SEC. 5. The governor shall, on or before the first day of August, 1907, appoint three women, no two of whom shall 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.

Approved, July 30, 1907.

CHAPTER 242.-Hours of labor of railroad telegraph operators and train dispatchers.

SECTION 1. It shall be unlawful for any person, persons, corporation, or receiver operating a line of railroad wholly or partly within this State, or any officer, agent, or representative 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 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 herein before 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 employees 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.

CHAPTER 251.-Hours of labor of women and children.

(See p. 671, above.)

FLORIDA.

ACTS OF 1907.

CHAPTER 5678.-Contracts of employment-Repayment of advances.

SECTION 1. From and after the passage of this act any person in the State of Florida, who shall contract with another to perform for him services of any kind with intent to procure money, or other thing of value thereby, and not to perform the service contracted for, or whoever, after having so contracted, shall obtain or procure from the hirer money or other thing of value, with intent not to perform such service, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars or by imprisonment in the county jail not more than one year, or by both fine and imprisonment.

SEC. 2. Satisfactory proof of the contract, the procuring thereon of money or other thing of value, the failure to perform the services so contracted for, or failure to return the money so advanced with interest thereon at the time said labor or service was to be performed, without good and sufficient cause, shall be deemed prima facie evidence of the intent referred to in the preceding section.

Became a law without the approval of the governor.

CHAPTER 5686.--Employment of children.-General provisions.

(See pp. 678 and 679, above.)