Evening star., 1912-01-20
Consumers League to Seek
Legislation for District.
BETTER HOURS FOR WOMEN
Their Working Conditions in Need
Of Improvement.
MUST NOT PRESS TOO FAR
Members Told That Business Men
Are Willing to Meet Them
Half Way in Reforms.

Under the direction Of its investigating
committee. the Consumers League. which
has as its ultimate purpose the Improve
ment Of working conditions in stores and
factories. will wage a fight for the pas
sage by Congress Of bill regulating the
working hours and conditions Of woman
employees in the District.
This fight. which received the enthusi-
present. was proposed yesterday after
noon at meeting Of the league at Miss
Madeira's School for Girls, l324.2S 10Th
street northwest.
Mrs. William q. Stuart, chairman of
the investigating committee. in her re-
port warned the members that they were
aiming too high at this time when they
thought to force local establishments to
qualify under the leagues white list, =
which requires high standards of wases
ana working conditions
Best Course Through Congress.
The surest manner to Improve con-
dittons Of working women in the Dis
trlct' Mrs. Stuart urged, is for the
league to unite in a city-wide canvass
for a congressional bill regulating work
ing hours and conditions In the District.
Mrs. Stuart declared that not since
senator La Toilette and Representative
Herger framed their bills providing for
tne same general object has ANYTHING
peer, Deen done IN Congress regarding condi-
| lette's bill provided for q limit Of ten
working hours for women, while Repre-
sentative Berger's set the limit at eight
hours. Because Of lack Of sentiment in
the District, she declared that there is
nOna nf >1s,
| taken up by Congress at this time,
| She urged that the investigating COM
mittee begin at once it's Investigations
OF conditions in the District. That this
would take time because of the number
Of establishments. she knew to be Ger
tain, but she urged that the investiga-
tfons be thorough. When the committee
has accumulated sufficient facts Il Is t.
get q hearing before q congressional
committee.
No Local Regulations.
She declared that there is absolutely
no regulation in the District regarding
hours for working women. and that the
problem, while not SO acute as in large
industrial centers. is one that needs
immediate attention. She cited cases
where women worked from early in the
morning far into the night without ex-
ira pay, and in some cases where young
girls worked for thirty-six hours in a
stretch. in order that they might obtain
a paltry increase in their weeks wages.
While such cases, she declared, were
done voluntarily. there should be a law
prohibiting girls from running their
health by such extra work.
An address was made by Charles F.
Nesbit, who has been actively engaged In
the study of industrial problems. Mr.
Nesbit advised the members as to the
best way to carry out their plans.
"The Consumers League ID striking al
the most vital point when its members
refuse to deal with establishments and
factories which do not meet with the re-
quirements of the white list" he de-
clared. He urged the members to tell the
establishments that they will not patron
ize them unless their goods bear the white
label Of the league or unless they agree
to improve the working and sanitary con-
dition of their employees and their goods:
He warned the members that much evil
would result In OVERRIDING their demands
for the white label, and that instead of
malxing the employer realize the goodness
of their cause they would cause resent
ment which would result disastrously. He
gave concrete cases to show that the la
Dor. wage is In reality the foundation of
the Industrial problem and that the stores
in the District are not different from
stores elsewhere.