New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-05-11
r,tty Women in 3-HOur
Plea Win Delay on
New Labor Law.
MISS SCOTT TELLS
or LIFE OF TOLL
po,rcsents $4,000 Workers. She
Saws. in Asking Veto of
S4.Hour.Week Bill.

Albany, May lV- iV" SVV'
49,, workin' women. we're the ones that
know what overtime means.
W;,b these words to-day IN the Exc T,
....,ve Chambers. 80 tense and tired 4
fo,o5 women lsborerS. banded together I
80, all the trades. opposed 10 the Al /
-stsin-er bill. denounced II as danger
s~s n themselves and 20 their sisters .
= The canning industry, whom II per 7
ni,s 20 work - hours day. during
inc busy season. They won delay al
east. At the close Of three-hour
hearing. Governor Whitman announced |
ma he was inclined 10 accept the /
I'M but would Withhold final action for
several days.
e,e,y women. representatives Of trade (
ios-ucs and committees Of safety, and /.
cHcers OF national, state and city con /
.r-ers' leagues. come from all over the 7
..ste 10 beg its executive to veto a {
~sssurc which threatens the 54-hour I
week Announcing that they stood for .
hundreds of thousands OF workers, the .
determined ranks filed the entire cen
.rs Of the Executive Chamber, and /
ssrked themselves against the wall IN /
me rear. sometimes breaking into sp- |
rlsuse or ironio laughter, sometimes
murmuring their protests. /
Twenty years Of progress Is lost IN .
this bill" they said by their attitude, !
as well as by their words.
Women Face Csnnery Owners.
So, of against them were the manu- /
fscturers. the real estate owners and I
proprietors Of canning establishments, /
and the politicians who back the meas I
uro Its strongest advocates were I
lanes n. Lynch and John Mitchell OF |
the Industrial Commission. James I. /
Holland. president of the state Fedora /
tion Of Labor. announced that while he .
disapproved Of the bill IN several re- |
spects, he approved OF 1t IN general. /
No pink-cheeked Gamers appeared IN /
the halls to-day. as on the previous oc- f.
casion when the bill came Up. It's OPP I
ponents limited that the former veto had I.
taught that the presence Of such young I
girls had thwarted rather IAN aided
the measure.
There were four main counts made /
against the Argetsinger bill in the ar
cuments to-day. Chief among them was
the fact that II permits The canning
industry 10 work its women employees
over rs years Of age, 81 hours a week
or - hours day for 20 days during
the busy season. In the second place I
~
cream industries are exempted from .
the one days rest IN Z law.
The passage Of the bill will also per
nit the 80 hour week for women in all /
factories 10 be entirely SUSPENDED when /
accidental damage occurs TO the ma /
chinery. Intense feeling was aroused /
BY the further TACT that the fire pro- /
lection law in new buildings will be |
weakened BY increasing the present dis |
lance allowed between any point in /
the floor area and one means Of exit /
BY one half. These are the things that
the advocates Of the measure say are
rcgrettable but necessary in the pas
sage OF a good bill.
4 woman. childlike in stature and in
face. her small fists clenched in her
tarnestness and her voice quivering
with feeling, was among the first 10
speak against the bill. She was Miss I
Melinda Scott, president of the Won |
ans Trade Union League, and she said |
that through her $4,000 women pro-
tested.
"You see, Governor. we workin'
women. we're the ones that know what /
overtime means she said. I'VE will |
fight 70 give the young folks a better /
chance than we have had. | went TO /
work when ] was thirteen years old, /
and worked from IN the morning un- |
III I al night So, you sec, your excel /
lency, ] know what it means. And | /
know what 70 means for a child to look /
out the factory windows and see the T.
other youngsters playin' while it's .
vorkin' overtime. I'm an example Of /
It's bad effects. Ny folks were - over .
SIX feet tall. but my mother worked in /
The factory worked overtime and ! /
worked overtime as child. We're
proud Of ssyin' the health Of a nation
Is the health Of its people. Well,
the workin' women arc the mothers of
The race"
Thomas Rock. representative of the
Central Federated Unions of New York
and vicinity, broke the sudden stills
ness.
81 wish TO God that the women had
The votei' he cried. "Then there
wouldn't be any need Of such a hearing
rs this Tie was interrupted by a
Storm Of applause 81 hope, your ca
eellency, you'll consign this TO the
wastebasket and let them establish an
oght-hour day with two shifts II they
reed more work done"
Union Leaders Attack Bill.
This means the breakdown OF the
Tomsnhood Of the country" said Miss
Rose Schneiderman, representing the
International Ladies' Garment Makers.
Herbert Merrill the first Socialist
member Of the New York Legislature,
declared that IL was not impossible TO
nave breakages Of machinery for the
purpose Of 7orkng employees overtime.
Mss Pauline Newman, of the Interna-
eonsl Ladies Garment Makers Union,
declared that another Triangle fire
night occur al any time.
want TO tell you. Governor, it's
oso thing" said Miss Maggie Mnchey,
Of the Laundry Workers Union. Eight
l0grs day Of sixty pounds Of steam
Vlln' up into her face and boiler
-Aoer her feet is long enough for the
|tiner Of the next generation"
Miss Mary L. Dreier, president of the
Nomen's Trade League. said the bill
was entirely bad. +. Hanna, of the
ssVers and Hammers Union, said that
was an outrage
Europe has shown US that women
n9st do the work Of men that are oct
shtln. II we turn our women over to
,as band OF pirates We'll have no one
tl' 10 take care Of the country in case
We 20 TO war"
2. Parsons az Cvracusc mentioned