New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-24
Many Protest Against lx|
ing Restriction, o.
Child Labor
Women's Argument
Impress Govern,
England's War Exper;.,..
Cited-Mrs. Vincent
Astor at Hearing

provisions too broad, Governor ".
man. it is stated, undoubtedly vii, =.
the Brown bill, which would p.rr. I.
Industrial Commission TO su,n.,I !.
Jaws regulating the hours OF lak.,
men, women and children in f.,..,
during the war.
Another bill that probably yin ,
disapproyed is that Of Senator o,,,
to permit women to work in nev,v,,.
composing rooms and printing ana ~,
fishing Offices after 10 O'Clock a. 49,.
The Governor, however, is .x,.,,.,
to sign the Brown bill permittin, a.
State Commissioner Of Educate. II
suspend the education laws a ~.
school children may work on fam. \
tween April 1 and November I .sd t.
ceivc school credit for their v,,,
This measure is favored by the 81,
Department Of Education.
The executive chamber was ersvl.a
at a hearing on all these bills N,
afternoon. The bill TO suspend II.
labor laws brought the protest Of n,
delegation of women. Among TIA.
present were Mrs. Vincent Astor. Nm
Willard Straight, Mrs. Orms wilp.
Mrs. F. Louis Slade, Miss Helen PAsl,,
Stokes, Mrs. Morris Kellogg, yu|
Thomas L. Chadbourne. jr., Mrs. J. I'll
Flagler. Mrs. Edmund Kelley and ynl
George McAneny.
Opponents Of the Bill
Those who spoke against the bill r.
cluded DR.. s. Josephine Baker, Of Il,
New York Department Of Health: Nm
Francis Pollak, Womans City Club
Florence Kelley, National Consumer
League; Mrs. Owen Lovejoy, Nation,
Child Labor Committee; Miss Mari
Simm. Y. W. c. A; Mrs. Raymond
Brown, State Womsn's Sufrsse Aso.
citation; DR.. John Andrews, American
Association Of Labor Legislation: Miss
Mary Van Kleek. Russell Sage Founds-
ton, and Edith Hadley. Girls Friendly
Aid Society Of New York.
They argued that England's experience.
had been that increasing hours had
decreased rather than increased out
put, and that 10 enact the Brown bill
would be against the best interests u
national resources. Governor Whit
man was strongly impressed By tse'
contentious.
Many labor representatives also y
peared against the bill, including w.
P. Holland and Thomas D. FitlsssA
of the State Federation Of Labor. nti
declared that while organized hlM
could protect itself, the Brown elli
would place women and children q NE
mercy of INSCRIPTIONS employers
The Industrial Commission was d.
vided on the bill. Chairman JOIN
Mitchell and James NJ. Lynch, the lse''
members, opposed it, while the one
three members favored it. Mr.. MI!fAei
declared that the commission ssoaa
have the power to meet great emeffen
cies, and mot the desire Of some man
ufacturers to increase their prenu
England's Experience Cited
"The hysteria following the orefnl
of war in England" he said. led 70
wholesale suspension of labor laws, Y
sulting in men and women being cw'
worked and lessened production. no.
the hours OF labor have been grea''
reduced, and the workers are oil iefes
to take one day Of rest in seven.
Senator Elon r. Brown made On 90
nest argument for his bill.
Every law that stands in the "
of efficiency ought TO be removed
this time" ne declared. "Hundreds
thousands of dollars worth OF ercl
went to ruin last year because tns'
was not help enough to harvest H. y
now what is the condition OF the ~
market"
Industrial Commissioners Let
Wizard, Henry d. Sayre and EDWARD
Lyon, in favoring the bill, deelsi'
that the commission could be depeness
upon not to permit any abuses Of y
labor law.
"Our boys are going TO the trenches
said Commissioner Lyon. III they y
going TO be slaughtered for WANT
ammunition. starved for want OF ~
or frozen for want OF clothing, tne'
ought to be somewhere the power
speed up industry" =.
Representatives of many manure
urers, particularly Gamers. also sa'.
Gated the bill. The only oppositieh
the bill to allow children to wofx =
farms was based on belief that y
State Department Of Education dId ,.
have the facilities to supervise 'n',
while on the farms. Dr. Thomas
Finegan. Deputy Commissioner OF "a
cation. declared that they would ~
the same supervision on the farms
in the schools.