The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-05-15
PUT LABOR ON NEW FOOTING
Protection of the Employers as Well as
the Child Laborer is Aimed at in the
Bills now Pending Before Legislature
Few Amendments are Proposed.

IuuuSGrldI COMMISSION anu introduced
by DR.. S. G. Golf on the subject Of the
furthcr regulation Of child labor is
low well on its way to passage and
there seems to be little question that
it will become q law. In fact, there
has been no real fight against the bill
at any time and the only real change
which has been offered to the measure
were the amendments offered by AS
semblyman Hurlbut on the floor OF the
assembly which sought to take the
packing Of matches from the list of
employments prohibited to persons be-
tween the ages of l6 and Is years un-
less express permission is given by the
industrial commission to permit minors
to be employed in the match factories.
In way the new child labor bill
places the child labor problem on new
footing in this state and makes it a
commission problem in the future rath-
er than a legislative problem, and there
can be no question that the idea Of the
bill which is being passed through this
Legislature is to place the employment
of minors practically solely within the
control of the Industrial commission.
There is no change so far as the law
is concerned in the situation of child
rem under the age of 16 years as re-
CARDS either their permanent or temp
orary employment and the whole bill
deals exclusively with the youths and
young women who are working and are
between the ages of 16 and 81 years.
Under existing legislation persons
between the ages Of 16 and 81 years are
prohibited from certain employments.
This list has been taken and incorpor-
ated in a new bill which also affects
the presence of women in some employ
ments and adds large number of en-
Payments to the list which are to be
considered prohibited and provides
that such employments are to be con
sidered prohibited until the Wisconsin
industrial commission by order permits
the employment in the industries or
even in part of the plants in a GER
tain industry. The idea of this bill is,
undoubtedly, the throwing of safe
guards around the employment of min
Ors and women and because of the
power Of the commission to permit or
refuse to permit minors or women to
work in certain plants in the prohibited
industries the plants in these industries
will of very necessity be compelled to
make the conditions under which work
is done in them of the very highest
order both from sanitary and safe
ty standpoint.
If they dc not place their plants in
this condition manufacturers will be at
the risk Of losing the right to employ
women and minors and fully aware
that competitors may be given the
right to have women and minors in
their employment because the indus
trial commission considers that the
plants oil the competitors are fit places
for women and minors to work, all
manufacturers employing women and
child labor will take steps to have the
conditions at their plants the best that
tan be obtained, so that the Wisconsin
Industrial Commission win grant the
necessary permit for the employment
of women and minors.
The amendments which Assembly
man Hurlbut desired to the bill affect
ed only manufacturers Of matches. and
Mr.. Hurlbut, in his talk for the first
amendment proposed by him declared
that it put the child labor law of Wis
consin upon TIE same footing as the
child labor laws of the most progress
sive states, and notably New York.
The assembly, however, thought other
wise, as it rejected the Hurlbut amend
ment by an overwhelming vote and
really passed the bill in just about the
form the commission drew the
measure.
The first of the amendments of Mr..
Hurlbut eliminated the term packing
OF matches" from the prohibited en-
Payments while the second sought to
limit any violations of the law in re-
gard to the handling of matches to
chose matches which were designated
as dangerous to the health by the
proper authorities. Had this latter
amendment been adopted it would
have clearly taken the control of min
ors and women in the match industry
outside the prohibited employments
and not made it necessary for the
match manufacturers if they desired
to employ women and minors to go to
the commission to obtain an order per-
hitting such employment.
The matchmakers are not now alb
solutely prohibited from the employ
ulent of persons under the age of is