The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-02-20
Enlightens the Legislature on
Conditions in Her Field.
Much Remains To Be Done to
Improve the Situation.
She Advocates Training Schools
for Young Girl Workers.

Some incidents OF the welfare legls-
1ation now before the house and SEN
ate have brought into prominent no.
tice a member of the governors state
house family. who has been pursuing
the duties Of the office without fear or
favor and without any self adyertis-
ing. This public officer is Miss Lima
Bresette, the deputy factory inspector
of Kansas. Miss Bresette has been
quietly at work on bill asking Tor
an Industrial commission to fix wages
introduced into the senate. A WelIare
commission bill presented by Robert
Stone. speaker of the house, was
passed Thursday afternoon.
During the discussion of the meas
ure. the unusual and interesting spec
tacle of a young woman addressing
the members of the house OF represen-
tatives was placed before the visitors.
Miss Bresette was called upon by
Speaker Stone to tell the members of
the house some of the conditions that
made such a measure desirable.
The office of deputy factory inspec-
tor must be filled by a woman, and its
under which the women workers OF
Kansas perform their tasks. Miss Bre-
settle is the first person to hold such
a position in this state, and there are,
in fact. few such officers in the Unit
ed States She went AT the work with
no precedent to follow. and created
the system on which she conducts the
business. She is now preparing a re-
port of the work Of the department
up to July. 1914.
Visits the Factories.
Miss Bresette visits all the factories
of the state, the telephone exchanges,
the packing houses, laundries. stores,
ato <.Il - IL
men employed, she personally inspects
the buildings and surroundings, inves-
tigates conditions of sanitation, the
hours of labor, the character of the
work done. and the wages paid for
every class of labor.
II have found" Miss Bresette says,
that in a good many factories no fire
escapes are on the buildings; some
times there is no provision for ventila-
ton, and found factories without any
toilet rooms. In one Of the factories
where the latter condition was found
! presented the case to the owner
telling him Of a former employee who
had left his factory, i'll with rheuma-
tism, resulting from the conditions un-
der which she had worked. He agreed
to remedy the fault in his plant, and
the next time visited that town I
found the factory equipped with
dressing room and rest room for the
ployer's volition and in addition to the
requirements of the law.
"One Of the large packing houses
in Kansas City has become so much
interested In improving the condition
of it's women workers that the owners
have gone far beyond the legal re-
quirements in matters of cleanliness,
sanitation. ETC., and have now decided
to keep in their employ a woman So
cial worker to help the girls in the
plant. They are willing to pay a
good sum to this assistant, whose
business it shall be to look after the
health of the girls, and to give them
what protection she can, as well az
advice and instruction"
Object at First.
do you find that the employers
object to the states interference In
the conduct OF t. fir business ?" Miss
BreSette was asked.
They sometimes do at first" she
replied. But 1 try to make it plair
that proper regulation of the cOndi.
tons of the workers makes for the
ultimate good of the business. and thai
It is always my purpose to be per-
fectly fair and just to them. I an
sure that the factory owners and man
ayers are coming to see that such IL
the truth. In our present efforts fol
welfare legislation, / have just beer
told by one of the managers of one OF
sas that he and his company would
offer no objection whatever to the
pending bill, because he believes thai
if l am supporting the measure i,
will be a good one and will work nj
unfair results"
How about the girls and womer
in places you visit? Miss Bresette wa.
asked.
They are like all other girls, som,
of them intelligent, competent and
ambitious. When the employees ar,
paid small wages, spied upon ant
worked long hours, find the natura
tendency to loaf when the boss is no
on hand. 1 find. also, that very few
of the girls like to work under {
woman Overseer who has been pro
NOTED from among themselves. Ant
/ find, too, that such a director of tn,
work is often hardest to please ant
most severe in discipline. I recall
such a case.
The girls in a shirt factory wer,
planning a picnic for the evening aftel