Mexico Missouri message., 1915-01-14

ton given the blind is turned to use
full labor
Contract Labor.
The last legislature took initial
steps looking to the solution of the
question of the employment of the
2,40O men and women confined in the
state penitentiary. 1t proposed 10
abolish the contract system and sub
stitute other employment therefor.
The revenue received from the con-
tractors is about $750,000 or $500, 900
for each biennial period. This makes
the penitentiary practically self-sus-
tanning. If the contract system is
abolished completely at once, the rev.
enues of the state will necessarily, for
a time, be drawn upon for this sum
of 100000 to sustain the peniten-
tiary, which sum heretofore has been
used along educational, eleemosynary
and departmental lines. 1t will neces-
sarily cost, at the lowest estimate,
one-half million dollars to even start
the equipment of plants sufficient 20
give employment to the convicts. This
money, toe, must come from the gen.
eral revenue fund. These enormous
sums cannot be taken from the rev.
enues of a single year or biennial
period. At the very earliest, it would
take two years to build and equip
plants, and then the state would be
in an eXperimntal stage of the change,
with little or no revenue flowing back
from the penitentiary.
Code Procedure.
Last summer / appointed a commits
sion to study our judicial procedure,
prepare measures and SO formulate
our laws and codes as to bring about
a speedier administration of justice,
with fewer reversals because of tech
,nicalities in no wise affecting the
merits of the litigation.
Fire Insurance.
would recommend the creation or
fire marshal department, making
same an adjunct of the insurance de-
partment and under the supervision
of the insurance superintendent. In
this department we would have an
official authorized to investigate the
cause of all fires whose origin is at
all obscure. He should be empowered
to prosecute for arson; to compel the
observance of building laws; to re-
quire the removal of hazardous condi-
tions due to carelessness, or some
thing worse; to prepare code of in
structions as to electric wiring; to in
spect and examine properties. and to
do such other reasonable things as
are calculated to prevent fires and re-
duce fire loss or waste
state Industrial Commission.
Under the law we have bureau of
labor statistics, and factory, hotel and
mining inspection departments and a
board of mediation and arbitration.
These constitute five separate and
distinct departments. The labors of
some departments, under the law, are
covered second time by another de-
partment, and reports, travelling and
other expenses unnecessarily dupli-
Gated. The state should combine these
five departments in one department to
be known as state industrial com
mission"
Workmen's Compensation Act.
recommend to the legislature the
passage of a workmen's compensation
act, The growth and development of
our transportation facilities, factory
systems, industrial progress, and the
increase in the number of unskilled
workmen about high power machin-
cry, demand the enactment OF a work
mems compensation law. Perhaps a
majority of the states have already
enacted such laws. One of the prime
objects of such an act is to avoid the
great waste attending the litigation
which arises under the old system Of
employers liability laws.
Election Laws.
During the two years l have been
governor. OF the state have striyen
earnestly. at all times, to have honest
elections, both in the primary and in
the general election. My efforts have
not been in vain, The present laws
should be amended in many respects
so as to safeguard the ballot
Public sehooIs--E1isher Education.
Five pieces of progressive educa-
tional legislation, administration
measures, were enacted by the last
legislature, each of which stands out
pre-eminently in the educational legis-
latiye History of Missouri These laws
have proven their worth in the field
of actual trial and test.