New Britain herald., 1916-03-03
Woman in Important Role
 ln Mdustry of he Nation

el1-nigh universal. Thus, in the l four industries which were the sub 1 ject of intensive study, it was found | that in some 5000 families from S2 l to 9S per cent. of the families had | girls sixteen years of age and over at ] work, and that from eighty to 95 per cent of all the girls of this age l group in these families were wage earners. That this employment was
 matter of economic necessity is in dicated by the fact that from 27 to 43 per cent. of the total family in come was contributed by girls in this
 age group, and that approximately 90 per cent of all the earnings were con- tributed to the family.
 One of the most significant facts disclosed by the investigation in prac- tically all industries was the large proportion of women wage earners who were paid low wages, wages in many cases inadequate to supply a reasonable standard of living for women dependent upon their own earnings for support. In the group of women employed in the four great industries: Cotton, mems ready
 made clothing, glass, and silk, from wo-fifths to wo-thirds of those six teen years of age and over earned less than $6 in representative week. In another group of twenty-three in dustries, an examination of the earn ings of over 38,000 women eighteen years of age and over showed that fOrty-one per cent. earned less than $6 in a representative week.
 The report shows that the employ
 ment of children was both extensive nd <l,;1 found employed in great numbers, but they were found employed below the legal age; employed at work legally prohibited to children of their years: employed for illegally long hours and at illegal times; employed through
 evasions of the law and under false certificates of age, as well as under many other undeSirable conditions. In spite of all of this, evidence was found of a decrease in the relative number of children employed, and very plain indications that public sentiment against their exploitation is making itself felt effectively.
 Since the publication of the Bu- reau's report many and important changes have been made in labor laws, especially in those affecting the conditions of employment of women and children and the health and safety of wage earners, regardless of 1 sex and age.
 It is not possible to say how far ! the findings of these reports have been directly instrum ental in secur- , ing new labor legislation, for with
 in the period since 1908 many agen-
 cies have been active in the work of
 Investigation, discussion and propa-
 ganda, in many cases using the data
 of these reports, in other cases sup
 plem enting them by further investi-
 gation along the same or other lines
 Most important of such supplement tary Investigations Of an official char acter have been those of the various State minimum wage commissions some of the State bureaus or depart ments of labor, and the New York State Factory Investigating Commits
 sion. Most important of the unoffi-
 cial agencies in the work of inVesti-
 SatiOn and propaganda have been the
 National Child Labor Committee, the
 National Consumers League and the
 American Association for Labor Leg
 islation. All of the agencies men,
 toned have contributed in an import
 ant way to the progress in labor leg
 islation affecting woman and chill
 dren which has been so marked dur
 ing the last or 8 years.
 Some definite idea of the breadth
 and strength of the movement for
 protective labor legislation during re-
 cent years may be gained by an ex-
 animation of the legislation of the
 various States from 1908 to 1915
 Thus, taking as examples some of the
 more important provisions for the
 protection of woman and child wage
 earners, we find within this period the
 number of states prohibiting factory
 employment under IA years of age
 increasing from 30 on January 1,
 1908, to Al in 1915, the number re-
 quiring medical examination or cer-
 tificate of physical fitness preliminary
 to the issue of work permits from
 to 35, the number prohibiting night
 work under 16 years to s per day
 from to 21. Changes quite as
 striking are found in provisions affect
 ing women. Since 1908 the mum Der
 of States prohibiting night work for
 women increased from to G.. the
 number increased from to 6, the
 in factories to per day increased
 from none to 4, the number limiting
 hours of work to 10 a day increased
 from 15 to 34, while two cla asses of
 laws not known in any State in Janu-
 arN. 1908. namely, minimum wage