Norwich bulletin., 1922-09-27
Humanity in Government
By James J. Davis. Secretary of Labor
 Safeguarding the Mothers of Tomorrow.

Safeguarding the Mothers of Tomorrow.
 Great numbers of our women, the mothers of our future generations, have been forced by economic necessity into industry as workers They present a grave problem, for their welfare is vital to the maintenance of sturdy American manhood, yirile and responsible, to meet the issues which America of tomorrow will face The department of labor. through the women's bureau, Is the agency through which the government is seeking to make certain that the na- tion's women in their migration from the home to the shop and factory are safeguarded in every direction, in order that the future of the race may not be impaired The bureau was created in 19z0, after the women in industry ser vice, organized to meet the necessities of the war period, had completed its work. The purpose of the bureau as set forth in the Act of Congress authorizing it's creation is to formulate standards and policies which shall promote the welfare of wage~earning women, improve their working conditions increase their eff1- ciency, and advance their opportunities for profitable employment" The bu- reau is composed of women, directed by woman and concerned specifically with the welfare of women.
 Women are in industry to stay. This is a fact that is generally recognized in view of the vast numbers engaged there in. Another rapidly spreading fact is that womens so-called pin-money Is frequently the family coupling-pin, the only means of holding the family to- gether. Women have been cogs in the wheels of industry not only because they are indispensable to the industrial world but because the industrial world | in turn is indispensable to them in their economic struggles. The wofnen's bu- \ reau finds that practically 100 per cent devoting their entire wage to the sup port of their families, while the unmar- ried women assume fully as much re- 1 sponsibility as do the unmarried men. Careful study to produce the smooth adjustment of the workers in industry is l essential not only for a successful in- ] dustrialism but for successful society, The protection and adjustment of women workers Is especially imperative since they have the additional role Of naotkera and home-mRkers. They are the pro ducers of future citizens as we'll as ol | economic goods, and America of tomor- l row will be as strong as her women o1 ] today. Moreover, the greater necessity
  1 workers is due to the fact that womer have been in a weaker position econo1ni 1 cally than men. They came into indus try more CT less on sufferanee and they i have not yet bonded themselves togeth CT strongly enough to insist successful, upon better conditions. Also since mos
 women in industry are there because O
 financial necessity, they cannot afford t, turn down job because of low wages
 long hours, or unsatisfactory conditions Therefore, it Is necessary to provide al
 opportunity for the upbuilding of safe
 guards to conserve alike the industria } efficiency and the health of women ant : to make 1t impossible for selfish inter
 ests to exploit them as unwilling com
 petitors in lowering those standards
 dustrial relations which are for the bes
 interest of the workers, the induserlei
 and society as a whole
 ,l It is the function of the women's bu
 reau to collect and present facts an
 statistics for use in throwing light O
 these problems, to cooperate with oth
 CT agencies in the recommendation an [ establishment of standards for the prc l tection and advancement of wage earn !. ing women. About such bones of Iegis
 lative contention as the minimum wag, v the 4S-hour week, night work for we s men, and working conditions the burea
 necessarily has formulated definite DO
 icies and labelled them "the standard
 for women in industry" These hay
 been circulated until they have becon nationwide slogans. First, there t heed for the Ideal industrial week fs . women, that is the eight-hour day, tH
 half-holiday on Saturday. one day
 rest in seven, and no night work Equa y ly important has been the cry of equi t pay for equal work. A woman vi a does mans work in the factory an
 carries 8 mans responsibilities in u
 home in the maintenance of s farni i. obviously should receive the same pa ' as man. The minimum wage ra should cover the cost of living for d. q pendents and not merely for the ind
 vidual
 Of no less interest are standardiz1 # working conditions for women war Q earners. One of the guiding prfncipl n of modern industrial engineering is tn
 working environment established
 the corner stones of comfort and h .t giene, science and sanitation, forms :. strong foundation for a superstructu Il of efficiency. The bureau points O Ls that as long as women work in plan
 grimy with tine accumulation of di
 and lint, strain their eyes at their jo of because of glare or insufficient hgf 7, stand all day without seat in sight, @ sit continuously in a cramped postur l. as long as safety is jeopardized by u ,a guarded machinery or lack of fire pr tection, then some action Is necessar When health is menaced by such thin a- as the common drinking cup and t t- common towel, there Is urgent need f
 improvement.