Evening star., 1915-11-27
Congress to Be Asked to Pro-
mote Nations Progress
as Well as Defense.
CHILD-LABOR MEASURE
ONE OF THOSE PLANNED
Convict Labor, tuberculosis, Immi.
grant Protection and Vocational
Educational Demand Attention.

preparedness OF number OF pieces
of Legislation which are aimed to bet
ter the nations condition and facili-
tate its progress along both CONNER
cia1 and social lines, and which are to
be submitted to Congress when it meets
next month. along with the plans for
increased armament, is emphasized by
Graham Eomeyn Taylor, in a statement
issued by the Survey Social Service
Press Service.
Millions for defense, but not one
cent for tribute is slogan that once
served to stir the nation to vigilance
in the protection of it's rights" says
Mr.. Taylor. "A question which will
confront Congress when it convenes
December Is the relation of possible
millior6 for defense to the social well
fare of the nations people. Surely
the countries of Europe have come to
realize that in equipping themselves
for war. the welfare of their people is
by no means the least factor.
Failure to secure early consIdera-
tion of bills was one of the chief rea-
social legislation before the last Con-
gress The Palmer-Owen child labor
bill, for instance, passed the House, but
the objection of single senator-Over-
man OF North CdTOllnd-klieu IL III
the upper chamber. The second cam
paign for the bill is now going for
ward with vigor in the hands of the
national child labor committee. The
expectation is that Senator owen and
Representative Keating will introduce
it.
Child Labor Bill.
"The bill prohibits interstate COM
merce of goods in the production of
which children under fourteen have
worked in mills, factories. canneries or
workshops: children under sixteen have
worked in mines or quarries; children
between fourteen and sixteen have
worked at night. or more than eight
hours a day in factories.
Those who are urging the measure
point out that it protects not only the
nations children. but enlightened en-
ployes as well. for it would remove any
disadvantage which manufacturer In
a state with advanced laws may feel
that he has in competition with manu-
facturers in states with lower stand
ards.
Convict Labor Measure.
Another measure designed to regu-
late the conditions under which goods
are manufactured through federal au
thority over interstate commerce is
vict labor. A state may regulate its
own convict labor. but it cannot bar
convict made goods coming in from
another state The Booher-Hughes
bill, as it was known at the last ses-
sion, has passed the House four times.
by the Senate committee, but never
came to a vote
This bill and a new one designed
to consolidate the prison activities of
the federal government are particu-
larly urged by the national committee
on prisons and prison labor. At pres
ent these activities are scattered
through various departments. The man
agement of the three federal prisons
and three jailS and control over fed
eral prisoners-some 1000 of them in
all-comes under the Department of
Justice. All prison construction work
is done by the Interior Department,
which also maintains hospital for
convicts. while the gathering of sta
tistics regarding prison industries is
under the Department of Labor.
Commissioner of Prisons.
The new bill will provide for COM
missioner of prisons, in whose Office
would be concentrated all of the activi-
ties mentioned, with the duties of in
vestigating administration. housing
and social hygiene of prisoners. edu-
tion. systems of pardon and parole.
Health measures before the next
Congress will include the bill to create
a division of mental hygiene and rural
sanitation in the public health serv-
ice. which was considered last year:
bill to create commission for the
study of tuberculosis, and a bill to
provide federal subsidies for local tu-
berculosis hospitals.
THE new duties proposed for the
public health service by it's own re-
quest are to deal with mental disor-
ders. to encourage improved methods
of rural and industrial sanitation, and
to dessiminate among farmers and
others information for the prevention
of communicable diseases.
Would Combat tuberculosis.
The plan for federal commission
on tuberculosis has been indorsed by
four sectional conferences on tubercu-
iosis and the American Public Health
Association They point out that last
year. while sl8.000.0oO was spent in
the United States for institutional care
and treatment, less than S2.000.0O0 was
in,