The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1891-01-10
EURoPE'S LABOR LAWS.
What Some Nations Have Done to Pro-
tect the Working Glasses.


tect the Working Glasses.
A great trades-union congress, COM
posed of delegates from all the labor
organizations in Great Britain, met at
Liverpool on the 1st of September. 1t
was composed of five hundred delegates,
including ten women, and represented
most of the large trades of the Kingdom.
The principal act of the congress was
to pass resolution in favor of reduc-
ing the time of laboring to eight hours
a day and of making eight hours days
labor by act of Parliament. This was
not passed, however, without a good
deal of strenuous opposition on the part
Of some of the older delegates.
The meeting of this congress and the
great strikes which are frequently TAX
ing place in almost every civilized
country and Esgi IN render the subject
of what laws have been passed by the
several nations regulating labor es-
pecially interesting at this time, says
the Youths Companion.
Thus far no European nation has
passed law limiting the time of the
labor of adult male working-men. Such
measures as have been passed relate for
the most part to the protection and linz
ltation of the labor Of women and chill
iren and the greater part of these
measures have become law within the
past fifteen years.
For instance, by a statute passed by
| the British Parliament in 1878, women,
and children between fourteen and
eighteen years of age, who are engaged
in the textile factories are allowed to
work only ten hours day. Children
under fourteen years can work only six
hours day. In other industries the re-
| spective periods of labor are increased
over the figures stated by half an hour
Moreover, no child under ten years of
age is permitted to work in an English
factory at all, and all night work is for
bidden to women, young girls and chill
| dren.
In France the limit of age is little
narrower, for in that country no child
less than twelve years old is allowed to
| work in any factory, or other hard man.
ual employment, excepting that they
may do so in textile, glass and paper
| factories.
The French law, moreover, differs
from that of most countries in that it
| limits the hours of labor according to
! the degree of education of the laborer.
| Children between twelve and fourteen
| years who have had good elementary
| education are allowed to work twelve
| hours day; those who have not, only
| six. This is to enable the less educated
to attend school part of every day.
| The French also forbid work on Sundays
and nights to all boys under sixteen
| years, and all girls under twenty-one.
In viewing che steps taken by the
young German Emperor to improve the
condition of his laboring subjects, the
present state of the German labor laws
becomes interesting Already legisla-
tion has done much, at least in the di-
rection of protecting working-women
and children.
| German children under twelve years
of age are forbidden to take work in
factories and mines, and those between
twelve and fourteen are legally restrict
ed to six hours day. Those between
fourteen and sixteen years old may
work ten hours day in most of the in
dustries, and at spinning eleven hours.
Children are not allowed to work be-
tween half-past eight o'clock at night
and half-past five in the morning, nor on
Sundays, except in cases of urgent ne
cessity, to be determined by the Bundles
rath, or upper house of Parliament.
1t is noteworthy, however, that the
| Iol To-,
| little to protect working-women of ma
| ture age. The principal law on this sub.
| 1ect provides that the Bundesrath shall
have power to prohibit female labor in
certain industries, OF to restrict it by
regulations, and the same body may, if
it sees fit, prohibit night work to any
special class.
| Even despotic Russia has issued de-
crees which regulate the hours Of work
OF women and children according to the
exigencies of particular industries.
Children under twelve years, with few
| specified exceptions, are not allowed to
work in Russian factories; those between
twelve and fifteen years are restricted
to eight hours daily, and may not work
more than four hours continuously.
Children under seventeen years and
women are not allowed to work in Rus.
sia in spinning or textile industries at
night, and the Russian law requires EN-.
ployers to pay attention to the education
of their working people.
Similar regulations and restrictions to
those which have already been de.
scribed exist in Belgium, Spain, Aus.
tria, Hungary, Holland, Italy, Norway
and Sweden, and Denmark 1t will be
seen that there is little or no legisla.
ton which restricts or imposes condi
tlons upon the labor of full-grown men
but in many countries there are vigor
GUS agitations to extend the limitations
of law to working-men also.