The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-01-21

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monwealth. thus taking away over
four million dollars OF manufacturing
product value While this loss, and
the payroll Incidental thereto. is q
cause for regret, the employees have
1 found work In other channels of In
dustry, and the farmers seem to suf-
/ for no loss since the tobacco from
/ Virginia has to be used to maintain
the standard of the several brands
/ The available timber has been cut
go rapidly within the past few years,
that the small mills have gone out OF
commission, and several OF the larger
plants have moved out Of the State,
making a decrease in sawmllls alone
Of s2,206. 46s.79. These deficiencies
were more than compensated by the
I increase shown in the iron and ma
chinery and the cigar, cigarette. and
Cheroot plants, baking powder plants,
cotton and flour mills, knitting and
/ paper and pulp mills, printing houses,
tanneries and coal production, which
overcame the losses in other indus
/ tries. and left the gratifying increase
of more than six and one-haf million
dollars Besides the factories report
/ ing to the commissioner of labor,
there are others in the State that will
raise the output for 1912 to over two
/ hundred millions OF dollars, and X is
believed that this sum has been In
creased by the products of 1913 The
Increases and decreases shown by the
tabulated statement OF the commits
sioner OF labor, are instructive and in
teresting. and ! commend the state
ment TO the attention Of the general
assembly.
Protection of Women and Children.
The department Of labor and stats
tics, by It's careful system of inspec-
tons and its determination to have
executed the laws for the protection
of women and children, has obtained
fourteen hundred convictions in two
years; great good has been accom-
pllshed, and the law L. being obeyed
The statute under which the de-
partment Is acting does not give pro-
lection In some very important par
tlculars, and should he so amended
IFS to prohibit the employment OF
women and children in liquor, beer
+ and cider bottling establishments,
mail order liquor houses ana brew
cries.
/ recommend that whenever any
/ person, firm or corporation shall en-
/ ploy child under the legal age. and
! The age OF the child is clearly proven.
I the employer shall not be permitted
/ In any prosecution or proceeding
against him to escape conviction by
! showing, or attempting to show. that
+ he used diligence to ascertain the age
of the child employed. But this ef-
fort on his part SHOULD be proved IN
mitigation. Our children are our best
assets, and whoever deals with them
must keep the law.
/ Public Roads.
Since the organization OF the State
1 highway commission about seven years
1 ago. two Thousand and sixty-e ght
miles OF permanent highway have been
constructed under State supervision.
/ OF this mileage, eighteen hundred and
/ fifty-five miles have been built during
| the present administration. The roads
built comprise in round numbers 6BS
/ miles of water-bound macadam or
| of top-soil or sand clay. and 277 miles
of topsoil or sand clay; and PIT miles
/ OF grading to be rnacadamized In
| addition, the federal roads bureau has
| constructed twenty-five and q half
miles of what Is known as dem anstra-
ton road work, has advised with our
State highway commissioner, and test
ed a great many samples of road
| building material for bis department
The above Is far from giving the road
work in the state, as thirty-three
| counties, or subdivisions thereof, have
issued bonds for road Improvement
! varying IN amount from &5U.uUu IN one
district TO 100000 in one county, and
aggregating $6,414, 900.
There was expended under the SUI
pervision of the highway department
in 1912 s1,853,S4S.55; in 1913. ST.
! 4s7,7s2.35 and there is available for
road building during 1914. independ-
emit of legislative appropriations
about 100000 under like super
I vision and control
The general assembly will doubtless
make the usual Appropriation. which
last year was $4,000 for State aid
to counties for the construction OF per-
n1anent highways and bridges. As
two new convict camps will probably
be put on the roads this year, an APP
| preparation should be made for the
equipment of these two new camps
and their maintenance, and the main
/ tenance OF those already on the roads
| In addition to the appropriations
mentioned. the automobile tax. which
should reach sf50.000 this year. will
| he available. / recommend that this
/ tax be put at fifty cents per horse
! power. as determined by the Ameri-
/ can license automobile manufacturers
! formula, which Is used in most OF
/ the States. further recommend that