New-York tribune., 1907-07-28
CONNECTICUT IN LINE.
also Passes La7cs for Uomen, Chill
dren and Railroad Men.

Hartford. Conn,
has not been behind New York passing legtsla-
ton calculated to make the burden easier for those
women and minors under sixteen who are com
PEELED to work in manufacturing establishments.
There has Just been passed in the Connecticut Gen
eral Assembly a law which provides that no woman
or minor under sixteen shall be employed more
than ffty-eight hours in any one week, or more
than ten hours in any one day thus shortening the
working week from the sixty hours that the pres
ent law. passed In 1901, makes legal
Tho new law provides that employer who
wishes TO employ women or minors for more than
sixty hours in any one week not in June July OF
August may do If he posts notice IN January
OF his intention and gives these operatives In re-
a ffty-hve hour week during the three months
mentioned.
The whole scheme OF this legislation, which will
go into effect soon has been the setting OF maxi
mum working week. rather than prescribing what
hours should be the earliest latest that women
and children should be at work any one day, as
does the New York law. which makes clock the
earliest hour at which they shan De at work IN
the morning and provides that they may not work
after o'clock in the evening, though the restrlc-
uon 10 eight hours in any one day for minors under
sixteen which obtains in New York has not been
seriously considered In Connecticut
Connecticut is afraid OF the eight-hour day The
state depends entirely its manufactures, and II
is held that Il would be at serious disadvantage
II Il were 20 establish the eight-hour day and then
be obliged compete with states alongside Of II
which had not done this. Manufacturers fall back
on the umeworn argument that the conditions
which surround manufacturing In Stamford ana IN
Port Chester. for instance. pretty much the
same, and that the Port Chester factory would
eight-hour day were imposed on the stamford rae
tory.
It was felt that the eight-hour day for public
/ employees, which the labor people tried so hard -
pass through the present General Assembly and the
Republican leaders lodged rolcall votes until
/ recently would be an opening step toward the
elght-h0ur day for ALL and it was therefore re-
jected IN the House The Senate passed II. but the
7 House would not rccede and il died between the
houses. Then. after the House had passed this
afty-cjght hour law for women and minors and
. the Senate was expected by the manufacturers and
/ others. members OF the Joint Committee on
Labor, 70 XIII IT, the argument that II the eight
hour day proper for public employees the Sen
ate must certainly be consistent and vote women
this hfty-eight hour week proved Of considerable
[ potency.
The consttutionality Of the new Connecticut law
/ Is hardly likely TO be called In question. as has
been the IN New York, for the wording is
practically the same that Of the law at present
the statute books, except In the number or
hours a week which made legal Not only
that but the point Of fundamental difference be-
tween the two Iaws-that which makes the Con-
uecticut law hinge the number OF hours en-
/ pIoyed a week and the New York law hinge on the
Iusiton twenty four that those hours of en-
| ploymeut shall have-is the point on which Judge
/ Gray declares the New York law unconstitutional
/ The present Connecticut law has never been tested
in the courts but it is hard to how it inter-
! feIes with the liberty OF contract
! As a matter fact, the majority OF Connecticut
factories where women ana minors are employed
TO any extent have for some time made their hours
such as 10 come well within the new law. The Sat
urday haIf-hoIday is almost the regular thing In
/
tority Of manufactures close on Saturday after
moons at 4 o'clock during the other months.
And this without requiring overtime to make up
on the part of their employees.
/ The new law regulating the hours Of labor for
/ railroad telegraph and telephone operators. train
dispatchers. towermeu. station agents. and so on.
/ Is not unlike a somewhat recently passed law in
I New York State in its general provisions, but IL
has NOT the loophole which is afforded by the pro-
vision in the New York law that it shall not apply
/ to any part of a railroad where not eight
regular passenger trains pass each way In twenty
four hours. unless there are twenty frelghts each
way in that time.
Like the New York law it provides that 1t shall
| be unlawful for operators to be employed at any
work connected with the spacing OF trains or
handling train orders interlocking switches for
more than eight hours in any twenty-four This is
| a general provision applicable any railroad in
Connecticut without regard TO its location the
| condition of It's traffic
AT the same time. there is i provision that affects
these smaller branches or lesser divisions in a way
that the teleGraphers consider beneficial than
| that referred to I'm the New York law. This pro-
/ vdes that stations which are kept open only IN
! the DAYTIME and where only one operator IS en-
! pIoyed he may work twelve hours in any twenty
! four, but those twelve shall include one hour for
meals.
| The New York law makes the ejght-hour day
| operative except in cases of extreme emergency
| caused by accidents. fire flood danger to life
| or property" and then apparently permits the
! operator TO be employed any length of time II he
! is paid double for his overtime. The Connecticut
wrecks washouts' for operators TO work sixteen
| hours in any twenty-four, not more.
The fine In the Connecticut law is $1,000. as
against SIOO I'm passed by New York. The rail-
road telegraphers of Connecticut feel elated over
| the passage of what is regarded of the best
~ those laws on the statute books of any state IN
| the Union, and against the adverse report OF the
| Committee on Railroads. 1t only after much
| trying that they able 70 secure hearing, n
/ which many OF the most Intelligent of them ap-
| peared and presented case strong that when
| they had finished Chairman Fyler OF the State
Railroad Commission arose to say that he was as
| tonished that the conditions they told of existed
and certainly legislation to remedy them should be
| enacted.
"No GOOD ON EARTH"