Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-09-03
EDITOR
Labor Legislation Of 1916.

l. Perhaps the most striking legislation reproduced
i'm the annual volume Of labor laws Of the United
States bureau Of labor statistics which has just
been issued as Bulletin 93 is the act of Congress
establishing hours as standard work day for en-
pioves operating trains steam railroads in inter
state commerce. Next to this may he placed the
federal statute excluding from interstate traffic the
products of the labor of children employed in mines
or quarries under the age Of Ii. or in mills. Gamer
les, factories etc. under the age Of II years; the
hours of labor of children under Is years of age
must not exceed per day. nor may such children
work between p. m. and a. N.
State laws affecting the employment of children
also strengthened. as in South Carolina where
the age for employment in factories is raised from
T. to IA years while in Maryland the 14-vear limit
is extended to practically all industries except can
ming and packing. Laws regulating the employ
ment of women comparatively numerous in 1916,
and it may be said that laws affecting women and
children constitute the largest single group Of laws
appearing in the bulletin. In addition to statutes.
there are important orders of industrial and vel
fare commissions fixing wages and hours for these
classes Of employees, and regulating the conditions
of employment generally V.
fOf special interest is rule issued by the Oregon
Industrial welfare commission fixing the hours of
women and minors. including males up to IS years
in wide range of employments. This is in COM
pliance with the provisions of the minimum wage
law of the state, which recently declared consti-
tutiona by tie vote of the supreme court of the
United States, one justice not voting.
The effect of federal legislation on state action
is apparent in the enactment of liability laws for
railroad employees in South Carolina and Virginia.
which follow in large degree the pattern of the fed
eral statute the subject. Most of the states of
the union have compensation laws. reproduced I'D
to the end of the year 1916 in Bulletin No 2O3 of
the bureau of labor Statistics A few states retain
the liability doctrine, and the action of South Caro-
lima and Virginia tends at least to harmonic fed
eral and state practise though not coming up to the
compensation standards generally accepted
AS affecting the employe and the public as WE'LL
few states have laws prohibiting the giving or
receiving of tips. Such law was enacted bv the
Tennessee legislature of 1915 and vetoed by the
ernor. This veto was subsequently held void and
the act is reproduced in the present bulletin. Ten
nessee is the sixth state to have law of this kind
The idea of requirement of artizans of certain
classes to secure license continues to spread laws
OF this class relating to barbers plumbers, horse
shoers chauffeurs electricians and moving picture
machine operators having been enacted during the
year The physical conditions of employment also
received attention in the enactment of number of
regulations affecting factories and Mines while the
settlement of labor disputes is the subject of an act
of the South Carolina legislature. The latter act
provides for arbitration on request, and gives a
board of Cancellation power to make investigations
on its own notion with compulsory attendance of
including the production of books and
documents; report may be published if majority
of the board approve.
Besides the text of the laws, Bulletin 213 contains
readable review of the acts in considerable detail
and cumulative index covering the complete body
of the labor legislation other than workmens COM
pensation laws, compiled by the United States
department of labor, bureau of labor statistics.
Only II state legislatures and the federal congress
had regular sessions last year; other state egis-
latures met in special session.