Evening journal., 1915-02-12
WOMEN TO Defense
Of Ten HOUR LAW
Consumers League Sends
Protest TO the Legislature
Against Amendment
BUSINESS MEN
ENDORSE BILL

Members of the Revised Statutes Com
mittec OF the Legislature today received
ropic, OF the following letter from the
Consumers League, voicing their disap-
pro,al OF any legislation that would nj
iect the present ten hour law. The law
rs passed two years ago is now threat
cncd by what is known as Senate Bill
no. 81. or the Hickman amendment,
whcn allows any female worker to
work more than "a hours week If m
physical condition. providing she receives
compensation for her services. lnis
amendment wa. endorsed at n meeting
of the legislative committee of the
Chamber of Commerce here yesterday
afternoon. The letter of protest -cne
bV the Consumers League l. signed 10y
Ethel B. Warner, president, and Marion
e. Durham. secretary.
Tho letter follows.
"In view of the discussion IN the
newspapers and elsewhere of the
amendment TO the Ten Hour Law pro-
posed by Senator Hickman. the Con
sumcrs Lcaguc wishes 90 come out
most strongly against this exceeding
Is vicious amendment This amend
mcnt would permit any woman 10
work any number of hours per day
or per week providing that she wns
compensated for the same If this
change were made iu the Ten Hour
Eaw 70 would he practically q repeal
o. the whole law, for The following
reasons:
81 30 woman could refuse 90 work
moro than ten hours day. AS one
employer frankly rut H. II the law
allowed me 20 work a girl more than
fen hours. and she should refuse 70
do so WHOM wanted hor to- ! should
az once ioll her that I would get a
girl who would work as long as
WISHED Ia olhor words. this vauntod
Freedom OF contract for woman
anounts tc just this.--she Is free 20
work as long as her employer wishes
bui not free to reiuscl
"2. Who is to guarantee that the
woman's weekly wage would not be
so lowered that TO malIn1Ahat she is
nov earning, she would need To work
overtime?
"3. This amendment would further
make this law practically unenforco
able The schedule of working hours,
which the law requires the employer
TO post. is for the protection of the
employees and for the information OF
the Inspector Under this amendment
such posting of hours would become q
farce for IL girl were working after
her posted hours the employer could
always claim that he was cOmpensat-
ing her for such work The amend
mont does not. however. provide that
any evidence be furnished the inspoc
tor Of such compensation: therefore
the inspector would be powerless.
rBut more important STILL those whit
advocate this amendment fail to real
lie that this is a health measure an'
that ten hours was set not as an ar
btrary limit but as being accOrdin.
10 medical testimony the world over
the maximum number OF hours that Z
woman should work II was ON this
basis that the case was argued in IN,
famous Oregon case. when the Su-
preme Court of the United States
handed down a decision that such laws
for women. the mothers of the neXi
generation. were constitutional as
health measures.
For the above reasons. VIC ask YOU
as a member of the committee {,
which this amendment has been re
ferred. to consider this as nullifyini
provision TO a health measure. I .30i
working women of Delaware hav
publicly testified TO their opinion o
this law. by signing the following pc
tition TO the Legislatures
Having worked for two year
under the Tcn-Hour Law. we hav
found 1t very beneficial TO us as
eQualizes the hours of labor and pre-
vents us from being OvorWorked q
rush seasons. We believe the law. I
be beneficial, in preserving th
health OF working women. and "
strongly protest against any repeal d
adverse amendments Of this law"
The executive committee OF the IN
tor-Church Federation of Wimng;o
and New Castle county. in cNocutiN
session. yesterday, pacsed the follow
ing resolution.
Moved and carried without dii
scnting vote. that We approve Of an
adopt the resolutions which wei
adopted at the town meeting of d
citizens Of the State of Delaware
the Century Club a. Wilmington. De
on Wednesday. February 10. 1915. an
that we communicate with the chai