Probably the most vital legislation passed at this session were Acts Nos. 329 and 330, providing for the health and safety in anthracite and bituminous coal mines. We have had in Pennsylvania, for a quarter of a century or so, legislation which deprived those injured in the coal mines, or their widows and orphans, the ordinary rights to appeal to our State courts for compensation. This legislation can be described by no other word than barbarous, and it is surprising that it should remain upon our statute books for such a length of time. Thousands of widows and orphans, are today living in our Commonwealth without having been accorded the help that should have been given them through this inhuman and unjust legislation. The bills referred to removed the bars thus put up in the face of our miners and bring the employes of our mines under the working of our accident compensation laws on the same basis as are those of any other industry. I am happy to say that from personal information I am sure that the great bulk of our mine operators are glad to have had the inhuman laws of the past wiped out.

Acts 338 and 339 are those organizing a humane and business-like system of accident compensation under the Department of Labor and Industry for those workers injured in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. These Acts are so well known to you that I need not comment thereon.

Act 340, creating a State Insurance Fund, is the proper correlative to the Compensation Act, and makes an implement whereby the State can see to it that compensation rates for accident insurance may be kept at a reasonable scale, and not through misuse become an unnecessary heavy burden upon our industries or workers.

Act 177-The Child Labor Law, was particularly needed. Previous legislation had excluded children under fourteen years of age from the industries, but had not properly safeguarded their minds and bodies in the age of puberty, or above fourteen; nor was it of a character to be fully enforcable. Under the new act, the child between fourteen and sixteen is at all times either under the supervision of his school-master or his employer. In order to get employment he must now have a certificate from a physician, showing that he can enter the employment contemplated without physical injury, or the chance of his becoming stunted or ill-developed for life. He must now, also, while in employment enter a continuation school a portion of his time. The continuation school is a marked example to the Nation of what can be done to aid the individual child to an intelligence and skill, which will make him of greater value to himself and family as a producer; these schools will result in raising

the average capacity of the workers of Pennsylvania to a higher plane, and will make this Commonwealth even more the industrial leader of the Nation than it has been in the past. Such a result means, not only prosperity to the State, but to each individual worker who through additional skill is enabled to command a larger income.

Act 327, amending the Woman's Law, has given the Industrial Board of the Department of Labor and Industry, the power to apply the provisions of that beneficent law in a way which will be to the better advantage of the women and those employing them. The action of the Governor in vetoing much pernicious legislation intended to strip the Woman's Law of many of its most useful features for protecting women in their physical capacity to produce strong children, is especially to be commended.

The Mattress Act, No. 219, is a rewriting of the Mattress Act passed at a previous session, intended to prevent the transmission of contagious diseases through the careless distribution of improper mattresses, as the former Act was impotent through faulty construction. These faults have been removed and the act now on the books is a very useful one for the protection of the health of our people.

Least known to the public, but probably second only in their value to the Mining Act, first referred to, are Acts Nos. 373 and 397, providing for the establishment of public employment offices, the regulation of private employment offices, and the provisions giving the Bureau of Employment of the Department of Labor and Industry the right to investigate and right many classes of wrongs perpetrated upon workers. There is much unnecessary waste in our present methods of employment which, in the final analysis means lower wages and longer hours for the workers. This results through our failure to act quickly in a business-like manner, in connecting the workmen who want work, with the man who has a position to offer. These laws are the beginning of a system whereby a local employment agency will be established in every industrial community. These local public agencies will be given State aid, and will be tied up to the State in such a manner that they will act as supervising central agencies, and as transfer points for labor passing from one community to another as needed. The arrangement is made in such a way that the State may be so related to the United States government that the latter may become a transfer station for moving labor from one State to another. These laws give power for aiding in lessening the ills arising from seasonal occupation, and for the elimination of the exploitation of foreigners, or their workmen who are not in a position to protect themselves.

Act No. 88, enlarging the facilities of the Department of Labor and Industry was essential to the performance of the great work required by that Department in behalf of the workers and the industries. There are many other equally beneficent laws which affect you more or less directly as the representatives of labor but I have confined myself to those which relate to the State work with which I am connected. This body of new laws taken all together places Pennsylvania well in the van of the most enlightened States of this country and the world. The result is all the more remarkable because heretofore Pennsylvania has been a serious laggard with regard to many phases of industrial legislation and the protection of her people.

Activities of the Department of Labor and Industry.

Under the laws referred to, particularly the one enlarging the Department of Labor and Industry, it has been possible to systematize and perfect machinery of that Department in such a way as to become of much larger service to the Commonwealth than in the two earlier years of its life. I will outline very briefly some of the activities entered upon.

The Compensation System gives all workers injured, except those in domestic service and farming, free medical service, and after two weeks, weekly compensation, and has been put into force throughout the State with but little friction, and apparently without any serious injury to, or lessening of, the prosperity of our industries. As it has been necessary to create in a very short period a business which must have direct contact with approximately 200,000 employers and nearly 2,000,000 employes, it is evident that the task was no small one, and the fact that it has gone into effect without disarranging in any way our governmental or industrial fabric should be a source of congratulation to all concerned, employers, employes, and the governor with his assistants.

The State Insurance Fund, through it was commonly prophesied would not succeed in its purpose, has in an equally efficient and business-like manner intrenched itself. It is now not only a sound business enterprise but is in position to perform its functions as a regulator of the entire State business of accident compensation in

surance.

The Inspection Bureau, through the increase of the number of inspectors, has been able to organize a number of new subsidiary divisions; division of building inspection, including fire prevention; division of boilers and fly wheels; division of elevators; division of mattress inspection; division of foundries; division of mercantiles; division of accident prevention; division of sanitation, etc. This method of dividing up the work of the Inspection Bureau makes it possible to follow up the enforcement of laws to better advantage, and with experts especially chosen at the head of each of these auxiliary divisions the work of inspection is being promoted with vigor and efficiency. These new divisions do not in any way reduce the effectiveness of the work of maintaining the Woman's and Child Labor Laws and other work placed upon that Bureau for perform

ance.

The Division of Hygiene and Engineering, in addition to its former work, has joined with the United States Public Health Service in the west, and with Dr. Alfred Stengle in the east, to establish vocational disease clinics, in order that further means may be found for the reduction of unnecessary sickness in the industries. This division is vigorously promoting safety and health, first, by forwarding rallies in the centers of industries throughout the State, by circulating simple statements of wide industrial practice, and by making available, for the bulletin boards of our industries, posters upon safety and health projects.

The Bureau of Statistics has gathered together, and has in the printer's hands, a report giving a wide variety of suggestions for improving conditions of labor, and a new and much improved industrial directory of the State, which should bring to the Commonwealth additional business with a resultant prosperity to the worker and the industries themselves. It is also supervising and handling the business required in putting the great accident and compensation law into effect under the general direction of the Compensation Board.

The Division of Municipal Information is disseminating information of much value, which will enable the municipalities of our State to perform their material functions in an economical and effective manner.

The Bureau of Mediation and Arbitration, under the direction of Mr. Patrick Gilday, whom, most of you know, has been instrumental in settling a large number of labor differences. Indeed this Bureau alone has saved to the Commonwealth much more than the entire cost of all the activities of the Department.

The Employment Bureau has been able largely to eliminate the worst practices that existed in the private employment fields. The unscrupulous private agent who unmercifully robbed his victim has been to a large extent brought to time. The whole field of private employment is being "fine tooth combed," and only law-abiding and honest men are being permitted to remain in that work. The Bureau has established public employment agencies in Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Altoona, Johnstown and Pittsburgh. These agencies are making rapid placements of men, and are being particularly useful in finding places for even those who are mutilated and ordinarily have difficulty in getting work. The Bureau is planning to extend rapidly the number of public agencies, but is handicapped by a lack of funds.

The Industrial Board has made a number of investigations and has gathered together much information for service in its great work of building up Safety and Health Codes for the elimination of wrong practices, and for the promotion of practices which will add to the prosperity of the people. It has established in the State a Boiler Code which should reduce the large number of accidents caused by boiler explosions; has adopted a Foundry Code, an Illumination Code, other rules and regulations in connection with those previously adopted, and probably the best body of safety rules and regulations in the country.

Suggestions for Co-operation and Future Activity.

Due to the number of differences existing between employers and employes at present, the problems of the Bureau of Mediation and Arbitration are likely the most prominent at the present moment. It has been found during the past year that the Chief of the Bureau, with such assistance as could be assigned to him, from other divisions of the Department, was unable to keep in close contact with the many labor disturbances which have occurred. It is very desirable that this handicap be eliminated, and that this Bureau be sufficiently enlarged to enable it to handle the work in the State to the best possible advantage. Such an enlargement, past experience shows, would possibly be the most profitable investment the government could make. Employes and employers should, where their differences cannot be adjusted between them in an amicable manner, turn to this Bureau of the State Government for aid. The creation of a public sentiment in this direction will gradually build up a process of government mediation which will eliminate the most wasteful and inhuman labor wars of the past. It is here well to explain publicly that though the Governor of the Commonwealth was forced under the Constitution recently to send the State Militia to Pittsburgh, he did so with a distinct public statement, that he would not permit the Militia to be used by either side for the purpose of influencing unfairly the resultant settlement between the parties in dispute.

When the strength of the governmental arm is used to protect professional strikebreakers who are employed temporarily for the purpose of subduing regular workers and forcing them to capitulate, it is so acting. The Governor is rightly compelled by our Constitution