The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-11-13
4 eag ue Finds Women
 Work Long for Income

Tn March, 1921, the womeH's bu- reau of the United States department of labor was requested by the Ala hama League of Women Voters and the Alabama Federation of Women Clubs to make a survey of the condi- tions under wnicn women were em- ployed in the industries of the state of Alabama In response to this re- quest the women's bureau undetooS an investigation in February. 992z.
 In the course of this investigation effort was made to obtain represen- tative material in regard to hours Of work. plant conditions, earnings, age. nativity, industrial experience and home responsibilities of women in in- dustry. This material was gained from plant inspections. from pay rolls, from questionnafre cards filled In by the workers and from home inter- views. In all, 132 establishments were chosen from the chief women- employing industries of the state. Because conditions of work may vary according to the size of the com munity and it's location in the state, all sections in Alabama were studied,
 Here are some of the facts gathered during this survey:
 223,s70 Wage Farmers
 In l9ZU there WeTCs dCCOiQlHS NO the United States census, 223,S76 women wage earners in Alabama. A large portion of that number were domestic servants, laundresses and farm laborers. After these groups the three which employed the greatest number of women were manufacture ing and mechanical industries, retail stores and laundries. Of these, eo.s per cent worked in textile millsi lS.f ner cent in retail stores, and S.5 per cent in laundries; 92.9 per cent of the textile workers were white and the majority of the negroes did cleaning work in the mills, and S5.l per cent of the women in power laundrles were negroes who worked chefiy on flat iron machines. hand pressing and other work.
 It was pointed out In the survey that Alabama is che of the five states in which there is no regulation In re- gard 10 the length of the working day. Twenty-two states in the union require for women. in some occupa- tions. A working day shorter than 10 hours. and in 31 states working week shorter than SO hours.
 Working Dnys Less
 However, there has been marked shortening of working hours by some manufacturers III Aidbohaos HI eAS limited States census of manufactures in 1919 figures show that in 1914 only s 6 per cent of the workers in all in dustries worked 4s hours per week and under, while in 1919 the per cent tf workers under that head rose to 20. 6. In 1914 it was recorded that TO-. g per cent of tthe workers labored 60 hours and over per week, while in 1919 this number was 49. A per cent.
 There is no state regulation in re- gard to a short Saturday. However. in the textile mills 1t is rule that the employees shall have the benefit of half day, according to the sur vey, and 1t was also brought out that only one mill operated more than six hours on Saturday. and 36 mills, em- ploying 2.919 women, CT S3.S per cent of those working in textile mills. worked less than six hours On that day In the laundries it was shown that more than one-half of the women worked less than eight hours, while in the stores all of the women worked at least eight hours. Of those working in the stores. 54.s per cent