ACT No. 123.-Duties, etc., of mine inspectors. SECTION 1. Section three of act number two hundred thirteen of the public acts of eighteen hundred and eighty-seven, entitled "An act to provide for the appointment of inspectors of mines and their deputies in certain cases, to prescribe their powers and duties and provide for their compensation," is hereby amended so as to read as follows: SEC. 3. The duties of the mine inspector shall be to visit all the working mines of his county once in every sixty days, and oftener if in his judgment necessary, and closely inspect the mines so visited, and condemn all such places where he shall find that the employees are in danger from any cause, whether resulting from careless mining or defective machinery or appliances of any nature; he shall compel the erection of a partition between all shafts where hoisting of ore is performed, and where there are ladder ways, where men must ascend and descend, going to and from their work. In case the mine inspector shall find that a place is dangerous from any cause as aforesaid, it shall be his duty immediately to order the men engaged in work at the said place to quit work, and he shall notify the superintendent, agent or person in charge, to secure the place from the existing danger, which said notification or order shall be in writing, and shall clearly define the limits of the dangerous place, and specify the work, to be done or change to be made to render the same secure, ordinary mine risks excepted, it shall also be the duty of the mine inspector to command the person, persons or corporation working any mine, or the agent, superintendent, foreman or other person having immediate charge of the working of any mine, to furnish all shafts and open pits of such mine with some secure safeguard at the top of the shaft or open pit so as to guard against accident by persons falling therein or by material falling down the same, also a covering overhead on all the carriages on which persons ascend or descend up and down the shaft, if in his judgment it shall be practicable and necessary, for the purpose of safety: Provided, That when any mine is idle or abandoned it shall be the duty of the mine inspector to notify the person, persons or corporation owning the land on which any such mine is situated, or the agent of such owner or owners, to erect and maintain around all the shafts and open pits of such mine a fence or railing suitable to prevent persons or domestic animals from accidentally falling into said shafts or open pits. Said notice shall be in writing and shall be served upon such owner, owners or agent, personally, or by leaving a copy at the residence of any such owner or agent if they or any of them reside in the county where such mine is situated, and if such owner, owners or agents are none of them residents of the county such notice may be given by publishing the same in one or more newspapers printed and circulating in said county if there be one and if no newspaper be published in said county then in a newspaper published in some adjoining county, for a period of three consecutive weeks. If such owner, owners or agent shall not within thirty days after receiving such notice or within thirty days after the completion of said publication erect such suitable fences or railings as above provided, it shall be the duty of the mine inspector to cause such suitable fences or railings to be erected and to make a return of his doings in the case, with the description of the land or lands on which such shafts and open pits are located, together with an itemized statement of the actual expenses incurred in such case on each description of land, to the county clerk of the county, which return and statement shall be verified by the affidavit of the mine inspector. All expenses incurred under the provisions of this section shall be audited by the board of supervisors of the county, and all sums allowed by such board for such expenses shall be paid from the general fund of the county. The county clerk shall certify to the board of supervisors at its annual meeting in each year the amount of expense incurred under the provisions of this section during the preceding year and the amount belonging to each and every description of land on which any such mines are situated and said amount shall be certified to the supervisors of the proper townships in the same manner as county taxes are certified to said supervisors, and the amount of the expense incurred as above on each description shall be assessed by said supervisors upon the said description upon their assessment rolls for that year, in a separate column, and shall be collected in the same manner as county taxes, and when so collected, paid into the general fund of the county. Approved, May 13, 1897. ACT No. 221.-Payment of wages-Use of script redeemable otherwise than in money prohibited. SECTION 1. It shall be unlawful for any corporation to sell, give, deliver or in any manner issue, directly or indirectly, to any person employed by him or it, in payment of wages due for labor, or as advances on the wages of labor not due, any script, token, order, or other evidence of indebtedness purporting to be payable or redeemable otherwise than in money. Any violation of the provisions of this section shall be punishable by a fine of not less than twenty-five dollars nor more than one hundred dollars or imprisonment for not more than thirty days or both such fine and imprisonment in the discretion of the court, and any such script, token, order, or other evidence of indebtedness issued in violation of the provisions of this act, whatever its provisions as to the time or manner of payment shall be, in legal effect, an instrument for the unconditional payment of money only on demand, and the amount thereof may be collected in money by any holder thereof in a civil action against the corporation selling, delivering or in any manner or for any purpose issuing the same; and such holder may be either the person to whom such instrument was originally issued or who acquired the same by purchase and delivery. SEC. 2. Any script, token, order, or other evidence of indebtedness, issued in violation of the provisions of this act, and presented by the holder thereof, shall be taken as prima facie evidence, in any court of competent jurisdiction, of the guilt or indebtedness of any corporation selling, giving, delivering or in any manner issuing the same. SEC. 3. Any person selling, giving, delivering or in any manner issuing said script, token, order, or other evidence of indebtedness in behalf of any corporation in violation of the provisions of the preceding sections shall be the defendant to the criminal action, and the corporation shall be held as defendant to the civil action: Provided, That the provisions of this act shall not apply, when any employee shall voluntarily request or consent to receive script, tokens or orders upon any person, company or corporation in payment, or part payment, of wages due, or to become due, to such employee. SEC. 4. All acts or parts of acts in any manner contravening the provisions of this act are hereby repealed. Approved, May 29, 1897. ACT No. 241.-Factories and workshops-Inspection. SECTION 1. Section fifteen of act one hundred and eighty-four of the public acts of eighteen hundred and ninety-five, entitled "An act to provide for the inspection of all manufacturing establishments and workshops in this State, and to provide for the enforcement, regulation and inspection of such establishments, and the employment of women and children therein," approved May twenty-second, eighteen hundred and ninety-five, (is) hereby amended so as to read as follows: SEC. 15. For the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this act the commissioner of labor is hereby authorized and required to cause at least an annual inspection of the manufacturing establishments or factories in this State. Such inspection may be by the commissioner of labor, the deputy commissioner of labor, or such other persons as may be appointed by the commissioner of labor for the purpose of making such inspection. Such persons shall be under the control and direction of the commissioner of labor and are especially charged with the duties imposed, and shall receive such compensation as shall be fixed by the commissioner of labor, not to exceed three dollars a day together with all necessary expenses. All compensation for services and expenses provided for in this act shall be paid by the State treasurer upon the warrant of the auditor general: Provided, That not more than twelve thousand dollars shall be expended in such inspection in any one year: And provided further, That the commissioner of labor shall present to the governor on or before the first day of February, eighteen hundred and ninety-six, and annually thereafter, a report of such inspection with such recommendation as may be necessary: And provided further, That in addition to the above amount allowed for expenses, there may be printed not to exceed one thousand copies of such reports for the use of the labor bureau for general distribution. And all printing, binding, blanks, stationery, supplies or map work shall be done under any contract which the State now has or shall have for similar work with any party or parties, and the expense thereof shall be audited and paid for in the same manner as other State printing. Approved, June 2, 1897. RECENT GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS. [The Secretaries of the Treasury, War, and Navy Departments have consented to furnish statements of all contracts for constructions and repairs entered into by them. These, as received, will appear from time to time in the Bulletin.] The following contracts have been made by the office of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury: OMAHA, NEBR.-November 2, 1897. Contract with George Moore & Sons, Nashville, Tenn., for the erection and completion of the Transmississippi and International Exposition Building, $43,937. Work to be completed before April 25, 1898. HELENA, ARK.-November 6, 1897. Contract with L. L. Leach & Son, Chicago, Ill., for approaches to court-house and post-office, $6,893. Work to be completed within four months. OMAHA, NEBR.-November 16, 1897. Contract with James F. Earley, Washington, D. C., for plaster models for Transmississippi and International Exposition Building, $3,120. Work to be completed within ninety days. NEW YORK, N. Y.-November 24, 1897. Contract with G. A. Suter for boiler plant, low-pressure and exhaust steam-heating and ventilating apparatus, water supply and filtering plant and fire protection system, basement floor, etc., for appraiser's warehouse, $68,800. Work to be completed within four months. CHARLESTON, S. C.-December 20, 1897. Contract with Wm. Everroad & Son, Columbus, Ind., for improvement to grounds of court-house, post-office, etc., $12,091.29. Work to be completed within one hundred and twenty working days. 140 |