the journeymen bakers lies with legislation in the direction of these laws, better organization of his craft, and the mutual co-operation of the two forces. The success of this alliance, supported by the progressive employing baker, and backed by popular good will, will be productive of lasting good for the entire community.

This was followed by a paper on the same subject by Theodore Wagner of Ohio, which is as follows:

BAKE SHOP INSPECTION IN OHIO.

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen-Up to within the last few years it has been the almost universal belief, especially so in this country, that bread, after leaving the oven (that means to say after having undergone the process of baking) was in a sterilized condition, and consequently a perfectly healthy article of food. Chemical analysis, however, has shown, and conclusively proven, that such is not the case. It is now an acknowledged and indisputable fact, that the first requisite to produce a healthy article of food is not only good ingredients, but clean workmen, and first, last and forever a bake shop clean in every respect, roomy, well ventilated and above ground.

While in Europe, first of all in England, proper sanitary bake shop laws were passed many years ago, but it was not until the year 1894 that agitation for the same purpose was taken up in this country, and then by the Journeymen Bakers and Confectioners' International Union of America; the main object of that organization being the betterment of the physical and moral condition of the men employed in the trade by providing clean, healthy workshops in which to labor in place of dirty, filthy, underground holes, where the atmosphere in most cases was completely poisoned by the gasses continually escaping from sewer, gas and other pipes, destroying the life of the employee by inches, no means of ventilation, with damp walls and often infested by vermin of all kinds. The statistics of the health offices in some of the large cities of the country prove that the mortality among the journeymen bakers was greater than that of any other class of workmen. No one can longer be in doubt that such places are unfit for the manufacture and storage of the most needed article of food.

Thanks to the liberal support given to the cause by the press and some well meaning men and women, the agitation for remedying these evils soon began in earnest, and the first bake shop law in the United States was passed in the year 1895, in the state of New York, the states of Minnesota, Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the province of Ontario, Canada, soon taking steps in the same direction. The Pennsylvania law even abolishing Sunday work and prohibiting the employment of children under fourteen years of age.

The Ohio bake shop law was passed April 27, 1896, and two inspectors appointed, one for the southern district, comprising forty counties, with Cincinnati as headquarters, and one for the northern district, comprising forty-eight counties, with Cleveland as headquarters, subject to orders of the chief inspector. Your humble servant being one of the two inspectors, was requested to give a short resume of his experience during the few months of bake shop inspecting. I entered upon my official duties in Decem

ber, 1896, and have so far inspected and re-inspected about four hundred places where meal food products are manufactured-at Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Sandusky, Akron, Canton, Massillon, Norwalk and other places in the northern district. The inspector for the southern district having, so far as I have learned, visited about the same number of places, making a little over 800 inspections. This number will be vastly increased when a thorough inspection of the state has been completed. Contrary to my expectation, however, I found from the beginning most of the shops in a much better general condition than I had anticipated, many of the bosses having prepared for the visit, as ample time had intervened between the passage of the act and the appointment of the inspectors to allow them to do so, and the daily papers had for weeks previous heralded the coming inspection.

The provisions of the law to be carried out were very conservative, but still, in spite of the preparation, orders for changes to be made in almost every place were issued, which consisted chiefly in cleaning, whitewashing, repairing floors, putting in drainage pipes, erecting and changing waterclosets and sinks, providing for proper ventilation and better protection against accident from machinery, wheels, belts, etc., and in and outlets, which orders were found on re-inspection thirty days later to be, in almost every instance, readily complied with. Five cellar bakeries were entirely closed, the owners finding it unprofitable to make the ordered alterations.

For the more strict enforcement of the law, which in spite of the supervision is violated by some enterprising, though unscrupulous landlords, compelling their tenants to either submit to their dictations or to move from one place to another, there should be appointed at least two additional bake shop inspectors for the state of Ohio, the territory to be inspected and re-inspected being a large one indeed, it is utterly impossible for two inspectors to do the work faithfully and conscientiously. Constant supervision is absolutely needed to keep many of the smaller bosses who are under the thumb of their landlords and suffering from their greed, from falling back, for the sake of economy, into their old habits.

One thing I desire to especially emphasize is the abolition, as soon as possible, of all underground bake shops or storage rooms for food products, in either raw or manufactured state, as they cannot, even with the greatest care, be kept in such condition as would warrant the manufactured or raw article from contamination with the impurities of such underground places. I also suggest that the inspector be clothed with authority to not only inspect premises, shelves, utensils used, etc., but also the ingredients out of which the staff of life is produced; in short, everything that is required to furnish the community with a healthy product. This would insure the use of pure and unadulterated materials, clean workshops in which to manufacture, and good, healthy workmen to turn out the product.

The Ohio law provides that no employee shall work longer than ten hours per day, or sixty hours in one week. The act in this respect is frequently violated in many small shops, under some pretext or other. Knowing from personal experience, having worked at the trade all my lifetime, that the work can be satisfactorily done in ten hours, I can see no good reason why some bake shop employes are compelled to work from two to four hours longer per day than prescribed by law. I believe, also, that the law should be so amended as to prohibit the employment of people under eighteen years of age during the night. The law being only in its experimental stage, our progress must necessarily be slow, but the results

achieved are good so far, and time will doubtless show that when once the public fully understands the great benefit to be derived from sanitary inspection of bake shops, the department will have the hearty co-operation of every law abiding citizen of the state of Ohio in endeavoring to enforce the bake shop act. I hope to hear suggestions from longer experienced and more competent inspectors than myself, which will tend to ultimately remedy the still existing evils.

In conclusion, I trust that in our humane work we shall continue to enjoy the good wishes and hearty support of every person interested in the public welfare, and that the same beneficial laws will soon be adopted by every state and territory in the union.

THEODORE WAGNER.

Bake Shop Inspector for Northern District of Ohio.

This was followed by a paper on the same subject by Mr. George L. McLain of Connecticut, which read as follows:

CONNECTICUT'S NEW BAKE SHOP LAW, AND WHAT IT IS ACCOMPLISHING.

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Convention-At the January session of the general assembly of Connecticut a bill was introduced, at the request of the Connecticut state branch of the American Federation of Labor, entitled, "An act concerning the manufacture of flour and meal food products, and sanitary condition of bake shops," which read as follows: First, This act may be cited as the "Bakery Inspection Law of 1897." Second, In the construction of this law the word "bake shop" shall mean any building, premises, workshop, structure, room, or place wherein is carried on the manufacture, for sale, of confectionery, or bread biscuits, cake, or any other food product made from flour or from meal, or from both, in whole or in part, and the said bake shop shall include also any room rooms used for storing the confectionery, bread, cakes, biscuits and other food products.

or

Third, All buildings in which bake shops are situated shall be drained and plumbed in a manner conducive to the proper and sanitary condition thereof, and constructed with air shafts, windows or ventilating pipes, sufficient to insure ventilation, as the factory inspector or any of the deputies shall direct. No cellar or basement, not now used as a bakery, shall hereafter be occupied and used as a bake shop, and a basement bake shop, when once closed, shall not be reopened unless the proprietor shall have previously complied with the sanitary provisions of this act.

Fourth, Every bake shop shall be at least eight feet in height and shall have, if deemed necessary by the factory inspector, an impermeable floor, constructed of cement or of tiles laid in cement, with an additional flooring of wood properly saturated in linseed oil. The side walls and ceiling of such a bake shop shall be plastered or wainscoted, and if required by the factory inspector, shall be whitewashed at least once in three months. The furniture and utensils in the bake shops shall be so arranged that the furniture and floor may at all times be kept in a proper and healthful sanitary and clean condition.

Fifth, The manufactured flour or meal food products shall be kept in perfectly dry and airy rooms, so arranged that the floors, shelves and all other facilities for storing the same can be easily and perfectly cleaned. Sixth, Every bake shop shall be provided with a proper washroom and water closet or closets apart from the bake room or rooms where the manufacturing of such food products is conducted; and no water closet, earth closet, privy, or ash pit shall be within or communicate directly with the bake room of any bakery, hotel, or public restaurant.

Seventh, No employee shall be required, permitted, or suffered to work in a bake shop more than ten hours in any one day, nor more than six days in any one week.

Eighth, The sleeping places for persons employed in a bake shop shall be kept separate from the room or rooms where flour or meal food products are manufactured or stored.

Ninth, Any person who violates any of the provisions of this act or refuses to comply with any requirement of the authority vested with its enforcement, as provided herein, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction shall be punished by a fine not less than twenty or more than fifty dollars for the first offense, and for the second offense by a fine not less than fifty nor more than one hundred dollars, or by imprisonment for not more than ten days, and for the third offense by a fine of not less than two hundred and fifty dollars and by imprisonment for not more than thirty days, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

Tenth, For the purpose of enforcing this law the factory inspector may appoint two additional deputies, each of whom shall receive an annual salary of $1,200, together with his necessary traveling and other expenses incurred in discharging the duties of his office, payable monthly by the treasurer on the warrant of the comptroller, upon proper vouchers approved by the factory inspector. Under the direction of the factory inspector such deputies shall inspect all bake shops and see that the provisions of this law are enforced. The factory inspector or deputy factory inspector authorized by him shall issue a certificate to a person conducting a bakery where such bakery is conducted in compliance with all provisions of this act.

Eleventh, The owner, agent or lessee of any property affected by the provisions of sections 3, 4, or 5 of this act, shall within thirty days after service of notice requiring any alterations to be made in or upon such premises, comply therewith. Such notice shall be in writing and may be served upon such owner, agent, or lessee either personally or by mail, and a notice mailed to the last known address of such owner, agent, or lessee, shall be deemed sufficient for the purpose of this act.

Twelfth, This law shall take effect thirty days after its passage.

This bill was rejected by both branches of the legislature and the following substitute bill was passed, entitled "An act concerning the regulation of the manufacture of flour and meal from cereals into food."

Be it enacted by the senate and house of representatives in general assembly convened:

Section 1. Every building, room, or place, used in or in connection with the manufacture for sale of any article of food composed wholly or in part of flour or meal from cereals, shall be known under this act as a bake shop."

Sec. 2. Every bake shop shall be properly drained, plumbed, ventilated, and kept in a clean and sanitary condition, and conducted with proper regard to the health of the operatives and the production of wholesome food.

Sec. 3. Every bake shop shall be provided with a proper washroom and watercloset or closets, apart from the bake room or rooms where the manufacturing of such food products is conducted, and no watercloset, earth closet, or privy shall be within the bake room of any bakery.

Sec. 4. The sleeping places for persons employed in a bake shop shall be kept separate from the room or rooms where flour or meal food products are manufactured or stored.

Sec. 5. The factory inspector shall examine all bake shops as frequently as may be necessary, to ascertain whether they are kept and conducted in the manner herein provided; and shall, in addition to such regulation as the factory inspector is by law now authorized to make, report in writing to the local health officer of any town, city, or borough, every bake shop located within such jurisdiction found not kept and conducted as herein provided; and such health officer shall thereupon investigate, or cause to be investigated, by other health officer or officers, such unsanitary conditions so reported to him, and if found to exist, shall cause the same to be removed in the manner now providing by the laws relating to public health, as provided in section 2592 of the general statutes.

This bill was approved May 25, 1897 and became a law July 15, 1897. This bill embodies but a part of the original bill, as it does not restrict the hours of labor of the employees of bake shops or give any stated height of which a bake room should be. It also does away with the giving of a certificate to owners of bakeries which are found in a clean and sanitary condition, and places the enforcement of this law in the hands of the local health authorities in the towns visited by the factory inspector. There is no provision made whereby cellar bake shops shall be abolished under certain conditions. It was hoped by the inspector of factories that special bake shop inspectors who should be practical bakers would be provided for in this bill and also an adequate appropriation for their salaries and necessary expenses; instead of this, however, the inspection of bake shops was given to the factory inspector and his agents with no extra appropriation and the appropriation committee saw fit to reduce the appropriation for special agents $500 from former years. The inspector and his agents had no practical experience whatever in regard to bake shops, and we felt that in taking up the work we had got to begin again in the primary departments.

Since this law took effect over three hundred bake shops have been inspected by the department, and their condition found as bad as was reported by the agents of the labor bureau. In each place where the conditions were found contrary to the law the local health officers have been notified in writing to this effect, and have shown a willingness to investigate all complaints, and have received us with uniform courtesy. Before the ending of the fiscal year all shops where complaints have been made to the local health officers will be revisited, so that a report can be given of what has been accomplished. Good results of the working of this law can be seen each week. After a visit to a bake shop not kept in a clean and sanitary manner the proprietors often ask what should be done. We tell them where we think the law is violated, and also that we shall report their condition to the local health officers, who are empowered to send orders for changes. In some instances, after delivering complaints to the local health officers in writing, we go with one of their inspectors over the same places and find that the picture has changed, and it reminds one of the patent medicine advertisements we see in the newspapers of before taking and after taking, as the whitewash brush