News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1921-09-21
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
Miss Pinney Speaks Before the
VT. League at Burlington

| W. LEAGUE dt burlington
The following is taken from Free
Press account Of the citizenship confer
ence under the auspices OF the Vermont
League Of Women Voters in Burlington
held last Thursday and will doubtless be
of interect to local readers:
Miss Jean B. Pinney. woman factory
inspector, took for discussion double
subject, FACTORY Inspection and Educa-
ton for Prevention of Accident" giving
the history of factory inspection in Yer
mont, and discussing the labor laws
with reference to this work. She men,
toned several needed improvements in
the law regarding employment of WON.
EN- and children, and gave some of the
plans for developing the work with
women in the State. Vermont" she
said, "is one of seven States to have a
woman factory inspector this year for
the first time. AS in most States where
special attention has been to the condi-
tions of working women, our laws re-
lative to their employment are meagre.
The insurance companies tell US that
oui State stands very well with refer
ence to safety devices on machinery,
and that is good news-but, there is an
other side to inspection which must not
be neglected. and that is the mental and
physical condition of the Individual
worker. This cannots6e accomplished
You women in your own towns must
interest yourselves in the working and
home life of your own workers if bad
conditions are to be discovered and cor
rected. Work along this line must be
done very tactfully, but if the workers
can be made to feel that we want to
help and encourage them-not to inter-
tere with their private affairs-we shall
be able to accomplish something Many
of the women in industry are already
mothers, many more are the future
mothers of our races. If anything can
be done to Tighten their double load of
home-making and wage-earning, let US
lose no time in doing it,"
OF the Shepard Towner bill now
under discussion in Congress, Miss Pin
uey said: "The criticism of paternaIism
brought against this bill may have an
element of justice. 1t may not be the
best bill that can be drafted, but it is
the best bill we've got of its sort. Our
government appropriates annually some
millions of dollars tor experimentation
toward improving stock and crops. It
cannot be that all of these experiments
are successful. 1t wou'd seem no more
at least, to spend some
hing in experiment toward improving
he human race"
Miss Pinney, during the latter part of
ler talk, discussed safety work for the
prevention of accidents, telling of the
plendid work or the compensation in
urance companies, through their pos.
ers, merit rating system bulletins and
logan, "safety first" She spoke of the
enth annual safety congress to be held
n Boston the week of September 26,
which week is to be observed through
ut New England as mo Accident
Week"
Miss Pinney gave some accident sta.
istics for the State, showingt hat for the
3 months ending June 30, 1921, 7,724
Industrial accidents were reported to the
flee of the commissioner, including 30
atal accidents Two per cent of the
otal population of the State was injur-
d by accident while at work in the per-
ID named, and the proportion of acct
ents to the actual number of wot kers
-as, of course, much larger. 1t is es-
mated that So per cent ofindustrial &C
dents occur through the carelessness of
lie worker so it may seem that educa-
on is the only way to remedy condi,
ons.