The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-04-13
LABOR LEGISLATION in
THE PACIFIC COAST STATES

sumption of jurisdiction on the part
of the state bureaus of labor, none
of which has any adequate authority
or equipment for this kind of work.
In many highly important forms
of labor legislation, the Pacific states
have been pioneers in this country.
This is particularly true of laws re-
garding the employment of women.
AS early as 1918 there was created
in each of these states an Industrial
Welfare Commission, with authority
to determine what particular regula-
tions are necessary for the health of
women and children in industry and
thereupon to issue such regulations
as orders with the force of law. This
authority covered wages, general
working conditions, and, except in
Washington, hours of labor. These
commissions thus become of dominant
Importance in determining the at
titude of their states towards the
labor of women and children, with
power virtually to write the laws
upon these subjects. This power has
already been extensively exercised in
Washington and Oregon. The Wash
ington commission has fixed minimum
rates for women and children in
practically all industries. The Ore
gon commission has gone further and
also fixed the maximum hours of la
Dor. 1t is interesting to note that
the minimum wage scales thus fixed
by the commissions in two adjoining
and economically similar states are
rather widely different. The Wash
ington scale varies from $500 per
week in factory work to $40 per week
in stores and offices, whereas the
Oregon scale is considerably lower,
varying from 1925 for all employ
ments in small towns to 1925 for
stores and offices in Portland.
The principle of workmen's accident
compensation also had an early de-
velopment on the Pacific Coast, the
Washington act being the first abso-
lutely compulsory act in this coun-
try and also the first to provide for
state managed insurance. The COM
pensation acts of the three Pacific
states, as now in force, are of entirely
different administrative types and al
so differ rather widely as to the
benefits offered and the number of
workers covered On the whole, the
Oregon act is the most liberal in it's
awards for injuries. There is no
waiting period required, medical serv-
ice up to $3.50 per case is allowed,
and monthly pensions of from $50
to $50 are granted for the whole
period of disability, and, in fatal
cases, for the life of dependents. On
tke other hand, the California act is
the more liberal as regards scope.
1t covers all personal injuries, wheth-
er of accident or disease, whereas the
Washington and Oregon acts are
limited to accidents in the narrow
sense of the word. Also is applies
to a much larger proportion of the
workers of the state. Thus the Wash
ington act applies only to extra-haz-
ardous employments and is estimated
to cover not much over so per cent
of the workers in the state. The
Oregon act also applies only to haz-
ardous employments and covers con-
siderably less than so per cent of
the total wage earners. The Cali
fornia act is compulsory upon all
employments except agriculture and
domestic service and covers between
rs and 80 per cent of the total work
ers in the state.
The report estimates that the an
nual expenditures for the enforcement
of the state labor laws amount to
about $144,000 in Washington, S1O5,-
900 in Oregon, and $314,OO0 in Cali
fornia. These amounts are roughly
equivalent to 10 cents per capita in
Washington, ID cents in Oregon, and
II cents in California. And if con-
sideration be limited to the part of
the population which is gainfully en-
ployed, these per capita figures would
be slightly more than doubled that
is to say, in Washington % cents
per person employed, in Oregon 81
cents, and in California "a cents.