Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-02-26

! told the congressional committees. in 1913.
how the eight-hour law for women
worked in California after twenty months
experience with it. She had something
to say about the loss of overtime
feature. which the Consumers League
thinks quite striking. coming. as 1t docs.
from girl who lost overtime Miss
Younger said other things about the
eight hour law which 1t would be well
for the public. the employers and the
girl and woman workers to know while
this agitation is going on. The records
of the hearings are all printed. and they
are. we think, quite interesting"
The testimony Of Miss Younger, to
which Mrs. Tagg refers, Is in part as
follows.
Miss Younger. The eight hour law
went into effect in California on the 2fst
day of May, 1911, Since then twenty
perience back OF Us We can say today
with Mark Twain. that the arguments
brought agains. this measure are all in
the nature Of prophecies which have
Of horrible disaster were predicted when
the bill was before our legislature First.
there was raised the objection that
women must work seven days in the
week. This came largely from those in
dustries which are In operation every
day in the year. That is. the telephone.
telegraph and transportation compa-
nes, and the hotels which said; Our
guests eat seven days in the week. ana
the condensed milk factories which said:
Cows give milk on Sundays as well as
week days But since the law has gone
into effect they have all adapted them
selves to 1t by the means Of employing
one additional relief woman to every
six formerly employed. That Is, she re-
lieves on Monday. B on Tuesday; {
on Wednesday. and SO on. It has SIM
ply meant the addition Of one woman to
every six previously employed, 1t is
merely question Of expense.
How Objections Were Met.
'sThen there was an objection raised
by certain industries which did not OBJ
ject to a six-day week. but they did
object to eight hours day and forty
eight hours a week. There were. fo'
instance, the department stores which
conducted business from s until
But they have since been able to adapt
themselves by having part of their
force work from O'Clock to o'clocl
and others from o'clock to s o'clock
with one hour at noon for lunch.
Then there were the laundrieS. They
did not object to forty-eight-hou week,
which was already In operation in San
Francisco. but they did object to an
eight-hour day because they said that
on Monday the drivers We're collecting
the wash and the women could not begin
work until noon, and in order to make
up for this only a half day on Monday
they wished the women to work longer
hours on other days Of the week. But
since the law has gone into effect they
have adapted themselves to it by having
the women begin work on Monday at
noon and work until 8 o'clock at night,
with one hour off for supper
Incidentally, 1 will say that the laun-
dries have had this forty -eight-hour week.
1t has been in operation for some time
in San Francisco. with very satisfactory
results to the employers and the en-
ployes. And they obtained it through the
union. but. as the union girls said: 1t
cost us eleven weeks fight and $4,000 to
secure the forty-eight-hour week and
we think it would be much simpler and
more convenient for the public if they
could have an eight-hour day through
legislation instead Of through strikes.
Nine Hours Feverish Work.
Then it was objected that there was
no provision made for overtime, and in
this connection a little cracker packer
spoke at the public hearing in our senate
in California and she told of her work:
how she stood nine hours a day at the
end of canvas chute. down which the
crackers came, and that they came SO
fast she had to pack. pack. without turn
ing her head. without moving aside, un-
less some other girl was there to take
her place. or the crackers would have
gone all over the floor. She told how
during this feverish work sometimes
there would come a rush order, and she
would have to work two or three hours
longer in the evening. and she said when
she went home she was SO exhausted
that she threw herself on the bed. in
capable of moving. She said, although
they were paid extra for the overwork,
that the girls wanted to give up that ex-
ira pay IL they could have these shorter
hours. A short time after the law went
into effect 1 met Daisy-this cracker
packing girl-on the street and l asked
her how it had worked out. She said,
The girls practically accomplish as much
in the eight hours as they had previous
ly done in the nine hours. because they
are so much fresher and brighter in the
morning She said there was no trouble
at all about getting the wor,. done, and
one of the employers in the cracker in
dustry corroborated that
Funds for Inspectors Asked.
The Commissioners today sent to SEN
ator Martin, chairman of the Senate APP