Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1914-05-26
Committee of Farmers Unions Investigate
Initiative Measures and Decide to
Fight Them.
INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE MAKES REPORT
Farmers Unions of WaI|d Wa|Ia, Columbia and
Garfield Counties 800 Strong, Give
Reasons for Their Opposition.

Of inspection and supervision of pub
lie Offices.
1T is matter of bookkeeping more
than anything else," says the report,
ito take a duty from one department
and to turn it over to another. This
measure does not remove any objec-
tions to the bureau as it now exists
nor does it afford relief, worth men,
tioning, from the cost of maintaing
the little army of examining boards
and inspectors of various kinds now
running up and down the state"
Initiative measure No. 8 forbids
employment agents collecting fees
from persons seeking employment,
and the only fees that can be col
lected legally are from the employer"
says the report. 1T is not necessary
for us to dwell upon the advantage
to the farmer of having to pay the
employment agent to get his help
and say whether such labor is sat-
isfactory or not"
Concerning initiative measure No.
8, known as the first aid' amend.
ment to the industrial insurance law,
the report says "The first aid meas
ure provides that in hazardous EN-.
ployment, the employer is liable to
the extent of 500 for medical, sur
gical and hospital treatment of an
injured workmen. However much such
accident may be the fault of the in
jured man, the employer has no re-
dress, and he may not deduct a single
cent from any money due the work
man.
Initiative measure No. 10 provides
for the employment of convicts on
state roads, for the support of depend
ent families of convicts and reduces
the levy for the road fund and appro-
PIRATES 100000 for the purchase Of
tools and road-building equipment.
The plan proposes to close the jute
mill at the penitentiary, which now fur
nishes grain bags at a moderate cost
to the farmers. One of the most SER
ious objections is that convict labor
is notoriously inefficient and that road
building done by convicts probably
will cost three times as much as that
done by free labor under private con-
tract.
Initiative No. II places a tax upon
the fishing and oyster industries of
the state. Fishing is one of the most
important of Washington's industries
and supports more than $4,000 of the
states population. The capital invest
ed in this industry exceeds $4,000, 900.
This property pays the regular tax and
in addition the fishermen and cannery-
men pay the state special tax which
far exceeds the sum spent each year
by the state in keeping up hatcheries
and its department of fisheries. The
price Of fish cannot be raised by the
state, and the committee finds that
to impose this heavy additional tax
would mean that Washington fisheries
could not compete with those of Brit
ish Columbia and Alaska.
Initiative measure No. 12 vests in
the public service commission the du-
ties of the tax commission, which it
is proposed to abolish. The report
says that there is grave doubt that
the proposed measure is constitutional
but that to add the important duties
of the tax commission to those of
the already overworked public serv-
ice commission would be a serious
mistake in any event.