The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-03-21
MUCH LEGISLATION
c.. FOR LABOR IN 1915
Nearly Every State Enacts Laws t
improve Condition of Workers
Boards Fight Idleness.


WASHINGTON, March 20.-The an
|nual summary of labor legislation in
the United States, published by the
bureau of labor statistics of the de
partment of labor, covers the activities
in this field during 1915 of forty FIVE
states and two Territories and Con-
gress With three exceptions, Ken
lucky, Maryland and Mississippi, every
state held a legislative session, regular
or extra, in 1915, and of these ali but
| two, Louisiana and Virginia, enacted
laws of special interest to labor.
/ Aside from the enactment of work
men compensation laws, perhaps the
most significant feature of the legisla- |
ton of the year was the growth of the |
industrial commission plan, uniting in !
one authority the administration of
workmen s compensation. factory in
spection and other labor laws. This!
plan was adopted in 1915 in Colorado,
Indiana, Montana, Nevada and New
York
I Especially notable in the Legislation,
lof. the year was the attention given to-
the subject of unemployment and pub.
lie employment offices. In Illinois a.
commission on unemployment consisting
of three representatives of labor, three
of employers and three of the public
WAS 6StdbIISHeu- TO report dI the next
j legislative session. In connection with
the state employment offices, a general
advisory board was established to in
Ivestigate and deal with unemployment.
California and Nevada passed resolu-
tions calling for investigation of I'M
employment.
IN Idaho emergency employment is
T to be provided by county boards of
I commissioners for unemployed citizens
; of the United States who have been 70
: six months residents of the state. En-.
G ployment is to. be on the highways at
e rates to be fixed by the county boards,
n not more than sixty days work of this
t kind to be furnished any person within
/ one year. Half of the expense is to be
T borne by the state, and refusal to per
e form the work assigned debars one
s from this form of work for q year.
; Public employment offices were pro
g vided for in California, Idaho, Iowa
L New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and pro
|, vision was made for the extension OF
n the system of public employment offices
, in Illinois, Michigan and Oklahoma
5 The licensing and supervision of pr
# waite employment offices were provided
0, for in seven states Colorado, Nebraska
< Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island
N Texas and Wisconsin, while Idaho pro
a hibited the maintenance OF private EN-
g ployment agencies operated for profit
he Laws relating to the employment O.
he women and children were quite as nu
ii merous as in preceding years. Notabl
among these were the minimum wag
laws enacted by Arkansas and Kansas
making eleven states which now hav
such legislation. California, Massachu
q setts and Washington passed amend
ments to their minimum wage laws
not, however, involving important mod
. fications in Idaho n commission to in
vestigate the subject was provided fol
: Considerable progress was made i
the feid of child labor Legislation
notably in Arkansas and Pennsylvani;
er' In the latter state the law require
u eight hours q week of school attend
al ance for children under the age of Il
ne such attendance to be between tn
en- hours of s am. and ) pm.
ot In the field of safety provision til
OF most detailed enaetments were thos
ef formulated by the industrial eommi
an sion of Wisconsin and the Industri:
re Boards of New York and Pennsylvani
ha The rules and orders of these bodi,
on indicate an intimate knowledge of IL
II, conditions to be met which it is il
vel possible for an ordinary legislatiN
committee to procure. The worker
me welfare is looked after in less usu
les ways by new enactments in son
ne states regulating the sanitary cond
-on lions in labor camps, railway lab
ers camps and the like.
oI Laws to regulate the giving of ciea
EN- anee cards or statements of cause
hts discharge were enacted in Californi
at Indiana and Oregon, while in Califo
ms MIA and Nevada the right is given Il
Is iemploye by law to hear and answ
VA charges brought by "spotters' befo
being discharged on their evidence.