Evening star., 1923-01-13
BAN CHILD LABOR,
PLEA Of WOMEN
Supreme Court Decision Is
Raped by Speaker-End
of Night Work Urged.

Labor legislation for women. estab-
Iishment by law of the etght-hour
working day for women in Industry
and enactment OF an adequate child
labor law were discussed by speakers
at the closing days session of the
conference on women in industry to-
day, held at the New National Museum
Elimination of child labor TO permit
children a "growing-up" period, IN
stead of being sent to work as soon
as they reach the legal age, was urged
by Miss Melinda Scott. of the United
Textile Workers of America. Miss
| Scott said in declaring the child labor
| law unconstitutional the United
States Supreme Court had pitted the
lives OF children against industrial
gain. She added that because OF this
decision she believed the Supreme
Court should be elected and not ap-
| pointed.
Would End Night Work.
Miss Scott also urged elimination
of night work for women. which, she
said. undermined the health of women
and submitted them to temptation.
and recommended the entire elimina-
| ton Of home work in industry. which,
she said, means a lowering of wages.
Child labor should cease to exist,
J; Miss Merica Evans Hoagland, service
! director of the Diamond Chain and
Manufacturing Company of IRdianap,
| oils. declared. Even the best OF stores
i and factories are undesirable places
| in which to train immature children
| for citizenship. she said. Their health
and happiness is in constant jeopardy.
| She added, however, that part-time
1Ir,,v ait,iF ~
for healthy children, should replace
| the enforced idleness imposed upon
| many young people today.
Conference Ends Tonight.
Miss Hoagland presented labor leg
! islation for women as highly unde-
| sirable, characterizing sex cleavage
/ at this time as Suicidal"
The conference winds up tonight
with a banquet. at which the gen.
! eral subject for addresses Will be the
need for women to enforce women's 4
| labor laws. Miss Julia Lathrop, for
mer chief of the children's bureau of
| the Department of Labor, will pre-
| side at the dinner. Speakers on the
program tonight include Miss Tracy
! Copp of the Federal Board for Voca-
| tional Education; Miss Agnes Nestor
of the National Gloves Workers of
America Mrs. J. ]. Dewitt of Iowa
and Miss Mary Mcdowell Of Chicago.
Nature of Legislation Issue.
Although speakers at yesterdays ses-
| sions of the conference generally agreed
| that special legislation was needed to
safeguard women in industry, differ
ence of opinion was expressed as to
| whether it should take the form Of pro-
| tecting them, or OF limiting in certain
respects activities in factories.
! The theory that welfare legislation for
women aggrayateS social dlnerences De-
tween the two sexes was ridiculed by
Miss Mary ellison of Cleveland, Ohio,
who declared that many women were
| forced to do homework before and after
factory hours and consequently shorter
/ hours and better working conditions
| were a necessity for them. Her solution
of the problem was to make the case of
! each employed woman special cne to
| be decided upon its merits.
Miss Sophonisbe. p. Breckenridge of
| the University Of Chicago said that
mothers with their children must be
kept out of industry and that they
! must be supported out of their hus-
!, she said two schools of thought were
! developing-one that. would provide
| adequate wages for married men who
/ can and will work, and another to
| provide disciplinary measures for
! married men who can and will not
| work.
! A plea for adequate minimum wages
| law for women was made by Mrs.
! Maude Swartz, president of the Ma
| tional Women's Trade Union League.
Miss Mamie T. Burroughs Of Wash
| ington. representing several organ
| izations OF colored women, appealed
to the women during the general
discussion to recognize fundamental
| relation between their own economic
/ situation and that of colored women.
| Other participants in the discussion
! included Mrs. Isabel Worrell Ball of
! the Women's Relief Corps of the
| G. A. r., Mrs. F. c. Paul, representing
i the American Federation of Teachers,
J and Miss Roberta Lindsey, represent
| ing the National Federation of
Federal Employees, all of Washington.