Evening journal., 1913-03-01
MISS CARY
RAPS LONG
HOUR FRIENDS
Says Amended 10 Hour Bill
Would Prove an Oppressive
Law
ARRAIGNS BUSINESS
MEN FOR OPPOSITION

NAAAN Vtt Va OSAAhVf
Miss Margaret Cary the young
Baltimore society woman who work
ed for the Law hNina the working
hours OF women in Maryland scored
local opponents OF The proposed ten
hour laY as meeting in the New
Century Ciut last evening. Miss
Cary spoke ai the entertainment
elvcn ly the Consumers League or
Delaware and ir her adcress she pic
turned tc bcr audience the hard lives
Of tlosc oi her feN who are compelled
% iuhor Ions hours. Miss Cary call.
cd attention 40 the proposed amend
melH submitted hl the Chamber of
Commerce winch she declared would
cause conditions Which would be
worse than those of ary state in the
Onion
Miss Caroy rccan hcr address hy
reading from o New York newspaper
statement by twonty-yCar old
mother whose long hours Of employ
meut had made her physical condi
tior such that her baby died at birth
After reading this MISS Cary declared
that the Delaware law. with the Cham
bcr of Commerce amendments. would
he more terrible than the law re-
ferrcd 10 in New York
Miss Carey said
"a bill has been introduced IN The
legislature Of Delaware to limit the
working hours OF wcmeu emp'oyod IN
Factories iauudrics bakeries. stores.
ckc, 20 ten hours In any one day
az lfiy-fivo hours In any one week
This bill has the support of the la
boring people. and the thinly vciled
and not very ariisticaily disguised op-
position of the Chamber of Commerce.
m other words. OF tho emp oycrs.
Not of all of them thank Heaven.
There are some that are humane
enough and some that are IA sighted
enough not no oppose it.
"A distinguished representative Of
the Chamber OF Commerce. who by
The way confessed great paitality TO
the ladies'. stated before the leg s.
iaiure a few days ago that this au-
gust and honorable body endorsed the
tcn-hour bill With half a dozen am md
ments, one of which would extend
Tie weekly limit to sixty hours and
abolish the daily limit entirely an
other of which would extend the
weekly limit TO 66 hours in mercin-
tile establishments TWO weeks before
Christmas and Easter prov ding no
single day is longer than l3 hours
II the bill were passed with these
amendments it would be the wo' 81
law limiting tho hours of women over
enacted In this country. do mol
I.rlf IA g..
so dishonor herself to so prostitute
her government for the sake of few
PRIVILEGED individuals represented b.
the Chamber of Commerce.
"Thc two amendments referred {,
would. OF course entirely defeat thl
purpose OF the proposed act The
Consumers League aims 10 limit tho
working day TO ton hours, because II
is generally conceded by authorities
and recognized by the Supreme Court
Of the United States that ten hours
is the maximum working time COM
patiblc with the health and efficiency
of a woman.
I'm reply to the question asked rep.
resentative Mooney by the representa-
tive Of the Chamber of Commerce as
TO whether he representative Mooney
suspected the employers of Delaware
of being capable of taking such ad-
vantage OF tho law. I should say that
we have no reason TO believe that the
employers Of Delaware arc any great.
er saints than the employers of New
York and they would naturally use
the privileges accorded them by tn,
law and because of its laXity they
would almost inevitably abuse them.
Such a measure would PRACTICAL,
amount TO the legalization of exces
siye hours. Il would be impossible
10 enforce even the weekly limit, ba,
enough though that would he. Al
elastic law has whenever tried. prov
ed unsuccessful New York had unit
last spring a law which limited the
working week Of women employed IN
factories, laundries. etc. to so hours
and the working, day 10 ten hours
with the provision. however. that th'
working day could be extended 10 /,
hours in order TO make shorter da.
one day In the week II proved unen
forcihle. and last spring the law wa
amended. so as to provide for a tel
hour day and ffty-four hour week.
Missouri used TO have a weekl
limit Of ffty-four hours II was foun
impossible 10 enforce it. and the Lar
was amended so as 10 provide ais
for a daily limit OF nine hours. Ems
land has an overtime provision fc
certain industries and the BIRTHS
factory inspectors are unanimous
condemning H.
Under an elastic law violation
so easy that the less scrupulous en-
ployer naturally takes advantage
II. and the more scrupulous employ,
who is ready and willing to abide I
the law. is put at a tremendous di
advantage Uniformity Of restrictiC
is in justice to the more scrupulol
employer absolutely necessary.
"The disastrous result Of an ella
tic law are we'll illustrated by Il
conditions that were disclosed at Il
time of the general strike among Il
laundry workers In New York ci
last winter
"The customer is more directly T
sponsibie fos overtime than he is a
to imagine Take for instance, me
camille establishment store sta
open until 10 or IL o'clock at mig
because people come to buy until
or II o'clock. And il any one sh
closed early its trade would go to
next door neighbor Take laundri'
They work excessively long hours
certain days Of the week because Gu
toners demand their clothes on CO
tain day and IL any one Laundry /
fused to execute orders when the a.
&-~.... al thor, oxor,ttoT ho u.rf
20 TO a laundry that would.