Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-10-17
LIMIT HOURS OF LABOR
ect Of Bill to Be Presented to
Legislature.
hi Conditions in Green Mountain
late a. shown by Report Of Com.
mission Appointed by the
Diocese of Vermont.

e Rev. Charles Chase Wilson Of st
lis Church read last evening at q
ting Of the Equal Franchise League
his city his paper on Social Condi.
in Our Own State" the meeting be.
held in the small lecture
Of the Y. M. c. A. and
nded by about 40. 1t was the
Of a series of educational lectures tc
held during the winter, eight lectures
II being planned, among the speakers
ady secured being President Guy rot.
Benton Of the University of Vernon,
Judge e. c. Mower. Mrs. Fl. s.
yard, president of the league. pre-.
d at the meeting last evening.
Wilson'S paper last evening was the
Prt Of social service commission
at the convention of the Episcopal
ese at Bennington on September Is
commission, which was appointed In
consists Of Joseph T. Stearns of this
and Newman *. Chaffee of Rutland
des MIR. Wilson, and the duties Of the
mission were to gather information
social and economic conditions of gen.
interest.
r. Wilson's paper, which is herewith
Pted in full forms the basis of a bill
CHI is to be presented at the present
bion Of the Legislature.
REPORT OF COMMISSION.
be text Of the resolution, by which
commission was created. has limited
Investigations to the industrial COM
hities of the State. Since this work
been undertaken, very serious
Hilton Of affairs in our rural COM
kl1ties has been revealed by J. N.
IS of Vergennes, the superintendent
! he State Industrial school. However
resting a discussion Of the problems
bented to us In the agricultural dis
rs might be. we shall not attempt 1t
fhis report. For this reason our re-
does not purport TO give a fair I'm.
Fsion Of conditions in the State as
Ple II has been by no means our only
cern to discover what was lacking in
industrial system. We have endeavor-
TO form just estimate of existing
hitions by means Of detailed reports
h Bennington, Rutland, Burlington.
hooski, Hardwick, Barre, Bethel and
lows Falls. In addition to these
Fces of Information, the commission
received valuable assistance from
ned workers in the State prison at
hdsor, the house of correction at Rut-
>, and the Industrial school at Yer
mes. 1t was our intention to have
work Of investigation done by or
ough the Mems clubs of our parishes.
most cases there is a crying need for
ething for our Mems clubs to do, In
Or to justify their existence. But for
reason or another none of the work
the commission has been done by
Mems clubs. This failure is n matter
regret. The information upon which
report is based has been gathered
clergymen and interested churchmen
he towns above named.
ardwick. Barre and Bethel owe their
ortance chiefly to the granite in.
ny. The unions of the granite cutters
very strong and we'll organized. With
eight hour day and wages equal to,
wv eACoSSi th0h, VIC ollDtIu Oh the
nary professional man in our small
ms. the granite cutter is well assured
he right to live and to pursue hap
ss. Insofar as we are able to learn,
q is no complaint Of child labor,
sssive hours, or Sunday work in this
lstry.
Bennington, Burlington and Winoo-
especially In the textile mills we
confronted with different situation.
a rule in these factories, 10 hours con-
ute a days work, 60 hours for the
X. But often it happens that there is
rush" Of business and men, women
children work II and 10 hours a day
days and weeks consecutive In some
IS work is planned for Sundays, in
:, 1t may be said that in some in
ices no recognition Of the Lords day
1t has been maintained by
'ials interested that such hours of
k and Sunday labor are necessary;
without them the Vermont mills
Id not compete in the open market
secure the business which Is neces-
' to their continued prosperity. II
however, the opinion of your COM
sion that a business built IN upon
\ foundations cannot contribute to the
fare OF a Christian community. To
'trate what may happen In the pres
unrelegated Industrial system Of our
lie. We will cite the following case.
do not venture to say that 1t happens
~ day, but that it is possible. A child,
irl Of Is years of age. was employed
textile mill at w. 1t was during the
sh" season last winter Her hours
Q roughly from 500 a. m. to Il, Is u.
6:30-9 p. m, or almost 10 1-2 hours a
through the week, with Saturday
rnoons off. At the end Of a month
his work. the girls boss" came to
house at 2:1O a. m. Sunday morning
requested her to get up and come to
X. The girl refused to &C and was
harged Immediately. Such a case, of
'se. needs no comment. There Is no
upon the statute book In this State
INIT or to regulate the hours Of labor
men, women or children. The casual
erver may suppose that y child or
men need not work the extra time. I'M
she chooses to. 1t is, however,
stion, in most instances. of working
extra time or not at all.
after communities.
careful eXamina ton of the industries
he State reveals the fact that we have
ur mills and factories several hundred
= between the ages of Is to q. For
n normal days work Is 10 hours in
ter. II hours In summer, with Satur-
afternoon free. In busy season It
: happen that for weeks these girls
averaging 70 hours a week. or IL hours
ay. At an age when child Is grow
and developing rapidly. such excess
hours of labor must have a most per-
ous effect. 1t Is the opinion Of your
mission that a person who has worked
er such conditions from the age of
y untitled for the duties of parentage.
n these reasons, a bill to limit the
RS OF labor for women and all children
pr IL yparS of are drawn by IT