Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-28
Labor Standard Problem
Now Up To State
by Frederic j. Haskin

Factory-owners IN general co operated
enthusiastically, for these higher standards
promoted efficiency. But now that war
contracts are being cancelled, the power
of the government to suggest and advise
in this matter Is at an end.
The whole matter OF labor standards
now rests with the states. VIII those
states which have few or no labor stan
dards create new ones, and will the states
that have admirable labor standards en-
force then7 These are questions now
being debated by those interested in the
success OF American industry, in the
smooth progress Of reconstruction, and
in the resolutions passed by the recent
annual conference Of governors, which
| have not yet been made public.
The Department Of Labor at Washing
ton emphasizes particularly The great
| danger involved in abrogating the labor
standards for women in industry advocated
by the government during the war. Many
people are voicing the opinion that now
+, that the war is over the women will pour
out of industry as rapidly as they poured
| in. The authors of this opinion usually
dispose Of the future of these women by
marrying them off to returning soldiers
with whom they live happily ever after
in the shelter of their homes.
PRACTICE IL OLD ONE.
The fact that women have always been
eTp oyei in Ar erican fattorie and { at
| there were woren' trade unions as far
| back as the mid lie Of the nineteenth
| century does not seem To have gained the
/ attention that it should "Therc is
nothing new about women being in in
| custrY, women have always worked" )"
says Miss Mary Anderson, Assistant
I .f t1<. T.,lt sz4~
of the Labor Department. In 1910
there were eight million Of them in gainful
. occupations Those who have gone into
war industries arc, for the most part,
women who have worked before. They
| have been garment workers or mattresses
/ or workers in other occupations to which
they must go back.
Before the war the problems connected
with women in industry we're just as
complicated, if not more go, than thew are
nos Many cases existed where women
we're doing work that only men had done
| before. They were almost as much in
ve8tigated Reports were turned out on
| the status of women working in certain
! occupations, some of which revealed the
| existence Of shocking conditions, but
somehow these reports failed to obtain
results The public was not interested
HELPED TO WIN WAR.
| With the entrance of the United States
| into the war, many more women poured
| into industry The woman factory work
| or ecau n pop liar fig re. She WAC
| he ping TO win 81 e war People imTe ate
| Nv ecan excited AS 10 + or we fare;
EMPLOYEES egan writing arfic' es ont
| the efficiency Of thelr uo zen p oyees;
| physicians cgan les ing var ings ton-
| cerning her teolth; fas ion designers g.
1 gan drawing er unifor and a WI o'e
| staff of photographers was kept busy
| taking pictures Of women engaged in va
rious interesting factory processes Women
who did not work IN factories suddenly
| became interested IN those who did. and
| were indefatIgable In working for their
/ welfare.
| Out Of all this popular enthusiasm for
/ the woman war worker certain splendid
| reforms IN the conditions Of women IN
| industry were brought about II the
| first place the public was converted to the
| idea that women should receive a. rnucn
| pav as men for the same amount OF work.
| tnis was a tremendous victory, for up 10
| the outbreak Of the war the general
! opinion had been that under no con-
ceiyablc circumstances should a woman
RE paid a. much as man
The second victory WAS the cleaning
i up Of hundreds OF dilapidated factories;
| the installation of comfort facilities. and,
! in some the establishment oi rest rooms
/ and cafeteria5.
| In some states having fairly good laws
concerning the employment of women
| at night ard in various dangerous occu-
! patlons, an attempt was made TO abrogate
/ these laws for the PERIOD Of the var
Men were leaving IN huge numbers for
| the front and the factories had TO have
some sort of labor 20 keep the wheels
moving But this attempt was blocked
By delegations OF women appointed bv
their clubs 10 look after the welfare Of
women IN factories. who established
powerful lobhles al the state capitals
and managed 10 defeat the necessary
! legislation whenever II caIne up. Only
few states managed TO get by with the
abrogation Of their pre-war labor laws
Us. ENCOURAGED REFORMS.
When the lniteA States government
entered the war it made every effort to
! encourage the reforms that had already
been instituted in many factories bulhed
by public opinion Il appointed a III
vision Of well-known women labor experts,
known as the Women in Industry Service
with Miss Mary Van l.eeck OF the Russell
I 4
! Mary Anderson, trade union expert and
member of the Boot and Shoe Workers
Union, as assistant director Through
this service. with the cooperation of the
War and Navy Departments and the War
Labor Policies Board, certain labor stan
dards were put into effect in many fac
tories employing women on government
contracts Here are some OF them
No woman should be permitted to
work more than eight hours In any one
!! day or for more than fortv-eight hours
| IN any one week The time when the
work of the women employees should
begin and when it should end should be
postei in conspi o oes pia { IN each
workroom, and u record kept OF the over
time OF each woman worker. Half holi-
+. days on Saturdays are urged but in any
| case every woman must have one DAY of
rest out Of every seven.
Wages should be established on the
basis Of occupation and not on the basis
OF sex. Women doing the same work
as men should receive the same wages
with such proportionate increases as the
men are receiving IN the same industry
this standard has received the endorse
ment of the American Federation of Labor,
Every factory should provide facilities
for comfort and sanitation. 1t should
| comply with its state regulations IN the
| matter Of safety appliances and precaution
against accident from machinery, danger
from fire and exposure to dust, fumes or
. other oecupational hazards
Throughout the period of the war the