The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-04-28
WORKING HOURS OF WOMEN
 AND GIRLS
Employers Desire to Keep Stores Open Evenings.
 Large Attendance at Hear ing on Bill Before Labor Committee Local Mer- chants Favor Measure President Hadley's Letter

A IuH1DeT Ol iOCdl puSluSSS lIISn dl- tended at the state capitol at Hartford yesterday a hearing before the Labor committee concerning the employment of women and children in stores. The chief features of the bill are in effect that no minor under 16 years of age. and no woman shall be employed in la boring in any mercantile establishment (other than manufacturing or mechan-
 icai more than fifty-eight hours in any week; provided, that in case any
 employer in such esta blishment shall, on or before the first day of January of any year, give notice to his em- ployees. by notices posted, that the hours of labor shall not exceed fifty five hours in any week during the months of June. July and August Of the ensuing year. then said employer may employ such minors and women not to exceed sixty hours in any week during said year, except during said provided further that any employer in such establishment. who shall, during each year. give not less than seven holidays with pay. shall be exempt the period from the 17th to the 25th day of December of each year.
 Former Congressman Lewis M. Sperry said that the object of the bill
  week although the aggregate hours may exceed ten. He said that the merchants desire to keep open one or possibly two nights week and they Christmas trade. The people who work during the day have to do their shop ping at night. People will not do their shopping in advance of Christmas week. but hold it off until just before Christmas. The trade demands that the stores be open on these evenings. He believed the statutes should be modified to allow for this.
 Local merchants who favored the bill at the hearing included F. D. Bell of Meigs & Co.,, c. S. Parker of How lands Dry Goods Co.,. E. J. Naylor of the Woolworth stores. I. Kleban of and James Roy of Smith Murray Co.
 Ralph O. Wells of Hartford, repre- senting the Consumers League. spoke in opposition. By statute, he said, the working day now was an eight-hour day. We Go not oppose opening in the evening. It is possible by working the trade by shifts to regulate this mat ter. It is necessary to the physical the State not to work longer than ten hours a day. He read statistics from the State Board of Education concern ing the pay of women and children, which is at an average of about s a week.
 In regard to the average pay quoted by MT. Wells a discussion arose, a number of the merchants saying that than 8 a week and many received more.
 Dr. Hepburn of Hartford told of how fatigue affected women and children. It is hard to estimate the number of women in Hartford who are suffering from excessive fatigue. At the Hart ford hospital 77 per cent of the work ing women were suffering from results nf -rsvIr hSnrr h1 Of all the women there were suffering from similar causes.
 Howell Cheney of South Manchester said that the proposed hesitation was like Illinois and New York, would pre- vent the employment of any child aft CT o'clock in the evening.
 Miss Mary Wells of the Consumers League spoke in opposition of the law, as it permitted the employment of women and minors over ten hours day. She spoke of the cruel hours that the women have to stand. much to the detriment of their health.
 A telegram from Henry w. Farnam of Yale University opposing the meas | ure was read, also a letter from Pres | ident Arthur T. Hadley in which he opposed lengthening the hours for the | of women and children. HADLEY'S LETTER. |
 President Hadley's letter follows:
  proposed amendment to an act con- | corning the employment of minors and Chapter 251, approved July 3l, | 1907,) by which amendment it is pro- | vided that mercantile establishments, | by giving notice of the intention to | employ minors and women for not over | fifty-five hours a week in June, July | and August, bay be allowed to employ | them sixty hours week during the remai finder of the year.
 ''So far as I can judge, the amend ment ought not to pass. You will oo- serve that it lengthens the average week. and in the second place intro duces that sort of a special notice clause which renders any labor law absolutely worthless. If a law of this with very stringent pro visions regarding seats, lunch hours. rest time, etc. I am sorry to say that the practice of mercantile establish ments throughout the State in the matter of the care of women employeS Is less good than that of the larger establishments.
 "I trust you will not regard it as an for me to add, that on your shoulders as chairman of the committee on Labor, rests a very grave to see that the health of future generations is not undermined by selfish interests, and that this pro- posed amendment looks on the face of | it like one of the efforts to sacrifice the health of posterity to putting dol lars into somebody's pocket
 Mrs. Porter, representing the New Haven Civic Club, spoke against Iengthening the hours of employment of girls, because many merchants would take advantage of the law and | of their clerks if it were passed.
 Miss Corcoran, deputy factory in spector, wanted some definite hour for closing. She wanted an explicit bill that the merchants will have to live fn c also an equitable bill favoring the help as we'll the proprietors.
 Charles F. Donahue of Derby, presi- dent of the State Federation of La bor said that men who have been re- peatedly violating the present law were now here seeking a modification of it. If the law is successfully at tackled now in two years the manu- lecturers will be here in as great num- bers asking further concessions.
 George L. Mclean. factory inspec-