing position.
More than twenty-five of the causes
Of action in the long complaint are
concerned with the employment Of
Jennie Fato, a girl alleged to have
been under sixteen years Of age. She
was employed at the Marshall plant
in March of this year and the state
has demanded the full penalty Of 500
for each day the girl worked in viola
tion of the law. 1t is alleged that this
girl was employed at a gainful occu-
patton before she was sixteen years Of
age and before she had secured a per-
NIT and that she was permitted to
work more than forty-three hours
weekly in the plant Of the defendant
company A number of the charges
are brought on account of the employ
ment of Johanna Ambrose and one
charge is made against the company
for employing Ernest Stein and Frank
Kos without permit
The violations of the law are all
alleged to have taken place in March
and April Of this year Officials Of
the commission were in Kenosha dur
ing the time that the complaints cover.
This is the first action of this nature
to be brought by the industrial com
mission in Kenosha although for some
time agents Of the commission have
threatened to bring such actions For
the most part the Kenosha factories
have shown Willingness to meet every
demand Of the commission in regard
to the employment Of children, but
many cases have been found where
false statements made by the children
themselves have made it possible for
them to secure employment without
permits.
The suit against the Marshall Ven
tilated Mattress Company is one of
the largest Of the kind brought by the
state commission and it is declared
that the case is brought with a view
of showing other factory men in Ke-
nosha the right of the commission to
enforce the laws. The suit is to be
tried in the circuit court of Kenosha
county and it will be set for trial at
the coming October term.