Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1921-09-09
new LABOR LAWS
important Legislation in Interest
of Workers.
Statutes Enacted Since the Signing
of the Armistice Are Matters
for congratulation.

Substantial progress has been made
since the signing of the ar1nistice
In erecting additional legal safe
guards for working men and women,
according to the summary of labor
laws enacted, made public by the
American Association for Labor Leg
isiation.
The statutes passed by forty states
and by congress were examined in
compiling the summary, and the con
clusion is reached that the advance
I'm the field of social insurance is par
ticularly marked -Four more states
adopted workmen's compensation laws
last year. making total of forty-tiye
states and territories having such leg
islation in addition to the model act
of the federal government for its
civilian employees and the soldiers
and sailors insurance act.
Matter of Sound Economics"
Besides this, almost every state
, amended its compensation law, with
the trend" says DR.. John Il. Andrews
secI cary of the association, "encour-
agingly toward more liberal benefits
shorter waiting periods and wider
scope, indicating that protective laws
for labor are regarded by Legislators
, not as matter of sentiment but ot
sound economics"
North Dakota, one of the new
states To Join the compensation group
| has now an enlightened provision
| for an exclusive state fund Ter
| states raised their scale of cOmpen
! sation, and at present twenty-thre'
| states IN all require employers To pay
workers when injured from 60 to g
% per cent of their wages. Only
| six states. all of them in the South
| lack workmen's compensation acts.
Even more significant DR. Andrew
| thinks, than the compensation insur
anee legislation is THE impetus giyei
! to the movement for compulsor,
workmen's health insurance to pro
! tect wage-earners and their families
! against the hazards of sickness n
workmen's compensation noV safe
| guards them when accidentally in
| jured.'
Women Workers Benefited.
Progress was also made, the repor
states, In obtaining legislation limit
| Ing the employment of women ant
children. In half dozen states th'
hours a women workers were re
| duced. including an eight-hour limi
In Massachusetts, won after full
half-century's struggle" North Da
kota passed pinimum wage leglsla
| ton for women and children, hringin'
| the total of states having such law,
up to IA. in addition to the Distrit'
| of Columbia. Eight states improved
| their child labor acts, while congress
enacted child labor regulations DE
! clared unconstitutional by the Su
preme court using Its taxing powe
| ms the means of enforcement.
"While congress continued TO hold
| back" says Doctor Andrews, 'Nel
considered measures for fedora
state employment service, as embodied
| I'm the Kenyon-Noan BILL and voca
tional rehabilitation for industrial
cripples, several states took action II
meet these urgent needs. Four states
In addition TO Massachusetts, where
beginnings were made a year ago, an
thorized aid in re-educating and find
ing employment for industrial Grip
pies, and the mith-Bsnkhead bill. ex
tending the present federal state sys
TEN of vocational education to cover
the MANNED victims of industrial ac
cidents, passed the United States sen
ate"
Labor Unions LOCALIZED.
Labor unions were expressly legal
lied in three states during the year
while In two of these the use of In.
functions in labor disputes Is strictly
limited. Oregon created state board
of Cancellation for Industrial disputes
such as New York has, while South
Carolina passed law establishing
penalties for violation of its coneilia,
ton and arbitration act Six more
states passed criminal syndieallsm and
sabotage laws.
California, Minnesota and Okla.
homa increased the powers of their In
dustrial commissions to facilitate en-
foreement of safety regulations and
other labor laws.