The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-08-05
THE WOMAN CITIZEN Department League Voters-Eded by Mrs. Hugh L. Alison.

Ranking in importance with the convict lease system is the question of shorter working hours for women in industry. Alabama is one of the five states permitting women to work an unlimited number of hours. A re- cent government industrial survey found the majority of Alabama wom- en working longer than ten hours a day.
 9 An eight-hour day, a 4S-hour week, and a cessation of work six weeks before and after childbirth are mat ters needing state legislation. Bills to this effect will soon be introduced in both houses of the legislature dur ing the present session.
 The Alabama Women's Legislative Council, embracing the League of Women Voters, State Federation of Clubs, W. c. T. U., i3 fact all state wide organizations of women, has indorsed these bills.
 In letter urging voters in behelf of the measure, Miss Mollie Dowd. chairman of the women in industry committee of the Alabama League of Women Voters, writes:
 Tn everything you do, emphasize the fact that the bills we are proDo5- ing apply only to women workers in mercantile and industrial establish ments, such as stores and shops, laundries and factories. All domestic help, all agricultural workers, can neIs. nurses, restaurant and hotel workers, teachers, stenographers, and workers In public institutions are not affected at all, and arc specifically exempted. Our object is to reach those who most need protection"
 With 12 hours work, eight hours holf for droc inc to one and one-half hours going to and from work, one hour for three meals, and one hour for cleaning up, how much is left for recreation, family life, and elf-improvement? sheppard-Towner Triumphant.
 The Sheppard Towner bill, an act for the promotion of the welfare and hygiene of maternity and infancy, became law November 23, 1921.
 This is the first step of a na- tfenal character looking to the bet 'terment of motherhood and child hood at the most critical period" says pr. Harvey w. Wiley.
 The act authorizes an annual ap- propriation of $1240,00O for a five year period of which not to ex- ceed $5o,000 may be expended by the childrenss bureau for administrative purposes, for the investigation of ma
 
 ance to be divided among the states accepting the act as follows: $5,000 unmatched to each state and an ad- ditional 5000 to each state if matched; the balance to be allotted among the several states on the basis of population and granted if matched.
 Forty states have adopted the Sheppard Towner law. Those that have not are Maine, Vermont, Mas sachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecti- cut. Kansas, Louisiana, and Illinois. It became a law in Alabama Febru- ary 14, 1923.
 These facts show that in spite of much opposition, the Sheppard-Town- CT act has emerged triumphant. Not withstanding that 1t was fought by tho medical fraternity, there is only one strictly medical function which the federal and state agents for en- forcing the act will have to order performed. That is the pre-caution- ary measure of treating the eyes of the newborn infant with a dilute solution sof nitrate of silver.
 From it's incipienCy the state of Massachusetts has vigorously at tackled the Sheppard Towner bill. The two suits brought, one by>1Ias- sachusetts and the other by Mrs. Har- riet Forthlngnam. the taxpayer of Boston, to determine the constitu- tionality of the law, have both been dismissed. by the supreme court of the United States on June 4, for lack Jurisdiction. The party who in vokes the power of the supreme court '. ust be able to show not only the statute is invalid, but that he has sustained or Is in immedfa, e danger of sustaining some direct injury as the result of it's enforcement" but the state of Massachusetts has suf- fered no such injury and the state is free to accept or reject the statute.
 In bringing suit, Mrs. Frothingham contested the validity of the statute on the ground that it interfered with state rights and personal liberty. Works To Retain School.
 The Baldwin County League of Women Voters is making strong effort to get the legislature to re- tain the State Normal school at Daphne, the abolishment of which has been recommended by the state board of education The following resolution on this matter has been recently received:
 'Inasmuch as the state board of education has recommended the abol- ishment of the State Normal school at Daphne. and inasmuch as the one greatest educational need in Ala bama today is a professionally train ed teacher for each and every school room in Alabama; and further, since more than 50 per cent of the stu