New Britain herald., 1923-01-13

dition they should stalF st home and nest, but the aThele eeFkiRE schedule should net he sloRed down to the pace of those who are for lhs melAesl weakened. declared Mir eheEeF ID ms addness entitled sMhat women Workers Mean ta Industry"
 More than $50 delegates from si states, representing 60 national or ganizatiens Of women, are attending inc WomeA's Industrial conference The opening session on Friday was addressed by Secretary Of Labor James ]. Davis, who brought mes. sage from the president of the lhhsa states,
 The puFpase of the conference as announced by Miss Mary Anderson, director of the Memen's ifnFean, IS 10 formulate standards and policies which shall promote tine welfare or wage -ea rning women, improve lash working conditions, increase ifN efficiency, and advance sheif appof' tnnities for profitable employment
 "fhe most controversial question " connection with the employment ei women in industry" said MT, Cheney lis that of the compensation ia hs given as compared with thai ol hieh'
 "Many claim that there should De actual equality and many atehipis have been made to express th'f thought in a formula. Perhaps the most successful attempt at sneh sAt pression is that Women should nave equal nay for work Of equal value This may approximate the tfuth ., " far from it. according 10 our phi.f' standing of what equal value. means How shall we measure valnef
 Tt is a worldwide fact that the market rates for women's work are Hess than mems rates. When there is found in operation universal law " is fairly safe to assume that there is sound foundation for it. At least me burden Of proof is upon those who would reverse it.
 "It seems clear to me that 1t IS 10 women's disadvantage to add arbi- trary handicaps to be surmounted by them in their competitor Tor em' ployment and compensation. but there are also very practical reasons TOT keeping on a basis of equality m the matter of time to he worked. To IN one working schedule for women md another for men is to overlook me fact that they work together as in- | tegral parts of one single orsaniza- ton, In most cases when the wofn- en. forming an important part or the whole, leave the shop the men must quit also, either because the work cannot go on with smoothness anu CO., ordination. or because 1t is too un- economic to operate with so greaf an idle machine expense. The short time workers must therefore be chargeable not only with the loss due to their own failure to function, but also with the consequent loss of efficiency of the men as well.
 "The most familiar argument in favor of a short day for women is that there are periods when they are not in fit condition to stand the strain of long hours. This is not logical. When they are not in fit condition they should stay at home, and rest, but the whole working schedule should not be continuously slowed down to the pace of those who are l for the moment weakened. That is too much of a handicap to industry and. as the workers can only be paid out of the products of industry, to the workers themselves.
 '1t has been many times demon- strated that it is highly desirable that industry should be so organize1 in every locality that there is a fairy
 IL ,N work open to men and women When