77 8 CALIFORNIA 



A railway commission (later changed to a public utilities commission), was organised, 

 and by constitutional amendments and statutes received important powers, among others 

 (by the Eshelman-Stetson law) to fix absolute (and not minimum) rates and to make physical 

 valuations of railways; $210,000 was appropriated for the work of the commission. A high- 

 way engineer is to be appointed by the department of engineering, reorganised in 1911. 



The state bureau of labour was re-organised. The term of the commissioner is no longer 

 limited to four years but he holds office at the pleasure of the governor. In 1911 the state 

 passed the first law in the United States requiring all physicians to report occupational 

 diseases to the state board of health, the report to be transmitted to the commissioner of 

 labour. The penalty for failure to report is not more than 10. One of the constitutional 

 amendments adopted in October 1911 enabled the legislature to make compulsory the 

 elective compensation laws for workmen; and an act of 1911, applying to all employments, 

 but not to casual employees, is compulsory for state or municipality as employer. The com- 

 pensation provided for is, in case of death, three years' earnings, not less than Sl.ooo or 

 more than 5,000; if there are no dependents, 100. For total disability the compensation 

 is 65 % weekly of 1-52 of the average yearly earnings (if a nurse is required, 100%) with 

 8333.33 the minimum and 1666.66 the maximum yearly earnings, the limit to be 3 times 

 the yearly earnings or 15 years; and for partial disability 65% of the weekly wage loss with 

 the same limits as for total disability. Child labour laws forbid any minor under 18 (for- 

 merly 1 6) to work between 10 P.M. and 5 A.M. (formerly 6 A.M.) or more than nine hours a 

 day; but children between 15 and 18 may appear on the stage. Fifteen years is the age 

 limit for most employment and 16 the limit for employment during school hours. Children 

 over 12 may work on special permit from a judge of the juvenile courts. The law making 

 8 hours a maximum working day for women in factories, stores, hotels, restaurants, public 

 utility companies, etc. (but not canneries of vegetables and fruits) was held to be constitu- 

 tional by the supreme court on May 27, 1912 in a test case brought by a hotel keeper in 

 Riverside who was imprisoned for making a woman in his employ work nine hours a day. 

 All employers must pay their employees monthly or oftener. Employees discharged must 

 be paiu immediately and those that resign, within five days. The powers of the Industrial 

 Accident Board were enlarged. Employers were required to keep records of accidents. 

 Hours on railways must be no more than 16 in succession followed by 6 hours off. A new law 

 provides for full train crews and sets qualifications for engineers, conductors and brakemen. 

 A law in regard to convict labour requires goods manufactured in state prisons to be marked 

 with the name of the prison and not be sold but only be for public use. 



The law for general vaccination passed in 1889 was amended by a clause exempting those 

 that sign a statement they are conscientiously opposed to vaccination, but unvaccinated 

 children may not attend school in a district where there is smallpox. The practice of med- 

 icine, surgery, osteopathy and other treatments of cure was regulated by two new acts. 

 The state board of health received an appropriation of 5,000 to spread a knowledge of 

 tuberculosis through the state. Giving or selling tobacco to minors is made a misdemeanor. 

 Dairy products must not be manufactured from unhealthy cattle and the sale of impure or 

 adulterated products is forbidden. The United States Department of Agriculture standard 

 of purity for condensed and evaporated milk is proclaimed for the state. Cold storage eggs 

 or butter kept for three months must have marked on the package the date of storage and 

 any place in which they are sold must display a sign "Cold Storage Eggs OE Butter Sold 

 Here." It is made unlawful to dump garbage in navigable waters of the state or in the 

 Pacific within 20 miles of land. The secretary of state is to keep standard weights and 

 measures and counties, cities and towns are to appoint sealers of weights and measures. 

 A tenement code was passed for buildings in incorporated places. 



The laws against pimping and pandering were made more severe than before and a wife's 

 testimony against her husband in such a case is competent. 



The law against pool-selling and book-making on races was amended; but an initiative 

 measure for a state horse-racing commission was defeated in November 1912 by 353,070 to 

 149,864. A new section added to the Penal Code prohibited gambling by use of slot-machines 

 and of dice having more than six faces. 



A state flag was adopted showing a grizzly bear in dark brown on a white field with a red 

 stripe at the bottom of the flag and a red star in the upper left-hand corner and on the flag 

 the legend "California Republic." 



Finance. A state board of control was created in 191 1 to be composed of three members 

 appointed by the governor to hold office during his pleasure at a salary of 4,000. This 

 board is to examine the books of every state institution and visit institutions; to investigate 

 school land funds; to supervise the state's financial policy; to pass on contracts for supplies; 

 to supervise a new department of public accounting; and to institute a uniform system of 

 accounting. The board of examiners was abolished. In accordance with a constitutional 

 amendment of 1910 public service corporations are taxed on their gross earnings for a state 

 tax only and the state and local taxes were separated. Public service corporations were 

 taxed from 2 % to 4% on gross earnings; insurance companies i^ % on their gross premiums 

 and banks I % on their capital, surplus and undivided profits. These rates may be changed 

 by a two-thirds vote of tne legislature. The state banking law was revised in 1911. An 



