The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-04-19
MUST MEET COMPETITION
Testimony Of Henry S. Cooper, Long
Prominent in Textile Trade, Proves of
Great Interest to Commissioner viii
cox-Many Witnesses Heard. \

| Inc important question of hours OF
J work for women was discussed at a
hearing under the auspices of the Wis
3consin Industrial Commission held at
the Circuit Courtsroom today and DUR
ing the morning and afternoon session
Commissioner Wilcox, in charge of the
hearing, took the testimony Of manu-
| facturers, retail merchants, laundrymen
and telephone men. Most of them
were in favor of the present system Of
| ffty-fve hours week as the hours for
women to work. Many of them ex
pressed the hope that national eight
hour day for women would some time
establish the proper basis of competi-
tion so that it could be adopted unani-
mously in the country. The humane
spirit was featured in the testimony
| given by the Kenosha manufacturers
and interesting side lights were brought
into the testimony to show movements
in Kenosha which had gone long ways
/ toward making the women workers
contented and happy The testimony
is expected to show that the women
workers of Kenosha are among the
highest paid of their class in the state.
Among the witnesses examined here
were: Henry S. Cooper of the Cooper
Underwear Company, one of the oldest
employers of women labor in this Sec
tion of the country; John II. Brine,
superintendent Of the plant of the
Black Cat Textiles Company; physi-
clans representing the various indus
trial concerns; retail merchants The
merchants did not appear to be so vi
tally interested in the eight hour law
as they were in the proposition of the
night work to be performed by women.
Before the examination of the Ke-
nosha witnesses, the commission heard
| the evidence of several laundry men
from Racine, who testified that the ten
hour law was necessary to their bust
ness if they were to continue to en-
ploy women. Kenosha laundry men are
also expected to be heard during
the day.
/ Commissioner Wilcox showed an es-
pecial interest in the statements made
| by Henry s. Cooper. Mr. Cooper an
nounced that many tests had been
made at the plant of the Cooper COM
pany with a view of ascertaining Just
what the result of shortened hours of
work would be. fFWe are hopeful that
some time we may voluntarily install
the eight hour system,' said Mr..
Cooper, "but we want to be able to
meet competition and we want to salts
fly the women who are working for us. y
Along this line Mr.. Cooper outlined
the result of test in which women
workers were given chance to reduce
hours of living by equalling production
in a smaller number of hours than the
normal days work. He declared that
but four out of seventy-fve girls en-
ployed in one department had shown
willingness to try out the plan,
others declaring that they preferred
the longer working schedule.
Facts were brought out to show the
earning ability of the young women
employed in Kenosha factories and it !
was shown that the factory work had
proven most attractive The commits
sioneE appeared to be greatly interested
in movements in Kenosha to better the
conditions of the factory workers.
Superintendent Brine of the hosiery
company, who has been one of the most |
active workers in the state for the bet
terment of conditions for women IS work. |
was on the stand for a considerable time. |
The consensus of the opinion of the |
Kenosha manufacturers was that the |
hours of labor was largely regulated by
the question of output and that the |
question of output entered largely into
the question of competition. To meet |
competition of plants in all parts Of |
the country the manufacturers showed |
the necessity of being able to meet
at least in measure competition IN |
the hours of labor
The hearing is still in session this |
afternoon. Many manufacturers who |
did not appear as witnesses at the hear.
ing were present and listened with in
terest to the statements made. The
various labor organizations in both |
hdcln0 anu AeAoSHd, were represented I
by heads of the trade councils of the |
two cities G. H. Huber, representing
the Kenosha council and Edward Thai
the Racine council
Under the law it is held that the com
mission has the right to limit the hours
of woman s work and the hearing
in Kenosha is one of the first Of 4
statewide investigation.