The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1914-06-01

those of the original assignment.
Initiative Measure No. is the
state wide prohibition measure, and
upon this each member must vote &C
cording to his own conscience, be-
cause any discussion of the proposed
law must be as fruitless as a discus
sion of religion or politics., and must
result in divisions and dissentious at
a time when every valid reason calls
upon the farmers to present united
front.
Your committee makes no recon-
mendation upon this measure.
Initiative Measure No. calls for
the appointment of a special board OF
examiners to examine 'druglesS
doctors. - Why should the state be
taxed to support board of drug
less doctors" any more than painless
dentists or brietless lawyers?
The Eight-Hour Law
Initiative Measure No. ID makes it
unlawful for any employer to require
or permit any employee, male or
female, to labor more than eight
hours during any day OF "a hours or
more than 48 hours of any week OF
seven days, except that agricultural
laborers may be permitted to work III
hours day where such work is nee
essary incidental to farm manage
ment; provided, however, that In
cases of extraordinary emergency en-
dangering life of property, laborers
may be permitted to work overtime,
but shall receive therefor one and
one-half times the rate of wage or
dinarily allowed, for all time employ
81 o1rh
calendar day. This law applies to
every person employed in the state:
The penalty for violation is fine of
not less than $40 nor more than 500
for every day that such violation con-
tinueS.
In this state, harvest wages are
based upon long hours of labor and
the wages paid are far above that
which could be obtained by men of
similar skill and ability in any other
line of work.
This is done because the harvest
season is one of great risk to the
farmer and unless the harvest is
gathered at the proper time as quick
ly as possible, the farmer risks the loss
of his crop, in whole or in part, through
exposure to the destructive action Of
the elements.
A single storm may wipe out his in
come for the entire year and involve
his labor for two years. On account
of the short season, it would be an i'm
possibility to conduct harvest opera
lions with crew laboring only eight
hours per day, without sustaining a
great loss before the last of the crop
is secured. 1t is difficult matter to
secure proper help at the best, and it
would be an impossibility, owing to a
lack of laborers, to work two shifts of
men eight hours each, even if the
expense.
If this measure becomes a law, it
will add to the cost of farming to an
extent that may wipe out the slender
margin of profit which now exists be-
tween the cost of production and the
selling price of the farmers crop and
so put the farmer out of business.
In addition to the above initiative
measures, there are two measures re-
ferred to the people by the legislature,
to be voted upon at the fall election.
One is the proposition to pension re-
tired teachers of the public schools,
and the other to authorize the appoint
ment of a State Reclamation Board
and the creation of State Irrigation
Project in the Quincy Valley.
We, your committee, after having
given these matters careful study and
consideration, find as follows:
That while there are some good
points in these measures, they are as
few grains of wheat in a bushel of
I L i