State referee or judge may act at of state's attor attorney of crim common pleas, or district court of Waterbury. to any public office for the period of four years; but the mere finding or decision that his political agent was so guilty shall not render him ineligible to office. But where the trial judges or one of them shall decide or certify that any such successful candidate was guilty of corrupt practices only in the person of his agent, and that (a) no corrupt practice was committed by the candidate personally and the offense was committed contrary to his order and without his sanction or connivance; (b) such candidate took all reasonable means for preventing the commission of corrupt practices; (c) the offense was of a trivial, unimportant, and limited character; and (d) in all other respects such election was free from any corrupt practice on the part of such candidate and of his political agents, then the election of such candidate shall not be void, nor shall the candidate be subject to any ineligibility therefor. Costs may be taxed as in equity, and the trial judges shall have power to tax double, treble, or quadruple costs against the petitioner if they shall find that the allegations of his petition are materially untrue, and that his petition was brought from vexatious or malicious motives. An appeal may be taken on questions of law from any decision relative to the ineligibility to public office of any such candidate, but no appeal shall lie from any decision holding that any such election was or was not void. SEC. 14. Any state referee, any judge of the superior written request Court, or the judge of any court of common pleas, may, upon ney, prosecuting the written request of any state's attorney or of the prosecuting inal court of attorney of any criminal court of common pleas or of the district court of Waterbury, conduct an inquiry as to whether any crime has been committed concerning any matters mentioned in such request, within the jurisdiction of such state's attorney or prosecuting attorney making such request, and shall have power, by subpoena issued by him, to compel the attendance before him of any person as a witness; and such person, having been sworn as a witness, may be examined relative to any matters under investigation as aforesaid. Such referee or judge shall also have power, by subpoena duces tecum, issued by him, to compel the production before him, for examination, of any books or papers of any kind, or of any other thing which he may require in the conduct of such inquiry. Such referee or judge shall have power, by a capias issued by him, to cause any person who shall neglect or refuse to appear before him as a witness, having been duly summoned, to be brought before him; and any person in attendance as a witness who shall refuse to be sworn as a witness, or who, being sworn, shall refuse to answer any proper question propounded to him, and any person who, having been duly summoned, shall neg lect or refuse to appear before such referee or judge, may be adjudged guilty of contempt and may, by such referee or judge, be fined not more than twenty-five dollars, or imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both. In any proceeding held under the provisions of this or the preceding section no witness shall be excused from answering any question or producing any book, paper, or other thing on the ground or claim that his answer or the thing produced by him may tend to degrade or incriminate him or render him liable to a penalty or forfeiture, but his said answer or the thing produced by him shall Lot be used in any proceeding against him except in a prosecution for perjury in so testifying. State referee or employ stenogra attendance of officer. SEC. 15. Such referee or judge, in the conduct of any judge in such such inquiry, may, in his discretion, employ a competent inquiry may stenographer to take down the examination of any witness or pher and require witnesses, and cause the stenographic notes of such examination sheriff or other to be transcribed and furnished to any proper prosecuting officer having jurisdiction of the subject-matter of such inquiry; and such referee or judge may require the attendance and assistance, at any such inquiry and in procuring the attendance of witnesses, of any sheriff, deputy sheriff, state policeman, constable, or police officer, who shall be allowed such compensation as such referee or judge shall deem reasonable. SEC. 16. Such referee or judge shall return to the clerk of the superior court of the county wherein such inquiry is held, an account of all expenses incurred in the discharge of his duties, including witness fees, which account said clerk shall submit to the state's attorney for such county, who shall indorse the same, if correct, or such items thereof as are correct, and the sums so indorsed shall be paid by the state on an order therefor by such clerk. SEC. 17. Every person who shall violate any of the provisions of this act, for the violation of which no other penalty is provided, or who shall be guilty of any corrupt practice, shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars, or imprisoned not more than one year, or both, and, if he were a candidate for nomination or election, he shall be ineligible to any public office for the period of four years; provided, however, that this section shall not apply to violations of any of the provisions of section nine or section ten of this act. Any person who, whether officially or otherwise, donates or uses any money or other valuable thing belonging to a private corporation for political purposes or as director or stockholder votes for or sanctions such donation, shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars, or imprisoned not more than one year, or both. The venue for prosecutions under this chapter shall be deter Payment of expenses. Penalties. Repeal. Factory inspector to appoint female deputy factory inspector. Duties of female deputy factory inspector. Powers of female deputy factory inspector. Appointment, duties, and inined either by the place where the wrongful act was committed or by the residence of the accused as the prosecuting officer may elect. SEC. 18. Sections 1694, 1695, as amended, 1696, 1697, and 1698 of the general statutes, and all acts and parts of acts inconsistent herewith, are hereby repealed, and all prosecutions and proceedings heretofore begun under the provisions of this act now amended may be continued and defended to final effect. Approved, August 1, 1907. [Substitute for Senate Bill No. 16.] CHAPTER 241. An Act concerning the Appointment of a Female Factory In- Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in SECTION 1. The factory inspector shall, in addition to the deputy factory inspectors provided for by chapter 97 of the public acts of 1903, appoint, from time to time, on the recommendation of an advisory commission of three women appointed by the governor for that purpose as specified in section five of this act, a female deputy factory inspector, who shall hold office until her successor is appointed and qualified, unless removed by said factory inspector for cause. Said female deputy factory inspector shall receive the compensation for services and expenses provided by section three of chapter 97 of the public acts of 1903 as amended by this act. SEC. 2. Said female deputy factory inspector shall inquire into the enforcement of the laws regulating the employment of women and girls in any manufacturing, mechanical, or mercantile establishment, investigate the conditions relating to the health and welfare of women and girls employed in such establishments, and report thereon to the factory inspector; provided, however, that she shall have no power or authority over and no duty concerning any machinery, appliances, or fixtures except sanitary fixtures. SEC. 3. Said female deputy factory inspector shall have the same power and authority as the factory inspector, except as to machinery, appliances, and fixtures, subject to his approval, and shall serve under the direction of said factory inspector in all respects as other deputy inspectors. SEC. 4. Section three of chapter 97 of the public acts of compensation of 1903 is hereby amended by striking out the words. seven deputies. 66 thousand" in the eighth line thereof and inserting in lieu thereof the words "nine thousand" and by inserting in the sixth line and in the seventh line after the word "his the words "or her ", so that said section as amended shall read as follows: The inspector may from time to time appoint deputies to assist him in the performance of his duties. Such deputies shall have the same power and authority as the inspector, subject to his approval. Each of said deputies shall receive a compensation of five dollars per day for actual services, and his or her necessary expenses incident to the performance of the duties of his or her office. The total amount expended under this section shall not exceed in any one year nine thousand dollars, which shall be paid upon proper vouchers by the deputies, signed by the inspector. Female factory SEC. 5. The governor shall, on or before the first day inspector, of August, 1907, appoint three women, no two of whom shall how appointed. be residents of the same town, who shall constitute an advisory commission for the appointment of a female deputy factory inspector and shall serve for two, four, and six years respectively; and biennially thereafter the governor shall appoint one member of said commission to serve for the term of six years. It shall be the duty of said commission to recommend to the factory inspector some woman for appointment as female deputy factory inspector, such recommendation to be made on or before October 1, 1907, and thereafter whenever a vacancy shall occur in said office. SEC. 6. This act shall take effect from its passage. [Substitute for House Bill No. 633.] CHAPTER 242. An Act concerning Hours of Labor of Telegraph Operators and Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in Hours of labor train dispatchers SECTION 1. It shall be unlawful for any person, persons, of telegraph corporation, or receiver operating a line of railroad wholly or operators and partly within this state, or any officer, agent, or representative limited. of such corporation or receiver, to require or permit any telegraph or telephone operator, who spaces trains by the use of the telegraph or telephone, under what is known and termed the "block system," defined as follows: reporting trains to another office or officers, or to a train dispatcher operating one or more Penalty. trains under signals, and telegraph or telephone levermen who manipulate interlocking machines in railroad yards or on main tracks out on the lines connecting side-tracks or switches, or train dispatchers in its service whose duties substantially, as hereinbefore set forth, pertain to the movement of cars, engines, or trains on its railroad by the use of the telegraph or telephone in dispatching or reporting trains or receiving or transmitting train orders, as interpreted in this section, to be on duty for more than eight hours in a day of twenty-four hours, and it is hereby declared that eight hours shall constitute a day of employment for all laborers or employes engaged in the kind of labor aforesaid; provided, that at stations that are kept open only during the daytime, where only one telegraph or telephone operator is employed, such operator may work twelve hours in a day of twenty-four hours, and that the hours of service of telegraph or telephone operators, as interpreted in this section, shall be consecutive, including one meal hour; and provided, further, that in case of sickness, death, wrecks, or washouts, telegraph or telephone operators may be held on duty not to exceed sixteen hours in a day of twenty-four hours. SEC. 2. Any person or persons, company, or corporation, who shall violate any of the provisions of the preceding section shall, on conviction, be fined not more than one thousand dollars. SEC. 3. This act shall take effect January 1, 1908. Approved, July 27, 1907. priations; New London counties. [Substitute for House Bill No. 306.] CHAPTER 243. An Act amending an Act concerning County Law Libraries. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in County appro- Section 4620 of the general statutes as amended by chapter Haven and New 218 of the public acts of 1905 is hereby amended by striking out the words "fifteen hundred" in the fourth line of said section as amended and inserting in lieu thereof the words "two thousand," by striking out the words "five hundred " in the seventh line of said section as amended and inserting in lieu thereof the words "one thousand," and by adding at the end of said section as amended the following: "The treasurer of New London county shall annually, on the first day of January, pay to the New London Bar Association the sum of five hundred dollars, said sum to be used for the sole purpose of providing law books for the use of the county of New London at New |