The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1917-03-08
Lewis MAKES PLEA
tF,OR MISSOURI'S
MEN NOT EMPLOYED

d'ielSon lily, MO-, March 6.-Re-
cent complaints to the Bureau of La
Dor Statistics from men and women
not promptly paid by employers for
services rendered, when discharged.
and the fact that most of such toilers
age badly in need Of their earnings for
food and shelter, especially during the
long cold winter months, today caused
Labor Commissioner William H. Lew
IL, in bulletin relating to this evil. tc
go into detailS on measure relieving
such sufferers, now pending before
the General Assembly. The hopes is
expressed by this official and, also
by members Of the Legislative Com
laittee CT the State Federation of La
Dor and other unionized bodies repre-,
scented here, urging the passage of
economic legislation of this character
that this bill passes both bodies and
speedily become law.
For years the Bureau of Labor Sta
tisNcs, without legal authority and
therefore, purely in humanitarian
way. has acted as an intermediate rep-
resentative for r1cn and women not
promptly paid by employers, to bring
about a speedy settlement of such
claims, and, especially, where dis
charged employees were miles away
from home, without money to return
to their starting point, and had to de-
pend upon charity for maintenance I'M
IL paid the amounts due.
The Senate bill. soon up for engross-
nent, was introduced by Senator S.
W.. Bates of Webb City, and that of the
House of Representative w. Z. Shuck.
second district, Jasper County. The
Senate bill was amended a few days
ago to conform with the House bill
which calls for the payment of wages
within twenty-four hours" of the dis
charge of an employee instead Of "on
the day. as the measure formerly
read. Representatives of huge rail-
road systems of the State appeared
before both labor committees when
the measure was up for consideration
and asked that this change be made
% there would be sufficient time after
the discharge of an employee to meet
MI requirements of the act. In the
House the measure has gone to en-
::rcssment and will undoubtedly be
PASSED within the next five or six
days.
The act, as now pending before both
bodies, requires corporations, joint
owners, companies, and individuals
employing labor in Missouri to pay dis
charged employees all wages due Their
within twenty-four hours of the sever
ance of relations. The last chapter
of the four constituting the bill, re-
paals all inconsistent acts.
The pending measure provides tha'
failure to pay wages due discharged
! cmploye within "a hours after a de-
mand is made for the sum due. en-
titles such servient to a continuation
Of pay for thirty more days from the
day of discharge, unless suit be in
stituted by the plaintiff within thai
lime. In addition, a discharged en-
ploye not paid wages within the speci-
fed time can proceed civilly against
his employer for any damages he may
have sustained by the failure to pay
within the "a hours limit, and this lat
ter action may be joined to a proceed
ing to recover all unpaid wages. The
only provision an employee must meet
to take advantage of the measure, if
it becomes law, is that he does not
secret or absent himself. or refuse to
accept money or valid check for such
services when rendered by the en-
ployer. Discharged employees must
not forget that a demand for the
money due must be made before they
come within the scope Of the "24-hour