Evening journal., 1915-01-08

der the restriction of the law. This
is undoubtedly the most important OF
my recommendations.
"Tho present law provides in sec
tion 1. "that if any part Of females
daily employment is performed be-
tween the hours of II o'clock p. m.
and o'clock a. IN. of the following
day. no such female shall be employed
or permitted to work hereat more
than eight hours in any twenty-tour
hours
ct would seem well to amend this
section to read between the hours OF
10 o'clock D. m and o'clock a. M
The stores in connection with baker
les are practically the only establish
ments where females 90 to work be-
fore o'clock a. M The work in such
places is no harder than in any other
type Of store and its seems hardly
fair to compel an eight hour day only
i'm stores connected with bakeries.
Furthermore, as this is an act avow-
edly to regulate the hours and safe
guard the health of females employed
in the State of Delaware 10 o'clock
p. m, would seem much more fitting
than II o'clock p. m. although the ma
iority of our stores do not keep open
until II o'clock p. m. yet. there are
number that do. Anyone who knows
the conditions of the streets in VIII
mington at 10 o'clock and II o'clock
p. m, realizes that the dangers to
which the girl is subjected al II are
much greater that al 10 o'clock. II
must be realized that the majority of
/ our saleswomen are. comparatively
young girls whom il is not right TO
expose TO the dangers of the street az
a late hour. also that the girl who
stops work at II o'clock p. M, often
has a long distance TO go to her home.
which in many cases is located in a
lonely section Of the city. These facts
should be taken into consideration if
the law is to protect the working girl
adequately. In the rural districts 10
p. m. would seem to be late enough
closing hour, as the farmers for whom
avOWedly the stores stay open late
have really had ample time to do their
/ shopping. ! have made careful in
quiries on the this subject, and am
/ convinced by the answers to these in
quiries and also by my own Oberva-
( tions that IL is not the farmers who
shop after 10 p. m, but a few towns
people who simply put it off until a
late hour because they know the
stores will still be open
"rhe naming by law of an hour
after which females might not be en-
ployed in manufacturing, mercantile,
mechanical and printing establish
ments, laundries and bakeries, would
be a great help in the proper enforce
ment of the law.
There are so few places where fe-
males are employed at night work
that it would be well to have it pro-
hibited by law in factories as soon as
possible, and so do away with any
possibility of its increase.
There should be a provision for
bidding the employment Of females
more than six days in the week The
omission of this limitation must hav,
been an oversight at the time of IN,
passage of the law.
There is no mention Of a luncl
, period in the law. It is provided il
section 8, that no female shall bt
employed or permitted to work TO
! more than six hours continuously a
( one time in any establishment or Oc
a cupation named in section / of thi
I Act, without an interval of at leas
y three-quarters Of an hour AS a mat
S ter of fact. almost no establishment
works an employe for six hours be
S fore he rest period. which is. in mos
Y cases. the lunch period. Almost ever
- establishment in Delaware gives a
e least one-half hour for lunch, bu
: there are a very few that do not
some given even as little as fftee
minutes. This is too short res
= period. but if il is given before 81
4 hours of continuous labor have take
, place. there is nothing in the law {
q require that it be heightened.
II would seem well to insert provisio
e that every female shall be given
II lunch period of not less than thiti
minutes.
1. "A requirement that every procure
e OF a license should register as
n whether he or she employ females {
l. not, with a penalty attached for fai
." ure to register would. | believe, NJ
40 only make il easier for the inspectC
)y to be sure that all such establish
he ments were being inspected, bl
would make employers realize MOI
NJ acutely their responsibility in con
'r plying with laws that affected the
female employees Mr. George Pri'
. formerly director of investigation
: the New York State Factory COmmi
2 sion and author of a standard wol
on "The Modern Factory" makes
9 similar recommendation.
. "The lack of contingent fund is
. great handicap. There should be
. sufficient fund TO pay for travelin
. printing and other incidental q
. pensos that necessarily rise.The ia
that such expenses must come out
the inspectors salary gives a po
~ inspector a good excuse for not q
tending to duties outside Of Wimin
U ton. and hampers a good one vi
may not be in a position to pay o
d Of her own pocket the expenses On
she feels necessary for the enfOrC
ment of the law. Requests fro
III other States for copies Of repoI
arc repeatedly received. There shou
be sufficient money to print such 7
20 ports in order that they may be {
changed with the labor bureaus
% other States. Such exchanges q
o OF great value to inspectors a
o. those interested in labor legislati
ow and its enforcement There should
put a contingent fund of not less tn
Ten three hundred dollars.
r estate labor bureau with offices
on which the various inspectors might
hat headquarters and keep their rec,
me ought to increase the efficiency of
4. "a ...,,,II mob, q ,,,aail,I. for fl,.,,,