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INTRODUCTION.

During the year 1895 there were 3,137 manufacturing places inspected in Michigan. This is an increase of 1,071 over the number inspected in 1893 and an increase of 449 over the number inspected in 1894.

The legislature of 1895 re-enacted the factory inspection law of 1893, amending its provisions in many respects. The appropriation to carry on the work was increased from $4,000 to $3,000. No limit is placed upon the number of deputy inspectors that may be appointed by the Commissioner of Labor, save by the amount of the appropriation, which naturally limits to a small number. The full text of the law now in force precedes the tabulated reports and will be found on pages 1-3.

After the enactment of the present law the State was divided into five districts. No arbitrary lines could be drawn in forming these districts. Lines of communication and facilities for traveling by inspectors must be taken into consideration in keeping expenses at a minimum.

An effort has been made in the past year to cover the whole State in compliance with the law which authorizes and requires the Commissioner of Labor "to cause at least an annual inspection of the manufacturing establishments or factories in this State." It has been impossible to make a second visit to a large number of factories, but wherever possible, inspectors have repeated their visits, keeping close watch to see that their orders are complied with.

The results of the inspection are highly gratifying. A large number of fire escapes have been erected, automatic protection to elevators furnished and dust arresters or blowers provided in many factories. Protection to machinery has been made in hundreds of places to the immense benefit of employes engaged therein. Sanitary regulations, including proper closets, have been properly looked after.

B

CHILD LABOR.

Child labor has received very much attention from deputy factory inspectors. The Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of Labor have also given this matter much attention. During the summer of 1895 it was discovered that parents were making false statements of the ages of their children employed in factories. This was particularly true in Detroit. As a result employers were technically guilty of violation of the law when they had good reason to believe they were complying with it. After this discovery of false statements, all doubtful cases were investigated thoroughly. The school census and birth and church records were examined to find evidence of the age of children employed. As a result a large number were discharged from work. To the credit of employers it should be said that with very few exceptions they have manifested a desire to comply with this law. Doubtless there are cases not discovered by inspectors, but they are comparatively few. Many people have confounded the factory inspection law as it relates to child labor with the truant law. A rigid inforcement of both laws would effectually prevent the employment of children under sixteen years of age in factories.

Inspectors were instructed to be especially careful in their inquiries into accidents in factories. As a result, many slight injuries are reported in 1895 which were passed in previous years. The number reported in 1895 is 253. Very many accidents reported are from causes entirely beyond the control of factory inspection. For example, 43 fatal accidents are reported in the State. Of these, 33 were occasioned by boiler explosions, bursting of grinding stones and other causes beyond any preventive which could be prescribed by a factory inspector. The same may be said of those which may be termed serious, severe or slight. An examination of the reports of accidents discloses that of the 253 reported, 98 were from explosions and other causes not coming within the jurisdiction of factory inspection Individual reports of deputy inspectors and the deductions from their tabulated reports are referred to for more particular information on the work of factory inspection.

The Commissioner of Labor cheerfully acknowledges the good work done by deputy inspectors. To their industry, energy and intelligence, coupled with their experience gained in previous years, may be ascribed very much of the success which has attended factory inspection in Michigan. Many letters have been received by the labor bureau acknowledging the value of inspection and complimenting the manner in which it has been prosecuted.

BOILER INSPECTION.

Boiler explosions are a source of many accidents. Soon after the explosion in the Detroit Journal office November 6, 1895, the Detroit Tribune published a list of boiler explosions in Michigan since January 1, 1893. Probably this record is incomplete, as it covers only those which may be termined stationary boilers. It is well known that portable engines and boilers have not escaped explosions. The Tribune article is reproduced here for the benefit of those interested:

Since January 1, 1883, there have been 102 boiler explosions in the State of Michigan, causing 172 deaths and injuring 209 people. This includes the Journal horror. The total property loss is given at $266,000, not including the Journal's loss, but as the loss has been given in only about one in every ten cases, the actual loss is much larger than this. These figures and facts are furnished by the Detroit Association of Stationary Engineers, and are correct.

The following is a list of all of the casualties of this kind that have occurred in this state since 1883, with the details of the explosions:

January 1, 1883-St. Louis; H. P. Hollister's saw mill; killing one and injuring two. January 2, 1883-At Filmore Center; the son of proprietor killed; seven injured. January 2, 1883-At Vassar; John H. Bates' saw mill; seriously injuring two. February 9, 1883-At Charlotte; B. J. Grier's saw mill; proprietor and engineer were instantly killed.

March 20, 1883-Grand Haven; City Bakery; loss $200.

March 31, 1883-At Round Lake; Lark & Plant's mill; all were at dinner.

April 26, 1883-At Plainfield township; Robert Copes' saw mill; the mill was completely demolished; the foreman was killed; boiler was second hand and had been burned; loss, $1,000.

May 14, 1883-At Green Bay; Merrick & Gibbs' saw mill; the boiler house was wrecked and one person seriously injured.

May 21, 1883-At Detroit; the Wolverine Paper Co.; the boiler room was completely wrecked; the engineer and fireman were killed; the mill was new; loss, $60,000.

June 1, 1883-At East Saginaw; G. V. Turner & Son; three men were torn to pieces; loss, $5.000.

July 12, 1883-At Custer Village; Hoogstraat & Cousin's; killing the engineer and fatally injuring two others; the boiler was new; loss, $3,000.

July 17, 1883-At Sand Beach; Noble & Benedict's saw mill; engineer was instantly killed; boiler was old.

August 4, 1883-At Roscommon county; A. W. Wright Lumber Co.; killing three

men.

October 20, 1883-At Grand Haven; Ross Bros.' sash factory; killing one man and seriously injuring several others; loss, $10,000.

October 24, 1883-At East Saginaw; Bliss, Brown & Co.; during a fire a battery of seven boilers exploded; but one person was injured; loss, $60,000.

December 21, 1883–Lacosta; Oxley & Hill's saw mill; killing the proprietor, engineer and one other person.

January 5, 1884-At Stillwater; C. N. Nelson Lumber Co.; the fireman, John McCrimmens, was instantly killed, and one man seriously injured; loss, $2,000; insured; low water cause.

January 7, 1881-At Merrill; Hood Parson's mill; killing engineer, Anthony Moran, and injuring four employes; loss, $5,000.

January 17, 1881-Edmore; Dickinson & Anderson, saw mill; the watchman was instantly killed; the accident occurred half an hour before time to start work, or the loss of life would have been greater.

February 1, 1881-Near Blanchard; Twitchell's shingle mill; two men were killed and several were injured; it was two years old; loss, $2,000.

February 9, 1884-At Mason Center; Pilgrim's mill; no lives lost.

March 2, 1884-At Battle Creek, Sunday, at the Sanitarium; five persons were injured; loss, $3,000.

March 5, 1884-At Jackson; Porter's saw mill, killing the engineer and brother of proprietor; one fatally injured; low water cause.

March 24, 1884-At Albion; Moses Roland's saw mill; two persons seriously injured and several slightly.

April 16, 1884-At Bay City; Dobson, Chapin & Co.; instantly killing two and seriously injuring six others and one slightly.

April 17, 1884-At Davison's Station; Butherick's grist mill; instantly killing engineer and seriously injuring proprietor and one other, a tickent agent; loss, $3,000.

May 1, 1884-At Crow Island; boiler owned by Marion & Wilson, of East Saginaw; one child killed and woman injured; loss, $1,000.

May 10, 1884-Saginaw; Green & Ring; wrecking boiler house; two persons seriously and two others slightly injured; loss, $6,000.

May 30, 1884-Monroe; Maybee mill; killing the engineer.

July 19, 1884-At South Saginaw; Wiggins, Cooper & Co.; during a fire boilers exploded; no one was injured; loss, $15,000.

September 20, 1884-At Shaftsbury; the Davis mill; no lives were lost.

November 13, 1884-At Hudson; Crisper's cooper shop; no persons were hurt.

December 19, 1884-At Jackson; Plummer's planing mill; two persons killed; six seriously injured.

April, 1885-At Manistique; Chicago Lumber Co.; the fireman, named Fuller, was fatally injured.

September 15, 1885-At Reese; Alfred Hauteberger, owner, was seriously injured; six persons were crippled for life.

January, 1886-Cheboygan; the manhead of the boiler in Perry & Baker's shingle mill blew out and made a hole in the roof of the building 20 feet in diameter; no other damage was done.

June 1, 1886-Quincy; the boiler in Kimbark's carriage woodwork factory exploded two hours after steam was gotten up; William Cole, the engineer, and Joseph Benton were killed; Superintendent F. G. Sheldon and seven employes were seriously injured. June, 1886-At Mecosta; J. H. Breekus' shingle mill; killing Charles Bartlett and seriously injuring a man named Palmer.

July 16, 1886-Port Austin Manufacturing Co.; seriously injuring Engineer Daniel Drygert, and instantly killing Willie Jewett; there were seven miraculous escapes; damage, $800.

August, 1886-J. H. Pearson & Son, Saginaw; no one seriously injured; damage, $500. January 29, 1887-Lake View; boiler in shingle mill of Joseph Brothers exploded, demolishing the mill and instantly killing James O. Wilson and seriously injuring James Joseph.

March 8, 1887-Alpena; boiler at Carr Brothers' shingle mill exploded, instantly killing Emory Carr and Waldo Carr, and seriously scalding Eugene Carr; the mill was blown to pieces.

March 8, 1887-Near Ithaca; boiler in W. F. Thompson's tub factory exploded, killing Rollin Norton and Orrin Harvey; Charles Wilson badly injured.

March 9, 1887-At Edmore; boiler of Gibbs' shingle mill exploded with terrific force, completely wrecking the mill and instantly killing two men, names not known; six or seven were seriously hurt; loss, $3,000 to $4,000.

May, 1887-At Turnbull's Lake, west of Big Rapids, one of the boilers in Cannon & Shipman's mill exploded; no one was seriously injured.

Nov. 16, 1887-Hancock; the packing house of the Hancock Chemical works was blown up; six men killed.

February 20, 1888-At Adrian, a saw mill boiler exploded; engineer killed; proprietor and two employes badly injured.

February 21, 1888-At Morenci; the boiler exploded in the saw mill of Levi Newell, four miles east of Morenci, killing the fireman, William Smith, and terribly injuring Levi Newell.

February 23, 1888-At Golden, a boiler in a saw mill exploded, killing Fireman Lamb and severely injuring another man.

February, 1888--Houghton; the boiler of a saw mill exploded, wrecking the mill; fortunately no one was injured; the explosion was caused by safety valve being overloaded.

May 14, 1888-At Caro, the boiler in the wooden works exploded, killing Henry Howland and severely injuring Joseph Randall, Frank Riddle, Albert Riddle and T. W. Wisner; cause, boiler old and patched.

June 1, 1888-At Wyandotte, the boiler in the plate mill of the Eureka Iron & Steel Works exploded, wrecking the entire building and instantly killing Terry McCoy, Patrick Finn and George Green, and seriously injuring a number of others; loss, $10,000.

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