New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-16
WHITMAN WILL
VETO 72-HOUR
CANNERY BILL
Decides After Hearing to
Protect Women and
Children Workers.
GAMERS COMPLAIN
OF TRIBUNE'S VIEW
Governor May Suggest New
Measure, Allowing Overtime
In Emergencies.

tFrnm 4 star Correspondent OF The Tnbunel
Albany, April Ex-Governor Whit
man will veto the Thompson Bewley
cannery bill permitting the working of
women and children seventy-two hours
a week in canneries. This decision was
reached by the Governor after he had
heard both sides on the bill this after
noon.
The chief arguments Of the Gamers,
who alone appeared on behalf of the
bill, consisted of attacks on the men
and women who represented the toll
ers in the canneries and angry assaults
on The Tribune.
The carners declared their side had
been misrepresented in the newspapers,
particularly in The Tribune. j. F. Con-
nor, Of Mount Morris, their chief
spokesman, produced a recent copy Of
The Tribune, opened 1t at the editorial
page, waved it before the Governor,
and exclaimed:
Take this New York Tribune car
toon. 1t shows a bully Juggling a couple
Of children toward factory. Now, that
is Characteristic of the outrageous
methods of Misrepresentation Why
not apply the labor law to farmers
and domes tics? They ere exempt now.
This canning business is akin TO farm
ing. Must we wait for the women Of
New York. who have no children, to
tell US how we shall treat women who
have clildren?"
Mr.. Connor had no reply to make
to the simple statement Of Health
said: Studies have shown me that
in the canneries has very bad effect
on the children of the state
"Grasping Programme of Greed"
Opponents of the bill described it
as part or grasping programme Of
greed. The Gamers answered that they
had no intention Of working their EN-
ployes the full seventy-two hours.
They talked Of the average day being
only three or four or five hours, but
said when the crops came in fast II was
a case Of working long hours or let
ting the products spoil. These days
were exceptional.
James VI. Lynch, State Labor Com
missioner, promptly replied: This talk
of the Gamers that they work their
employees three hours some days and
four hours some others is all foolish
ness. If this bill becomes a law they
will work their canneries se"enty-two
hours a week. There is no doubt about
that. Eighty per cent Of the Gamers
do business according 10 law. They
have no difficulty in getting siXty-six-
hour permits.
"The law has been violated by some
Gamers, who openly said they would
violate the law and were immune 10
conviction. and proved they were. We
had for.y-two cases against them, and
thirty-eiCht Of them were acquitted.
Two we're convicted, and the jurics
disagreed in the other two cases. There
ought to be some way besides this
seven.y-two-hour law TO reach this
situation
Miss Mary Dreier. who was a mem
Der of the Factory Investigating Com
mittee which investigated the condi-
tions in the canneries in 1911, said:
"The Gamers say that the women
who work for them are not overworked.
! know to the contrary. | have known
them 10 work from seventy to 100 and
119 hours a week"
Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, Of New York,
defended the newspapers of that city.
They had no interest in the bill, he
said, and acted solely in the interests
Of conserving the womanhood of the
state.
Others of the twenty persons who
opposed the bill were Miss Melinda
Scott. of the Women's Trade Union;
Mrs. Florence Kelley, of the National
Consumers League, and Mrs. Frederick
Nathan, president of the Consumers
League.
MIR. Connor played the Gamers trump
card by introducing a pretty girl of
twenty-one, robust and healthy looking,
who started work in the canneries when
she was twelve years old. He insisted
that she proved the work was not in
furious. ,.,
1t is probable that Governor Whit
man will suggest that the Legislature
pass a bill giving the Gamers relief
along lines suggested by Commissioner
Lynch. which would permit them 10
work overtime in emergencies during
harvest time, under the supervision Of