Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1913-03-17
LETTER SENT
TO GOVERNOR
0NlOHOURLAW
Anna Woods Bird Also Sends
Letter to the Every
Evening
UNCOMPROMISING
FOE OF CAUSE


letter to Governor Charles r. Miller
and other State officials as well as to
the members of the General Assem-
bly,:
Wilmington, Del. March 10. 1913
Dear Sir: The amendments to the
ten-hour law bill In the House, we're
general in character, intended to
cover all classes OF Industries. They
were designed as a compromise to
give some concessions to all The
stores wanted q long Saturday ana
exemptions at Christmas The laun-
dries wanted four hours additional
during holiday weeks The factories
want extension OF time for rush or
ders or breakdowns. The amendment
offered by the ten-hour law commit
tee, and passed by the House, was
compromise measure, which gave to
the stores the right 10 use twelve
hour Saturday, TO the laundries the
right TO have one twelve-hour day
every week in the year, and to tbs
factories the right to have one long
twelve-hour day any day IA the weeN.
10 relieve rush periods or a break.
down OF machinery.
Having secured this large conces-
sion, which is general IN It's char
acter the laundries and the stores
still continue to ask for additional
concessions which We feel are beyond
the point where compromise should
go, If the law is to retain at all the
essential feature OF the maximum ten
hour working day. and give any re-
] lief to the present abuses Of long
hours and over-fatigue
"The additional amendments asked
for in the Senate are class legisla-
ton, and we simply legalize a twelve
hour day at the very times when the
ten-hour day is most needed.
"The exemptions for laundmes and
stores are special exemptions. and
are class legislation. If you exempt
laundries and stores in this way
every other industry has a right to
be exempted in a similar way.
Laundry work. in It's nature Ia
particularly hard on the health Of
women. and even in the best reeu-
lated laundries, which seldom exceed
ten hours, women are breaking down
in health
In retail stores. the Christmas sea-
son is the time Of all others when the
ten-hour law IS needed. Even a ten
hour day. with the extra strain Of the
Christmas rush. is too long. The
stores do not need this exemption at
Christmas. An arrangement Of shifts
has proved perfectly satisfactory in
other states and would prove satisfac-
tory IN Delaware
The interests OF the working wo-
men of Delaware are left in your
keeping.
"The ten-hour law committee OF
the Consumers League OF Delaware
~. s. Your attention is called 10
the fact that the amendments asked
for by the laundis interests, received
only one favorable vote in the House.
Letter TO Every Evening.
In behalf of the Ton-Hour Law
Committee, Anna Woods Bird has
sent the following letter to the Every
Evening an unoompromising foe of
the working women and girls In Del
aware:
Wilmington. Del. Mar. "A. 1913
ITO the Editor Of the Every Evening:
Il am very glad to see In your
columns'a letter from a working girl
who has the courage and ability to
express herself on this important
measure to limit the work-day OF
women employed in stores and fac
tories. Naturally this girl cannot
sign her name. but she voices the
opinions of many working girls who
have expressed themselves to me
and to my friends as in favor OF the
bill as IL was originally presented. re-
IA I4.sr
week. This girls shows clearly that
work beyond the normal day Is. for
the most of our $4,000 working
women not compensated for by extra
pay. To the manufacturer who tells
me that his girls come to him clam0r-
ing for overtime work because of the
extra pay, I should like to answer
that those girls must be sadly under
paid TO be so willing to tire them
selves out for few cents more.
ITO say that this letter merely
comprises the regulation pleas for 4
10 hour working day for women.
. which is not seriously opposed" and
then i'm your next column to say that
= the bill as mutilated by the Senate
= Committees amendments is in "bettor
. FORM Is, TO one who knows what
. these amendments are. direct con-
. tradiction. These amendments seem
?, to the Ten Hour Law Committee. so
: TO nullify the bill and legalize exactly
the bad conditions which the law is
aimed 10 prevent that they will en-
;. deavor TO Kill the bin rather than
: have Delaware undergo the shame OF
: having such travesty OF a Ten Hour
: Law on her statute books
What are these amendments thai
the Every Evening so welcomes?
in the first place they are elias.
. legislation for they are openly stated
+ TO be for the benefit one. Of the laun
V drymen and the other. of storekeep
ers. The amendments made In thl
4, House. 10 which the Ten Hour Law
I, Committee agreed only when the,
{ felt that they must make some com
promise. define night work as tina
done between II y. m. and a. m
and allow one u hour day week
The former affects all who worl
/ women az night. and the latter is al
exemption OF which all classes coull
avail themselves-the store-keeperl
for their Saturdays. the laundries foi
their rush day. and the factories il
: case of breakdown or other emer
= gency
But the amendments proposed by
the Senate Committee. are 20 allo~
the laundries twhcre the nature oil
/. the work is known 10 be particularly
firing for women. 10 work the girls
/. for four II hour DAYS. or two i.