When school committees shall have charge of construction. School buildings shall have proper exits. -kept in repair. -stairways. -doors and windows. -school buildings of more than one story. -when municipal officers shall correct defects. Doors to open SEC. 3. In case no special building committee has been chosen by the town, the superintending school committee shall have charge of the erection or reconstruction of any school building, provided that said superintending school committee may, if they see fit, delegate said power and duty to the superintendent of schools. AN ACT FOR THE SAFEGUARDING OF SCHOOLS (Chap. 100, P. L. 1909.) SEC. 1. Any building which is used in whole or in part as a schoolhouse shall be provided with proper egresses or other means of escape from fire sufficient for the use of all persons therein accommodated. These egresses and means of escape shall be kept unobstructed, in good repair and ready for use. Stairways on the outside of the building shall have suitable railed landings at each story above the first, accessible at each story from doors or windows and such stairways, doors or windows shall be kept clean of snow, ice and other obstructions. In school buildings of more than one story there shall be at least two separate means of egress by inside or outside stairway, and each story above the first shall be supplied with means of extinguishing fire consisting of pails of water or other portable apparatus, or of a hose attached to a suitable water supply and such appliance shall be kept at all times ready for use and in good condition. Upon written notification by the superintending school committee that any school building does not meet the specifications herein named, the municipal officers of the town shall at once proceed to correct the defects, and any failure so to act shall render the town liable to the provisions of section sixteen of chapter fifteen of the revised statutes. LAW RELATING TO THE PROTECTION OF LIFE IN (Chap. 28, Sec. 37, R. S. 1903, as amended by Chap. 178, P. L. Section 37. Every building intended temporarily or perma1913, c. 178. nently for public use, and every schoolhouse of more than outwards. one story in height, and every school-room therein, shall have all doors, intended for egress, open outwards. *AN ACT RELATING TO THE COMMON SCHOOL FUND AND THE MEANS OF PROVIDING FOR AND (Chap. 177, P. L. 1909.) of tax for schools. SEC. I. A tax of one and one-half mills on a dollar shall Assessment annually be assessed upon all of the property in the state accord-support of ing to the valuation thereof and shall be known as the tax for the support of the common schools. shall be SEC. 2. This tax shall be assessed and collected in the same How tax manner as other state taxes and shall be paid into the state assessed. treasury and designated as the common school fund. shall be SEC. 3. One-third of this fund shall be distributed by the How fund treasurer of state on the first day of January, annually, to the distributed. several cities, towns and plantations according to the number of scholars therein, as the same shall appear from the official returns made to the state superintendent of public schools for the preceding year and the remaining two-thirds of said fund shall be distributed by the treasurer of state on the first days of January, annually, to the several cities, towns and plantations according to the valuation thereof as the same shall be fixed by the state assessors, for the preceding year. Unexpended disposed of. SEC. 4. All of the said fund not distributed or expended fund, how during the financial year, shall at its close, be added to the permanent school fund. schools. SEC. 5. All moneys provided by towns, or apportioned by All money to be expended the state for the support of common schools, shall be expended for common for the maintenance of common schools, established and controlled by the towns by which said moneys are provided, or to which said moneys are apportioned. received by SEC. 6. Sums received by any city, town or plantation from How money the distribution provided by section three, shall be deemed to be towns shall raised by such city, town or plantation within the meaning of to have revised statutes, chapter fifteen, section thirteen, as amended. * Additional to Sections 124, 125, 126 and 127, Chap. 15, R. S., 1903. be deemed been raised. This act not to affect certain provisions of the revised statutes. School equalization fund set aside. 1913, c. 182. purpose. 1911, c. 192. -rate determined. 1913, c. 182. Method of distribution. SEC. 7. The passage of this act shall in no wise affect the provisions of sections one hundred twenty-four, one hundred twenty-five, one hundred twenty-six and one hundred twentyseven of chapter fifteen of the revised statutes, or of section two of chapter one hundred and eleven of the public laws of nineteen hundred and seven. AN ACT FOR THE EQUALIZATION OF SCHOOL PRIVILEGES. (Chap. 198, P. L. 1909, as amended by Chap. 192, P. L. 1911 and Chap. 182, P. L. 1913.) SEC. I. The treasurer of state shall immediately after the first day of July, nineteen hundred thirteen, and annually thereafter deduct the sum of forty thousand dollars from the state school funds and the same shall be set aside and denominated the school equalization fund which shall be used in the manner hereinafter designated for the purpose of aiding those towns wherein a rate of taxation considerably in excess of the average rate for the state fails to produce a school revenue sufficient to secure a reasonable standard of educational efficiency; provided, that the rate of taxation hereinbefore named for the purposes of this act shall be reckoned on the basis of the amount actually raised by taxation by the town for the support of common schools, exclusive of any amounts received from the state. SEC. 2. It shall be the duty of the state superintendent of 1911, c. 192. public schools to cause a special investigation to be made of the educational facilities of such towns as are included under section one of this act and, whenever it appears to the state superintendent that any town should receive special aid or encouragement for the purpose of raising the standard of qualifications of common school teachers or of increasing the length of the school year or otherwise adding to the efficiency of the common schools he shall issue to the governor and council a recommendation relative thereto and the governor and council shall have authority to draw a warrant in the favor of the treasurer of said town for the payment from the equalization -special of educa fund of a sum which shall be expended under the direction of the superintending school committee of said town in accordance with the recommendation as made by the state superintendent of public schools and within the purposes of this act. The state superintendent of public schools shall be authorized to investigation expend for the special investigation of educational facilities as tional herein provided a sum not to exceed two thousand dollars which shall be deducted from the equalization fund and he shall annually publish in his printed report a complete statement relative to all disbursements as provided in this act. facilities. expended, posed of. SEC. 3. All of the school equalization fund not distributed Fund not nor expended during the financial year shall at its close be how disadded to the permanent school fund. LAWS RELATING TO THE EMPLOYMENT OF (Secs. 48 to 54, Chapter 40, R. S. 1903.) of minors and manufacturing ments. -fifty-eight hours a week. Section 48. No female minor under eighteen years of age, Hours of labor no male minor under sixteen years of age, and no woman shall women in be employed in laboring in any manufacturing or mechanical establishestablishment in the state, more than ten hours in any one day, except when it is necessary to make repairs to prevent the interruption of the ordinary running of the machinery, or when a different apportionment of the hours of labor is made for the sole purpose of making a shorter day's work for one day of the week; and in no case shall the hours of labor exceed fifty-eight in a week; and no male person sixteen years of age and over shall be so employed as above, more than ten hours a day during minority, unless he voluntarily contracts to do so with the consent of his parents, or one of them, if any, or guardian and in such case he shall receive extra compensation for his services; provided, however, that any female of eighteen years of age or over, may lawfully contract for such labor for any number of hours in excess of ten hours a day, not exceeding six hours in any one week, or sixty hours in any one year, -does not apply to establishments, materials or products of which are perishable. 1911, c. 55. Employer shall post notice of 1887, c. 139. -form of notice. receiving additional compensation therefor; but during her minority, the consent of her parents, or one of them, or guardian, shall be first obtained. Nothing in this section shall apply to any manufacturing establishment or business, the materials and products of which are perishable and require immediate labor thereon, to prevent decay thereof or damage thereto. Section 49. Every employer shall post in a conspicuous place in every room where such persons are employed, a notice hours of labor. printed in plain, large type, stating the number of hours' work required of them on each day of the week, the exact time for commencing work in the morning, stopping at noon for dinner, commencing after dinner, and stopping at night; form of such printed notice shall be furnished by the commissioner of labor, and shall be approved by the attorney general. And the employment of any such person for a longer time in any day than that so stated, shall be deemed a violation of the preceding section, unless it appears that such employment is to make up for time lost on some previous day of the same week, in consequence of the stopping of machinery upon which such person was employed or dependent for employment. 1911, c. 143. -employment. for a longer time deemed violation. Penalty for violation. 1887, c. 139. -certificate of parent or guardian shall be evidence of age. -penalty for false certificate. Employers shall be given. Section 50. Whoever, either for himself, or as superintendent, overseer or agent of another, employs or has in his employment any person in violation of the provisions of section forty-eight, and every parent or guardian who permits any minor to be so employed, shall be punished by a fine of not less than twenty-five, nor more than fifty dollars for each offense. A certificate of the age of a minor made by him and by his parent or guardian at the time of his employment, shall be conclusive evidence of his age in behalf of the hirer, upon any prosecution for a violation of the provisions of section fortyeight. Whoever falsely makes and utters such a certificate with an intention to evade the provisions of this chapter relating to the employment of minors, shall be subject to a fine of one hundred dollars. Section 51. Any person, firm or corporation engaged in any manufacturing or mechanical business, may contract with adult or minor employes to give one week's notice of intention on such employe's part, to quit such employment under a penalty forfeiture of one week's wages. In such case, the employer |