Evening star., 1928-11-22
RULES GIRL CLERKS
|. UNDER S-HOUR LAW
Corporation Counse'S 0pin-
ion Establishes Equality
With SaIeSWomen.

Corporation Counsel William w. Bride
in an opinion today before the District
Commissioners, held that all female
bookkeepers. stenographers and other
clerical workers in mercantile establish
ments come under the operation Of the
La Toilette eight-hour law of 1914. The
opinion was made in response to a re-
quest of the Merchants and Ianufac-
turers' Association that the clerical
workers be exempted, and that the law
be restricted In scope to the workers in
other branches.
The request was made for the
Merchants and Manufacturers AsSo-
citation by Maurice D. Rosenberg, its
counsel, under date of November S. The
question, Mr.. Rosenberg said, was one
''of mammoth Importance to the mer-
camille interests of this district eSpe-
cially during the holiday season, when
the great volume of work in their audit
and clerical departments entails q vast
amount of labor and wherein they are
very much embarrassed In the matter
Of bookkeeping entries, mailing out
statements and in other necessary
branches of their Office departments.
"This embarrassment" Mr.. Rosen-
berg continued, means not alone a
loss of money, but a loss of necessary
help, as the character of work requires
preliminary training for persons who
fill the positions in such departments
Of their business"
Mr.. Rosenberg stated that it had
been called to his attention that the
,% 1na
dered an opinion to the effect that the
female labor law of New York State
was not intended to limit the hours of
labor of woman Office workers employed
by manufacturers and mercantile
dealers.
Mr.. Bride, in his opinion, goes into
the history of the passage of the Dis
trict legislation in 1914, and after ex-
tensive quotations from the record of
the hearing on the bill before the COM
mitteeS said: Throughout the hearings
the proponents of the act and the op-
ponentS as well granted that the act
would cover the sales forces Of mer~
camille establishments with respect to
female Office employees. One employer
pointed out that he would be required
to Supplant the services of female office
employees with males If the act became
law, contending that there were times
when the nature of his business de-
manded the working Of additional time
to that prescribed as constituting a full
days work."
Debates Considered.
"After a careful examination of the
hearings and the debates in Congress"
Mr.. Bride continued, there can be no
question but that body, when 1t enacted
this law, did not intend to apply the
provisions of this act to those females
engaged In the buying and selling OF
merchandise and to exclude their fell
low working girls engaged in the con-
duct of the affairs Of the establishment
In the offices.
"Of the fact that those actually en-
gagged in the buying and selling Of COM
modities are engaged in mercantile
pursuits, there can be no question; but
following the definitions to their logical
conclusions a fair Interpretation Of the
term would include those employees who
are engaged, directly or indirectly. in
the conduct Of the mercantile establish
mentS. The ends to be accomplished
would logically seem to govern rather
than the means"