Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1919-06-27
Hours OF WOMEN IN
WOOLEN MILLS CUT
Industrial Welfare Conference
Recommends Work Week
Be Shortened.

Women employees in woOlen mills,
music stores and women elevator opera
tors in Oregon will all be subject to
the 48-hour work week, with the pro-
vision that no single work day for them
shall consist of more than nine hours,
if the ff7ds of the industrial welfare
conference, held in Portland yesterday
are carried into effect. But ne change
was recommended in the regulations
governing the employment Of women in
hotel lobby cigar stands, or as ushers
in theaters.
The eight-hour day and 4S-hour week
will be the basis on which woOlen mills
will have to operate, replacing the TO-
hour day and 54-hour week, granted to
enable western manufacturers to com
pete with easterners who were operating
on 6O-hour weekly basis. Action in
this regard was taken following hear
ing at which the wooden mills Of Ore
gOn City, Salem, Eugene and Portland
were represented, not alone by tine man
agement, but by some employees as well.
Women Seek Longer Day.
L. l.. Thompson Of the Portland Wool
en- Mills entered objection to the eight
hour day on the grounds that employees
now, by their own choice, are employed
eight hours and AZ minutes, with half
holiday on Saturday. Similar condi-
tions prevail at the Oregon City mills
according to j. Collie, superintendent.
Whether employees should be permit
ted to work longer hours for a fewer
number Of days, OF be employed a short
er number Of hours on all working days
of the week, was a question put to the
conference by the mill representatives,
who said hours now in effect sre gov.
crned wholly by the employees, who re-
Gently voted for the present schedule.
Men May Get Places.
A change to conform with desires of
the conference, representatives pointed
out, would not affect the working
schedules Of the factories, although
Thomas Kay df the Salem mill said EN-.
ployment Of men for longer day than
women ultimately may have the effect
Of replacing women with men.
Whether worker can be as efficient
with o l0-hour day as an eight-hour
day was one Of the points on which
speakers differed, but women workers
from the Portland mills declared they
could not do the same amount Of work
/ the ninth and tenth hours that Chey
could do in the eighth. The explained
that no change in hours is wanted at
their place Of employment; and in reply
to a question as 20 whether they are
unionized, said they do not need un-
ion, as all differences are settled in
conference with the management.
Mr. Kay contended that his workers
are as efficient in the last two hours
of a l0-hOur day as during other hours.
There seemed no opposition to the 49,
hour week, the contentious Of the repre-
sentatives being that their employees
had asked for certain hours and holi-
days and that their desires were being
pft5tl ibtu " NHt NNHAtitHNfs
Figures given by the representatives
showed that approximately 800 women
are employed in the Portland mil, and
800 in the Oregon City mill on the basis
Of eight hours and AZ minutes per day,
and 50 each in Eugene and Salem on
the basis Of the longer day.
Ban Is Put Up.
Following the discussion the confer
once voted to remove the exception con
tanned in the regulations, which graats
concessions to the woOlen mills
Sheet music demonstrators may not
be employed after 8 O'Clock p. m, un-
der the conference recommendations,
aad women operating elevators in pub
lie buildings after o'clock win have
to seek other employment. In the case
of the Y. W. G. A., and institutions oc-
cupied only by women, the rule viii not
apply. The conference decided women
ushers in theaters are well protected,
though the secretary to take charge Of
registration and inqiry as to ages of
those 80 employed.