The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-12-10
NEW LABOR LAWS
Progress Of 1913-Big Grisi
 Of Protective Measures.

All the labor laws passed by Con- gress and by state legislatures during 1913, are described in comprehen sive and timely bulletin issued from it's New York headquarters by the American Association for Labor Jegis- lation. "Of special significance in the labor legislation of this year, says the secretary Dr. John B. Andrews, 'are laws in five states, California, Massac chusetts, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania, extending the commits sion form. of factory law admin srra tion as adopted in Wisconsin two years ago. Eight states, California, Color ado, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon Washington, Wisconsin and Utah, have this year followed the example 1 of Massachuset in passing miniraUm | wage laws. More stringent laws re- quiring the notification of industrial accidents and diseases, and the en- actment of woEkmen's compensAtion measures by. seven additional states, Connecticut, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebras- ka, Oregon, Texas and West Virginia are also of first importance. Of more than ordinary significance, too, in state legislation are laws providing for one day of rest in seven, and laws | for the prevention of lead poisoning g 1 and other occupationa1 diseases Fed eral labor legislation is noticeably in CI0dS1uS III NO1uul0s duO congress I01S year remodeled the law for conciEa- 1 tion in railway disputes, and also | created the Department of Labor 1 Several hundred labor bills were in troduced this year in Congress alone, while the state legislatures ground out their full share of the annual grist. Accidents and Diseases. During the year twelve states pass ed new or strengthened old laws re- nIJirin0 rannrfinQr 0f 9oPi6nTtS railways and in mines and factories. Four new states required physicians to report the most common occupa- tionaI diseases, and New York and Connecticut extended their laws to in clude brass and wood-alcohol poison ing. Laws requiring sanitation, dust and fume removal and washing facilities in factories were widely adopted, and three great lead using states-Missouri, Ohio and PennsylVa- nia-enacted scientific provisions for protection against trade diseases. par ticularly lead poisoning. Safety re- quirem ents for mines were made more stringent in fifteen states, while twen- ty-six states demanded greater safety for railroad employees.
 Factory Inspection.
 Impressed by the successful opera tion of the Wisconsin Industrial Com mission established in 1911, Ohio,
 
 and Pennsylvania this year reorga niz- ed their labor departments more or less upon that plan, the central idea of which is that the legislature broad ly lays down the standards and the commission supplies the details through administrative orders. In over a dozen additional states the fac tory inspection departments were re- organized and enlarged.
 Child Labor.
 Legislation directly affecting child labor was enacted in thirty-o one states Shorter hours, a higher minimum age and prohibition of night work are the main tendencies. Five states required the compulsory attendance at continu ation schools of all minors employed by virtue of employment certificates.
 Workmen's Compensation.
 Connecticut, Iowa, Minnesota, Ne braska, Oregon, Texas and West Vir- ginia joined the fifteen states whi I previously provided compensation for injured workmen, making twenty-two states or nearly half of those in the union which have adopted this type of legislation within three years. By a liberal interpretation of their com pensation laws Massachusetts and Michigan are at present paying limited benefits to the. victims of industrial diseases also. @AfbilI to supersede the
 
 for federal employees disabled by ac- cident or disease was introduced in Congress by Senator Kern but has not yet been acted on.
 Hours.
 Ohio and Texas are this year added to the twenty1four states and the fed- eraI government which have lir,.itci hours on public work to eight a day. Declaring that tSIonger work tends to prevent the worker from acquiring the intelligence neeessary to make him a useful cittzen.3 3DFegon' limited factory hours to ten a day, and several other states restricted hours to peculiarly one days rest in seven for industrial workers were adopted in Massachu- setts and New York.
 Immigration.
 Legislation on immigration has been striking, partigJJarly on the Pacific coast, where the approaching opening of the Panama Canal has again brought this question to the fore. l While California, Oregon and Wash ington united in asking Congress te. exclude all Asiatic 1aborers, Califor- | mia established a commission whose powers embrace the whole field of ed ucationa1, legal and industrial protec- tion of incoming aliens.
 Employment Agencies. Three states provided for free enl- p1oyrnent offices, while five states took action toward Tennedying the abuses ffrequently connected with private em- p1oyment agencies. Illinois appoint ed a commission to study S11e subject Woman's Work.
 The experimental MaSsa chusetts l minimum wage law of 1912, applying to women and children, was followed this year by similar action in eight | more states. In Colorado, Minneso- ta, Nebraska and Washin gton tie | minimum wage commissions may fix | also standards of working conditions while in California. Oregon and Wis