The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1920-07-08
WOMEN'S WORK UPHELD
BY REPUBLICAN SOL0NS
seventy-five Thousand Appropriated
TO Make Bureau in Labor Depart
ment Permanent.

Washington, July 6.-In order that
;he 100000 women engaged in in
oustry may be benefited, the Repub-
lican party Just before it adjourned
placed upon the statute books law
providing lot the maintenance of a
permanent womens bureau in the
Department of Labor.
We appropriate a good deal more
for the hog cholera, the boil weevil
and all such things and it seems to
me We ought to take care of the wo-
men who are employed" said Senator
Kenyon, chairman of the Labor COM
mittee. in explanation Of the bill.
This is a bureau to study the prob
lens Of women wage earners. The
thought of the women is that this leg
islation will give the bureau a status
and a dignity and a standing which
is IN keeping with their rights and
conditions in the country. Represen-
tatives were at the hearings who
claimed that they spoke for 5000, 600
women in this country. The Women's
Voters League, which has a tremen-
Gous membership. were represented
and they felt that it would give the
women an advantage to have the bu-
reau made permanent"
Senator Kenyon was interrupted by
a declaration that the children's bu-
reau had started out with an appro-
priation of $4,000 each year and
that it had run up to s40O, 900 a year
Does the Senator think" retorted
Kenyon, that the work the children .
bureau is doing can be estimated in
money? We appropriate good deal
more for the hog cholera, the boil
weevil and all such things and 1t
seems to me we ought to take care OF
the children.
The women's bureau will cost
$4,000 a year. In explanation of the
bill let me quote tn. language Of the
bill, which says: 1T shall be the uul,
of said bureau to formulate standards
and policies which shall promote the
welfare of wage-earning women, i'm
prove their working conditions, in
crease their efficiency, and advance
their opportunities for profitable en-
ployment.'
THAT is the kernel of the bill
anything they can do to promote the
welfare OF wage-earning women. Here
are some of the things they have wor-
ked out: The question of seats in
industrial establishments, where
there are thousands of women work
ing; the question OF toilets, of sani-
tation, of rest rooms, of drinking ia
cilities; guarding against dangerous
machinery; protection against dust
fire escapes, and hundreds of other
things which center into the welfare
of the wage-earning women.
This bureau has made studies al
the request of various states, for in
stance, study on wages and condi
tions of candy makers in Philadel
phia; also as TO the eight hour day il
Federal and State legislation; nigh
work for women in various factories
women in the Government service
They made a special investigation
of the wage-earning women in thu
factories at Bridgeport, Conn. The.
also made similar investigation a
the request of the State of Virgins
as to the hours and conditions o
work for women in industries in Vir
ginia. That is the geneal line o
work which they have been doing
They have not had very large appro
priations in the past up to this time
think they had only $4,000. Tn
general purpose of the bill is to hel
in all problems that may affect a
least 100000 wage-earning VIC
women in this country and to pre-
vide bureau having in view thei
welfare"