Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-27
NOW MY IDEA IS THIS!
Daily Talks With Thinking Phladelphans Subjects They
KnO,U Best

Southern States up to he standard of most
OF the other States, but incidentally 1t
brought Pennsylvania ,p in three points as
TO forty eight hours II week. instead Of fifty
one as in our State law. eight hOu'" a day
instead of nine. and allowing no child to
work after o'clock in the evening instead
Of :. rs in this State.
"In this same connection another i'm.
portant matter Is the regulation by law of
the hours of labor for women. All of the
Federal departments and those of the State
of Pennsylvania now work eight hours day,
and all firms and contractors doing work
for these governmental agencies must con-
form to this standard also. But the State
law allows ten hours cay work.
Men. on the whole, have been able to
get better hours than women, but they have
accomplished this through organization and
NOT through legislation, upon which the
women are largely dependent in this I'm
rortant matter.
The wages of women IL another subject
which has II great bearing on the we'll being
OF the state and community. Because Of
their effect on the health and the welfare
Courts have upheld that it Is proper to reg.
ulate the hours and the sanitary condi-
tions under which women work. and the
State has also said that the wage may be
regulated as we'll because of this great effect
on health and welfare. minimum wage
law is one Of the things needed in this
State.
The Department Of Labor
Every consumer should be interested
deeply In the State Department of Labor
and Industry. because this department has
immense power over the working conditions
which indirectly affect every consumer, as
well as every worker. The inspectors of this
department should see that the labor laws
are carried out and therefore they should be
skilled men in every instance. These in
a1 hop ! tn, thn;,
recommendations. which, of course, have
back OF them the prestige of officialsm.
"We feel that there should be certain
changes in the State Department of Labor
one Of them being that the inspectors should
be placed under civil service in order TO GET
the employers, because the welfare of tbe
one Is 80 dependent upon that of the other,
1--WE. rs consumers, feel that a greot
many of the labor troubles could be avoided
If both sides In such disputes would lav nil
their cards ssquarely on the table in the con.
sideration Of their difficulties. The informa-
ton should be absolutely authentic and
complete and then the public would know
exactly what was the right thing to be done
The Honest Product
''The strictly honest product is another
matter In which the consumer is vitally in
terested. When suit Is sold made NJ
shoddy. the consumer should know this and
be asked only to pay shoddy price for it
instead, as sometimes happens, OF beira
charged for wool. This matter is now beforss
Congress in the so.called Honest Cloth'
Bills, and there are gratifying indications
that some affirmative action viii he takan
The interest of the consumer lies in thrss
lines: First, Investigation, by Which ,"tes o,i
the facts are honestly learned; second ~, IN
whatever action may be necessary frai i
quently legislative; and. third, In the malta
Of the strict and impartial enforcemamu,' u''of 90
these laws. When this is accomplished NE Ts
interests as well as those of the workars ms nis
those of the employers will be adeauatelyy nIy
protected" f'a'eiS