The Colorado statesman., 1916-07-22
MANY LAWS MADE
AFFECTING LABOR
Forty States Have Enacted Such
Legislation During the
Past Year.
UNEMPLOYED GET ATTENTION
Commissions Are Appointed in Several
Cases to Investigate Problem
Industrial Commission
Plan Grows.

Uncle Sam has made a survey of the
legislation of interest to labor enact
ed during the last year, and finds that
action of this character was taken
In forty states, in which either regular
or extra sessions of the legislatures
We're held. A summary of labor legis-
lation issued by the bureau of labor
statistics of the United States depart
ment of labor says:
aside from the enactment of work
mems compensation laws, perhaps the
most significant feature of the legis-
lation of the year is 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.
Unemployment Gets Attention.
Especially notable in the legisla-
ton of the year was the attention Civ
en- to the subject of unemployment
and public employment offices. In Illi-
nois a commi ssion OF unemployment,
labor, three of employers, and three
of the public, was established, to re-
port at the next legislative session. In
connection with the state employment
offices, general advisory board was
established to investigate and deal
with unemployment. California and
Nevada passed resolutions calling for
investigation of unemployment. In
Idaho emergency employment is to be
provided by county boards of commits
sioners for unemployed citizens of the
United States who have been for six
months residents of the state. EN-
ployment is to be on the highways at
rates to be fixed by the county boards,
not more than 60 days work of this
kind to be furnished any person with
in one year. One-half of the expense
is to be borne by the state and refusal
to perform the work assigned debars
one from this form of relief for the
period of one year.
'Public employment offices were pro-
vided for in California, Idaho, Iowa,
New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and
provision was made for the extension
Of the system of public employment
offices in Illinois, Michigan and Okla
homa. The licensing and supervision
of private employment offices were
provided for in seven states-Colorado
Nebraska, Oregon, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, Texas and Wisconsin,
while Idaho prohibited the mainte-
nance of private employment agencies
operated for profit
Minimum-W Wage Laws.
Employment of women and children
occupied the attention of legislators
throughout the country, and regula-
tory measures quite as numerous as
In previous years were adopted. Some
of the most notable among these were
the minimum-wage laws enacted by
Arkansas and Kansas, increasing to
IL the number of states which have
passed such laws. California, Mas
sachusetts and Washington passed
amendments to their minimum-wage
laws. not, however, involving any i'm
portant notifications.
TN the field of safety provision"
says the summary, "the most detailed
enactments were those formulated by
the industrial commission of Wiscon-
sin and the industrial boards of New
York and Pennsylvania. The rules
and orders of these bodies indicate an
intimate knowledge of the conditions
to be met which it is impossible for an
ordinary legislative committee to pro-
cure. The workers welfare is looked
nfter in less usual ways by new en-
nctments in some states regulating
the sanitary conditions in labor camps,
| rnilNNnN lnhnt. nn ,,,ras, and A.. Ill.