Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1913-03-08
CLUB NOTES
Eight Hour Law for Women.

4 The women of Nevada have been
| much interested in the passage of an
| eight-hour law for women employed
in this State, and were rather shocked
a week ago to read in leading Reno
/ paper that the working women of the
/ State did not want this bill passed, and
| had waited upon the legislature to that
/ effect But thorough reading of the
| petition OF these women was the best
recommendation possible to the legis-
| lators that such law was most neces-
/ sary. These women said that the
wages paid women workers employed
4 as stenographers, clerks, hair dress
| ers. dressmakers, etc, were so small
and the cost of living i'll the cities of
/ the state SO high that they could not
/ live decentlv unless they were permit
/ ted to work longer hours.
/ This did not speak very well for the
laws of our State. if women workers
must labor longer hours than men in
! order to be able to live. Investiga-
! ton has proven that even our teach
ers who have the reputation of receiv-
/ ing such large salaries are less well
/ paid than those of other States, while
! the living expenses in a city like Reno
! are so per cent higher than similar
| cities elsewhere. To be sure the State
points with pride to Goldfeld with its
salaries of 500 per month, but board
and room costs 500. If you will take
/ an average of the wages paid in the
entire State you will find it very low.
/ No doubt our fair minded lawmakers
| looked It il from this standpoint as
they passed the bill by large ma
/ jority. 1t would be well if Nevada
passed a minimum wage law in con
nection We are reminded of the diff
! ference in the conditions here and the
manner of their treatment and that
pursued in New Zealand.
Upon one occasion in New Zealand
| the girls of a match factory appealed
/ to the Board of Arbitration that they
could not live decent lives on the
wages they were receiving. This board
is composed of a supreme judge, cho
sen for life. a labor leader and a mem
Der elected BY these two. When called
before the court to demonstrate why
! he should not pay higher wages, this
manufacturer told the old story OF
/ his inability to continue this manufac
ture if he was compelled to raise the
wages OF the employees, as profits were
so small The girls showed the court
1 how impossible it was for them to pay
their board and living expenses on the
wages paid. 1t was the judge who
gave the courts decision, and he did
not use the methods of our American
merchants. when they offer women
clerks $3.50 per week, and tell them
there are plenty of men ready to help
them raise it. This Judge told the
manufacturer that he must pay GER
tain livable wage, or go out of bust
ness, saying: 1T were better all the
match factories in New Zealand were
sunk into the sea than that one of its
future mothers should be driven to a
life of shame THROUGH the low wages
paid them" 1t is needless to say that
/ the match factory is still in business.
At present in the lower house of
Congress there is a measure to give
the women of the District of Colum-
bia an eight-hour day. 1t has inter
ested the women of all the States, as
they felt that the laws OF our capital
should be models for those i'll all the
States. while in many WAYS they are
very much more antiquated. The Off
GERS of the Nevada Federation wrote
/ the Nevada Senators and Representa-
/ tive to vote for the measure. From
Representative Roberts comes the fol
/ lowing letter in answer:
House of Representatives Washing
ton. February 2l 1913
Mrs George +. West, President Ne
vada Federation of Women's
Clubs. Ierington. Nevada.
My Dear Mrs. West: | am just in
receipt of your letter written in behalf
of the Nevada Federation of Women 5
Clubs concerning the eight-hour bill
for the women employed in the Dis
/ trict of Columbia, known as House
| Bill No. 27,2Sl. and in reply thereto,
will state that | will not only support
the bill but will work for its passage
At last session of Congress | intro
duced two bills in the House, one to
regulate the hours of labor of all
clerks and other employees of the Uni
ted States Government, and the Dis
trict of Columbia. and the other to
regulate the employment of child la
Dor in the District of Columbia, copies
OF which | am herewith enclosing
If there is anything further that |
can do to assist the work of the Ne
vada Federation of Women's Clubs.
please command me.
Thanking you for calling my atten-
ton to this matter, and with best
wishes. | remain very truly yours.
f. F. ROBERTS.