THE BUREAU OF DEPARTMENT REPORTS has begun its
second year of service to the business interests of Massachusetts.
The first has proved its inestimable value to a rapidly increasing list
of members. With the experience gained in supplying the wants of
these members, the second year is bound to be more advantageous to
every member and the list of members is bound to increase until every
business house in the state is represented.

PERSONAL REQUESTS for information relating to various
departments of the state government bring the fullest realization of
the value of the Bureau's service. Many members have failed to
avail themselves of this privilege, contenting themselves with the
contents of the weekly bulletin. While every effort is made to in-
clude in the bulletin information to meet the needs of members, per-
sonal wants can be fully supplied when individual application is
made. Information is what members pay for; Service is what the
Bureau gives.

EMPLOYMENT OF MINORS

House Bill No. 1585-Providing that the Age at Which Minors May be Employed in Certain Industries Shall be Raised from 14 to 16 Years. Referred to Committee on Social Welfare; Hearing Scheduled for Feb. 28.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as fol

lows:

Sec. 1. Sec. 56 of chap. 514 of the acts of the year 1909, as amended by sec. 14 of chap. 779 of the acts of the year 1913, and by sec. 1 of chap. 831 of the acts of the year 1913, is hereby further amended by striking out the word "fourteen," in the first and ninth lines, and inserting in place thereof in each case the word sixteen, so as to read as follows: Sec. 56. No minor under 16 years of age shall be employed or permitted to work in or about or in connection with any factory, workshop, manufacturing, mechanical or mercantile establishment, barber shop, bootblack stand or establish ment, public stable, garage, brick or lumber yard, telephone exchange, telegraph or messenger office or in the construction or repair of buildings, or in any contract or wage-earning industry carried on in tenement or other houses. No minor under 16 years of age shall be employed at work performed for wage or other compensation, to whomsoever payable, during the hours when the public schools are in session or shall be employed at work before 6:30 o'clock in the morning or after 6 o'clock in the evening.

Sec. 2. Sec. 57 of chap. 514 of the acts of the year 1909, as amended by sec. 15 of chap. 779 of the acts of the year 1913, is hereby further amended by striking out the words "fourteen and sixteen," in the second line, and inserting in place thereof the words "under eighteen," and also by striking out the words "fourteen but under sixteen," in the 15th line, and inserting in place thereof the words "sixteen but under eighteen" so as to read as follows: Sec. 57. No child under 18 years of age shall be employed or be permitted to work in, about or in connection with any factory, workshop, manufacturing, mechanical or mercantile establishment unless the person, firm or corporation employing such child procures and keeps on file accessible to the attendance officer of the city or town, to

agents of the board of education, and to the state board of labor and industries or its authorized agent or inspectors, the employment certificate as hereinafter provided issued to such child, and keeps a complete list of the names and ages of all such children employed therein conspicuously posted near the principal entrance of the building in which such children are employed: Provided, however, that children who are over 16 and under 18 years of age shall be permitted to work in mercantile establishments on Saturdays between the hours of seven in the morning and six in the evening, without such certificate. On termination of the employment of a child whose employment certificate is on file, said certificate shall be returned by the employer within two days after said termination to the office of the superintendent of schools from which it was issued. Sec. 3. Sec. 61 of chap. 514 of the acts of the year 1909, as amended by chap. 249 of the acts of the year 1910 and by sec. 19 of chap. 779 of the acts of the year 1913, is hereby further amended by striking out the word "sixteen," in the second and fourth and ninth lines, and inserting in place thereof in each case the word "eighteen," so as to read as follows: Sec. 61. Whoever employs a person under the age of 18 years, and whoever procures or, having under his control a person under 18 years of age, permits such person to be employed in violation of the provisions of sec. 56 or 57 of this act, shall for each offence be punished by a fine of not less than $10 nor more than $50, or by imprisonment for not more than 30 days; and whoever continues to employ a person under 18 years of age in violation of the provisions of either of said sections, after being notified thereof by a school attendance officer or by an inspector appointed by the state board of labor and industries, shall for every day thereafter while such employment continues be punished by fine of not less than $50 nor more than $200, or by imprisonment for not more than 60 days; and whoever forges, or procures to be forged, or assists in forging a certificate of birth or other evidence of the age of such person, and whoever presents or assists in presenting a forged certificate or evidence of birth to the superintendent of schools or to a person authorized by law to issue certificates, for the purpose of fraudulently obtaining the employment certificate required by this act, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $10 nor more than $500, or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment. Whoever, being authorized to sign an employment certificate, knowingly certifies to any materially false statement therein shall be punished by a fine of not less than $10 nor more than $200.

Sec. 4. Sec. 66 of chap. 514, as amended by sec. 23 of chap. 779 of the acts of the year 1913, is hereby further amended by striking out the word "sixteen," in the second line, and inserting in place thereof the word "eighteen," so as to read as follows: Sec. 66. No child who is over 18 and under 21 years of age shall be employed in a factory, workshop, manufacturing, mechanical or mercantile establishment unless his employer procures and keeps on file an educational certificate showing the age of the child and his ability or inability to read and write as hereinafter provided. Such certificates shall be issued by the person authorized by this act to issue employment certificates.

The person authorized to issue such educational certificates shall, so far as is practicable, require the proof of age stated in sec. 58. He shall examine the child and certify whether or not he possesses the educational qualifications enumerated in sec. 1 of chap. 44 of the Revised Laws, as amended. Every such certificate shall be signed in the presence of the person issuing the same by the child in whose name it is issued.

Every employer of such children shall keep their educational certificates accessible to any officer authorized to enforce the provisions of this act and shall return said certificates to the office from which they were issued within two days after the date of the termination of the employment of said children. If the educational certificate of any child who is over 16 and under 21 years of age fails to show that said child possesses the educational qualifications enumerated in sec. 1 of chap 44 of the Revised Laws, as amended, then no person shall employ such child while a public evening school is maintained in the city or town in which the child resides, unless such child is a regular attendant at such evening school or at a day school, and presents to his employer each week a school record of such attendance. When such record shows unexcused absences, such attendance shall be deemed to be irregular and insufficient. The person authorized to issue educational certificates, or teachers acting under his authority, may, however, excuse justifiable absence. Whoever employs a child in violation of the provisions of this section shall forfeit not more than $100 for each offence, to the use of the evening schools of such city or town. A parent, guardian or custodian who permits a child to be employed in violation of the provisions of this section shall forfeit not more than $20, to the use of the evening schools of such city or town.

Sec. 5. Sec. 4 of chap. 43 of the Revised Laws, as amended by. sec. 3 of chap. 368 of the acts of the year 1912, and by chap. 356

of the acts of the year 1913, is hereby further amended by striking out the word "fifteen" and inserting in place thereof the word "seventeen" in the paragraph headed "first," and also striking out the word "fourteen" in the same paragraph, and inserting in place thereof the word "sixteen," so that the said paragraph will read as follows:

First. The number of persons between the ages of five and 17 years, and the number of persons between the ages of seven and 16 years, residing in the town (or city), according to the school census taken on the first day of September last preceding the date of this certificate.

GOVERNOR'S APPOINTMENTS.

Gov. McCall on Feb. 16 sent to the executive council the nomina. tion of F. R. Shaw of North Adams, as justice of the Northern Berkshire district court. The nomination under the rules will rest on the table for a week.

The council confirmed the previous nominations, the most important of which was that of Arthur L. Millet of Gloucester as fish and game commissioner, to succeed Dr. G. W. Field.

On receiving favorable reports from its pardon committee the council paroled Joseph A. Plouff of Ware, former president of the Lafayette Savings Bank of Boston, and Dr. Eben G. Perry, who had an office in Hemenway street.