The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-03-15
THEHASKINLETTER
EIGHT HOURS FOR WOMEN
BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

NEW YORK, March 15.--An inter-
esting feminist feud has again burst
into activity in New York. 1t is be-
tween the women voters who are
striving for the eight-hour day for
workers of their sex in New York and
the Womens Equal Opportunity
League, which declares that 1t doesn't
want it,
Twice the question of the eight-hour
day has invaded the state legislature
, at Albany, and twice 1t has been
easily vanquished by unsympathetic
assemblymen, who were greatly as
sisted in their task by the eloquent
opposition of the champions of equal
opportunity Now the same bill, having
come up for consideration, and conse-
quently each feminist faction is once
more preparing for a brisk fight
Those who are backing this legisla-
ton represent some of the most pow
erful Women's organizations of the
Trade Union League, the Consumers
League, the New York State League of
Women Voters, the Young Women's
Christian association, and the New
York League OF Women Workers. They
believe that the eight-hour day is es-
sential to the health and the efficiency
Of the woman worker and they have
announced that they will keep on taxi
ing old members Of the legislature out
and putting new ones in until they get
IT., For what else should women use
the ballot, they ask you, If not to OBJ
tain beneficial legislation for their sex2
The members Of the Equal Opportun-
ity League, on the other hand, among
whom are some well-known professional
women, assert that the purpose of the
ballot is t6 remove rather than to in
crease restrictions upon women, They
believe that every Industrial channel
open to men should be open to women,
that If man is willing to work 10
hours at his job then a woman, II
able to work IL hours at it, too, They
are bitterly resentful of any soscalled
welfare legislation, which they assert
Is merely current popular pastime OF
society women.
Women do not need protection from
the state,' DECLARED a member OF the
league, in addressing a meeting OF
working women the other day, but
| merely the opportunity to compete with
| men on an equal basis Laws protect
ing women workers place intolerable
| restrictions upon them, and end by
throwing them out of work, Firms
can not be expected to employ women
can get men to work for nine or ten
and thus women are Enthusiastically
hampered in their competition for
obs"
When this statement was sumbitted
| so the Women's Trade Union League
| here, which contains very few sociSty
women, 1t produced a tolerant smile
1t was the same kind of smile thai
| used to travel around the various suf-
| frage headquarters after a particularly
| clumsy onslaught of the ants,
Since 1913 said Miss Rose
Sehneiderman, president Of the league
| New York has had a statute limiting
| the working day of women employed
| in certain industries to nine hours; YET
| the enactment of this law several years
| ago when there was no such limitation
| placed upon them, did not result in the
| laying off Of large numbers of women
| On the contrary, the figures show that
| there are now about 200, 600 more wom-
| en- in these industries than there were
| then"
II Miss Schneiderman, who is one ot
| our greatest authorities on women In
| industry, went on to say that, As O
matter Of fact, the competition between
men and women fer Jobs, on which the
League OF Equal Opportunity places SC
! great an emphasis, actually does moi
| exist During the war, she says, there
was much talk concerning the equa
| efficiency Of the woman worker, bu
| this was because the labor shortag,
was so great that many employer,
We're compelled 10 accept women-no
| in the place of--but In the absence O.
men. Under normal conditions, expe.
rience has shown that when an em.
| ployer can take his choice of a mar
| or woman worker at the same wage
he takes man Miss Schneldermar
does not apniaud this state of affairs
She thinks II most regrettable, bu
none the less true
The labor shortage resulting from
| the war, she says, enabled women Il
take a step upward in industry. II
was not step gained In open compe.
| tition with men, but one made possible
because men had given up certain
| places for others carrying higher pay
| Women were taken on as street cal
| conductors. because the men who hat
| formerly manned the street cars founC
better Jobs or Joined the army, but "a,
| soon as they appalled, for reinstatement
| on the cars, the women we're fired.
The eight-hour bill we are trying q
| get through affects only wemen en-,
| ployed In factories and mercantile es.
| adjustments" .Miss Sehneiderman con.
oluded, "and hot professional women
| who seem 10 constitute the majority d
the membership of the Equal Oppor.
tunity League. and who are exhibit.
Ing an amazing ignorance not only O.