French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1919-02-27
SESSION At RALEIGH
CLOSING IN BIG RUSH
County Road Bill Still Waits
Action Of Senate Committee. e.--Clarence
Latham on Scene to Urge Passage of
Original Bill--Child Labor Fight.

urers during legislative sessions is
very much in evidence at this time
and the labor department has been
made the target for bitter fight
against the enactment of any effec-
tive child labor legislation. Their
sympathizers won in the first hearing
before the House Committee by sue
ceeding in getting favorable report
pm their own bill, known as the Neal
substitute. Relative to this turn in
/ the fight Representative Saunders,
who introduced the department bill
in the House, has this to say in the
News & Observer:
The position Of Commissioner
Shipman on the child labor issue has
| been sustained in large measure by
supported by the manufacturers, in
I that his recommendations for child
labor legislation forced the issue and
furnished the basis upon which the
| manufacturers buiIded their struc-
ture by adopting a number of the pro-
visions of the Department bill in the
preparation of their own. 1t is per-
fectly plain that no legislation of this
| character would have been proposed
70 hi n Ill L. u
.ohipman called attention to the need
| for it. And he may well congratulate
himself on having induced another
step forward in progressive legisla-
tion.
THAT the Labor Department is not
to participate in the enforcement of
the law, if the Neal bill passes, is a
matter of small concern to Mr. Ship
man, in personal way, and he made
this matter plain to the committee
yesterday afternoon. The wage-earn-
ers have their remedy for resenting
the affront at the ballot box and are
well able to protect themselves. The
strong point stressed by the Commis-
sioner was that children should not
be worked longer hours than grown
ups and this contention he would
concede to no individual or interest.
l do not think the position of the
manufa cturers in this regard can be
defended from any angle. The moral
sentiment OF the State will not stand
for working children longer than
eight hours a day much longer.
Doubtless Commissioner Shipman
will be glad to be spared the humilia-
ton of serving on a commission that,
under the law, permit small children
to work as long as thirteen hours
day. His position is sound and a
large majority Of the people OF the
State are in full agreement with him
on this issue right now
THE Neal bill does not satisfy the
demands of the hour. The passage of
it through the Legislature will SIM
ply open the way for agitation which
could easily be avoided by the enact
ment of an adequate child labor law
instead of this spineless lnakeshift
The present General Assembly will
make a rievous mistake if it ad-
journs without writing on the statute
books a law regulating the employ
ment of children that will harmonic
with the spirit Of the times and con-
form to the provisions of the Fede-
raj statute covering this subject. The
manufacturers of no state should be
permitted to write a law of this
charactc". They ought to come from
the heads OF departments, just as the
bill did that Mr. Shipman, from q
keen sense of duty, offered to this
General Assembly, and which should
have been cheerfully accepted"
The issue is not yet settled. TIE
Senate committee is yet to pass on
the Connor bill and a hearing is set
for Tuesday afternoon before the
committee on education. II that COM
mjttee should report the department
bill favorably, which is not at all un-
likely, a compromise measure may be
proposed and an effort made to
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