Senator John J. Blaine of Wis-cousin to-day launched an attack upon labour conditions in the beet sugar industry of the Western states.
He charged that women and children "literally crawl Zor miles upon their knees in the Western sugar beet fields" in the course of their work.
Replying to this attack, Senator Reed Smoot of Utah, one of the large beet sugar states, denied the truth of the charge. Senator Blaine responded that he was unwilling to accept the testimony of one who was financially interested inthe. industry.
To this Senator Smoot replied that he owned only 44 shares of stock in sugar companies.
The episode arose is connection with the hearings upon possible changes in the sugar tariff for protection of the domestic sugar industry—United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.