Evening journal., 1915-02-06
Say Gibbons WAS
Cause OF Friction
Child Labor Commission in
Perfect Accord On All
Other Matters
NO FURTHER
DISCORD EXPECTED

Pending a hearing by the commit
tees of the Legislature on the bills
framed TO abolish the State Child
Labor Commission. the commission,
the majority concurring therein, de-
sires to present the following facts
to the public
There never was any friction in
the commission. except as the ques-
ton of the efficiency Of the inspector
came up on the reports of the eXecu-
tive committee. and the friction in
creased in proportion as the incom-
potency of the inspector was more
and more revealed. One belonged TO
the other. the incompetent inspector
standing with the two minority mem
bers against the proper enforcement
of the law itself and depending on
one of them TO attack the chairman OF
the executive committee and thus di-
vert attention from the inspectors own
delinquency. The other members stood
amicably together, desiring to enforce
the law. and patiently learning the
facts from the executive committee
until they were certain of their
ground.
"The majority of the commission,
acting i'm perfect accord, twice APP
pointed special committees to bring
the inspector to realize the need of
cooperation and better work, but no
impression could he made on him as
TO any deficiencies on his part
with the former Inspector remOv-
| ed. there is less reason for expecting
/ friction. and the commission finds it.
self with the usual united majority,
ready to proceed with constructive de-
velopment along the lines intended in
the law
"This statement must also dwell on
the point urged in the minority re-
mort of the legislative committee, as
TO the personal animosity of the
chairman OF the executive committee
TO Mr.. Gibbons. The facts proven
bv the records are these:
Il. That the chairman of the eXecu-
tive committee loaned him the ser
vices of her own secretary, paying
for them herself. In a letter writer
10 be taken to the National Chile
Labor Conference in March last, sh'
spoke encouragingly OF the promise o
his beginnings. Ga promise which was
unfortunately hollow, however. as
the commission gradually found out.
"2. The extent of Mr.. Gibbons de
linquency can be measured someWha
by his own records of his year of so
called activity. In that year. by TWEEN
ty hours average of office work eacl
week. he permitting the issuing o
455 certificates without adequate
documentary evidence as prescribe'
by law out of a total of 632. This wa
very bad result, but he did evel
worse on his street trade permits. O
which 100 were wrongly classcd an
325 lacked the requisite documentar
evidence
"If. however. We allow the con
tention of Mr.. Gibbons. made in opel
court that he is not in any sense re
sponsible for having $50 inadequat
certificates issued by his clerk fror
hie own Office we are left with tn
astonishing fact that he took 20 hour
Of Office work a week. for eleve
months, to issue a net total of 5
special permits. of which 80 were is
sued without regard to plain require
ments of the law.
THE commission desires to stat
that if the chairman of their execr
tive committee. appointed by thel
to supervise the inspectors work, ha
not protested against this sort d
thing. she would have shown an an
mostly to the law, and criminal n
difference TO the welfare and pro
lection of the children of our State
.T..a1 n. . D..
the commission and the executh
committee chose TO uphold the la