The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-05-19
FRANK {. HOWE. Editor and Publ
REGULATING HOURS oF LABOR

hER1O ~ wv ~ NV ~ EfNAOR
In almost every state legislature
which has been in session this year
among the important measures under
discussion have been proposals. reg
uating hours of labor Many OF the
states have for some years had laws
forbidding the employment of boys
and girls before they reach maturity
more than a certain number OF hours
per week. A few states have recent
ly passed acts limiting the number OF
hours that a woman may be employ
I'd. Other states will follow along
the same line and the logical Sc
quence will be finally to apply the
same or similar laws to men. Last
weeks Saturday Evening Post had an
editorial article on the subject which
is wen worth reading. 1t is as fol-
lows.
What we know as men we cannot
profess to be ignorant of as judges"
said the Supreme Court of Illinois the
other day, in UNFOLDING the law which
limits factory labor by women to ten
hours a day. Because of womans
physical and maternal func-
lions. said the court-closely follow
ing The argument of The United States
Supreme Court in the Oregon case -
much SEGA; harm may result from
her employment, at factory labor, for
more than ten hours daily; hence to
limit her working hours is proper
exercise Of the states police powers,
although 1t does abridge that freedom
to make contracts, on her part and on
her employers part, which the Con-
stltution guarantees.
THE constitutional guaranty is the
same now that it was In 1895 when
tie court annulied a law limiting
hours of labor fer women on the
Ground that it Violated that guaranty
within a few years the Federal
! Supreme Court has overthrow a
/ New York law limiting hours OF labor
by men in bakeries because Il viola.
ted the constitutional right of free
dom Of contract; but It has upheld an
Oregon law limiting hours Of labor
/ by women, although that law obvious
! ly interfeied with the same consti
utiona' uiht in the same way. The
court was guided by consideration a
the social harm that may result from
! longer hours for women. We have nc
doubt that In few years It will he
allowing in the same way for social
harm that may result from long hours
Tor men in some employment and sus
tanning, as constitutional. acts limit
iag their working day.
1T is even possible that such acts
will be suffered TO take effect without
/ appeal t. the courts, that for example
the illinois manufacturers who sought
to annul this ten-hour law fer women
will say What we know as men We
cannot profess to be ignorant Of as
employers
No one can doubt that the Post /,
right in its conclusions and It is there
fore incumbent on both employer,
and employed to study the situation
and the probable future. The danger
from an employers point OF view Is
that he may be compelled TO produc,
his output under less favorable law,
than a competitor in another state
thus giving his competitor an unfail
advantage.
The same point should also be con
sidered by the employed for a mar
working for an employer who is no
fairly prosperous Is IN danger eithe
Of reduction Of wages or Of losinl
his job altogether through the mil
closing down. AT the best he can
not hope for a raise Of wage or bet
tered conditions unless the plant 4
paying dividends.
For these reasons II seems n
though that there ought to be nation
al laws regulating the hours Of labor
This would make the application I,
all manufacturers Of one line o
C7ods on an equality as far as hour
OF labor are concerned. The question
is one that Is coming to a crisis ant
must be settled during the next few
years.