The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1921-01-28
SHORT FLAYS GOV.
HART'S BILL
(By Frank walklin in Union Record

Olympia, Jan. 24.-Labor gained
its first recognition at the seven
teenth session of the Washington
legislature tonight when William
Short, president of the State Fed
Grafton of Labor, took up discussion
at a public hearing of the Senate
on House Bill No. IL, the civil ad
ministrative code. Short tore the
bill to tatters and showed where ii
was one of the most vicious meas
TRES ever offered the citizens of the
state.
Short for more than an hour dis
cussed every phase of the bill and
held the interest of the audience to
such an extent that not a person
left the floor nor the galleries. He
began with the discussion of how
the political machine had sought to
remove from labor all representation
in administering its own affairs,
through taking away the provision
of Joint administration of industrial
problems as fathered in the present
law.
Short told how labor had been
compelled to pay half of the
cost of administration, an an
nual sum of 81 100000. with the
employers paying like sum.
He then said that labor paid this
Just as men paid their taxes, but
that now politics would deprive
them of any vote on how it
should De expended.
Discussing the promise of econ
omy by the governor and his adj
visers, the speaker asserted that one
way in which this was proposed was
by paying heads of departments sal
aries mucn higher than are being
paid men who now perform like
services.
The arguments of L. R. McArdle,
auditor. who helped frame the bill
and who has been arguing for its
passage before the House and Sen
ate, were shattered, and Short re-
lated how McArdle had told the Sen
ate this afternoon that the purpose
of the change in departments was
not so much a matter of saving as it
was one of changing the present per-
sonnet. McArdle made this state
ment on the floor of the Senate in
reply to question from Senator
Conan, Spokane, but denied it when
Short, repeated it.
Also Short told of how McArdle
had told the House that it would be
wrong for anyone to consider that
the present code would reduce taxes.
On the arrangement of depart
ments Short showed how the pro-
posed bill would call for highly CEN
tralized departments with a large
force of assistants and thereby in
crease costs.
He declared that efficiency
would depend upon close rela-
tionship, and that where men
would be subservient to one man
and wholly dependent upon him
for their work they would be in
clined to agree with him at all
times and thereby destroy eff
cheney.
The Senate was given figures to
show that the present plan with
few changes would cut the cost of
administration to 100000, whereas
the new bill calls for an estimate of
S445,000 and the present law for
S290,000.
Short attacked the makers of
the bill for their assertion that
the Lowden plan, now effective
in Illinois, had been followed.
He insisted that this was not
true and read from Governor
Lowden's report to prove his
statements.
He then told of labor's plan which
includes the Lowden bill almost in
IS entirety.
Reports from the Tacoma Ledger
and Seattle Times were read to show
hat Governor Hart in October, 10
lays before election, had pledged
himself for the joint control clauses
If the present bill, showing him to
laye been frankly opposed to any
step that would change the laws
giving labor representation.
For the first time the Senate
heard Of the efforts of EMPLOYERS
representatives to destroy the Joint
representation and injure labor's
ause throughout the state.
Bitter denunciatiOn was given
INC JIM III IT'S INSTRUCTION OF the
industrial welfare commission.
Short showed how this had been
brought into being through the
demand for better conditions for
women.
AT that time, Short said, labor
lnions had been prevented from
having representation on the mini
mum wage question and similar ac-
ion had been taken against the en-
1loyers. This, he said, was the
proper method, for it left the prob
EN- practically in the hands of the
federated Women's Clubs and there
we're none so capable of dealing with
he woman question as the women
The present bill was said to
destroy this representation and
put the affairs in the hands of
the head of department and
his committee, but one member
OF which was a woman and she
in minor position.
Also he attacked the clause plac-
ng the medical department under
the labor department and making
The ranking physician subservient to
The labor commissioner in handling
IL