The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-06-25
BEES FOR RELIEF.
Clerk in Topeka Store Appeals
to Labor Commissioner.
The Working Hours Are Alto
gether Too Long.
$50 A. NJ. TO 1880 p. M.
This Is Time Some Of Them Are
on Duty.
Mr.. johnson Says He Is Unable
to Help.
$50 A. NJ. TO 1880 p. M.

Labor Commissioner ". l. A. John
son has been asked by Topeka gro
Gerry store clerk to intervene on behalf
Of shorter hours for grocery clerks.
who it Is claimed are required to work
from $3.50 IN the morning until 1890
at night in many stores.
II have noticed" says this clerk in
his letter, that you have at various
times Interested yourself in enforcing
the eight hour labor law. 1t has al
ways seemed peculiar to me that you
look after only certain classes of labor.
In almost every case they are me-
chanies who get large pay and have
more chance to protect themselves
than have common laborers. One
class which 7 have in mind IS deserv-
ing protection is the grocery clerks,
who perform more hours of labor for
less money than any other class OF
men, some going to work as early as
$50 and working as late as 1890 p.
M, with no regularity for their meals,
often going eight hours without food.
If fl is the duty of the labOr commits
sioner to look after the length OF day
q man should work. why not the gro
Gerry clerk as we'll as others?"
Under the law as 1t now stands, gro
Gerry clerks have no protection by tn
eight hour law, nor do any other labor
ers who do not. work for the state,
CITY, county VI A1ffAA-AA4Es AAI low 10
this.
Eight hours shall constitute day s
work for all laborers workmen me-
chanics or other persons now employ
ed or who may hereafter be employed
by or on behalf of the state of Kansas
or By or on behalf of any county, city,
township or other municipality in said
state except in cases of extraordinary
emergency which may arise in time OF
war or fn ca ses where It may be neces-
20, Is
per calendar day for the protection of
property or human life.
Labor Commissioner Johnson says:
I've regret that 1t is impossible for US
to DO anything for the grocery clerks
who are required to put in such long
hours AS things are now, the only
thing they can do is TO rely upon pub
lie sentiment and the mutual agree
ment OF grocery store owners for a
uniform closing hour Com petition is
responsible for the bad conditions
which exist IN tn grocery trade. Each
store is afraid to close ahead of its
competitor, and the result is that many
stores. not only in Topeka, but in all
the other towns of the state. are
obliged to remain open until late at
night This Is especially true in the
suburbs Of the larger cities
The grocery clerk who writes the
letter to Labor Commissioner Johnson
takes this view Of the situation
The merchant is not to blame IN
divfdually for the existing condition,
but collectively the merchants are to
blame Merchants should agree upon
certain hours for their delivery wagons
to leave the store. both morning and
evening That hour should be fixed so
that the delivery men can make their
trip and return in time for meals. If
an order is too late to go out on the
regular trip. it should be an inviolable
rule that II should wait for the next
trip. But under existing conditions,
each merchant is afraid to refuse an
order for fear OF losing q customer,
even though that order has TO be de-
iivered by special trip of the wagon.
There are people in Topeka, who, be-
cause Of their financial standing and
their heavy purchases, presume upon
me merchant by going to the tele-
phone after IL o'clock and place an
ardeE for dinner, demanding that It be