The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-01-28

l the members of the legislature, the writer included, after investigation. had grave doubts as to the rights of any legislative body, be it territorial. state or national, to pass an act so wide in its scope as the one under discussion, but it must be remem- bered that the mandate of the peo. pie at the polls was for a general eight-hour law" How could the leg. islature consistently exclude any par ticular occupation from it's opera. tion?
 MT. Critic. had you been mem. Der of the legislature. what particu. lar occupation or industry would you have excluded from the provisions of general eight-hour law? And had such practice been commenced where would it have ended? Elm. ployers and employees would have appeared before the session constant. ly applying for exclusion or inclusion one claiming injurious, the other ben. eficial, results, from such legislation
 Most of the articles which have appeared in the papers have been incomplete and misleading, tending rather to confuse than enlighten their readers. One fact which seems to have been generally lost sight of is that underground mining and sev. eral allied unhealthful occupations are covered by Chapter 4. Session Laws of Alaska, 1917, which is re enactment of the former eight-hour law which was declared invalid by Judge Bunnell in the case against Howell & Cleveland. The irregulari ty upon which the said decision was based was remedied and there is no doubt of the validity of the law as it now stands.
 Another erroneous impression which seems to have been conveyed is that partners cannot work fol the partnership more than eight hours per day. By reading the law it vii be seen that it includes only "wage earners and salary earners," so un less a partner draws down salary out of the business he does not come under the law The provision in cluding partnerships was undoubted ly incorporated in the act to pre- vent the formation of "phony" part nerships to escape the penalty o the law.
 Now, word about the enforce ment of the law.
 It is conceded that there are 2 number of employers in Fairbanks who flagrantly ignore the law, promi nent among whom are the Alaskan Engineering Commission. City of Fair banks. Northern Commercial Co.,, E k. Peoples, Inc. and Waechter Bros Why are they not arrested and deal with according to law, ask the crit 1CS. SOIue OI Iue IudleldClOISb d least, are anxious to have the va lidity of the law tested in the courts the prosecuting attorney is anxious to commence prosecution, and the violators of the law are ready tt defend themselves. All that Is nee essary is for some person who has sufficient knowledge of the facts tt go before the district attorney ant swear to a complaint. Then tho culprit will be haled before com missioner and, if found guilty, appea to the district court, and the case could be settles without any los. of time. This method of procedure however. would entail considerable expense and inconvenience. and i has been suggested that it would be as well to await the sitting O. the grand jury and have an indict ment returned by that body. It i' conceded by both sides that the ques tion of constitutionality will be car ried to the court of last resort.
 The validity of the act will be at tackled upon the ground that it con flicts with the Fourteenth Amend ment to the Constitution of the Unit