Montana labor news., 1934-09-06
Women Urge Label
To End SweatshOp
Wife of Montana's Governor
Joins National Campaign.

Women interested in the complete
abolition of child labor and the sweat
shop from the needlework industry have
launched a nationwide campaign to
regiment consumer interest behind the
.NRA garment label.
Mrs. Franklin d. Roosevelt heads the
committee, which has on its member
ship representatives Of the National
Council of Women, Junior League, the
League of Women Voters, and many
others of the country's leading organi-
cations. et
The newest recruit to the movement
is the first lady Of Montana, Mrs. F..
H. Cooney. Mrs. Cooney points out
that no matter what the political faith
or inclination of women, the anti-sweat-
shop garment label Of the NRA is a
thing upon which all can agree.
q regard the little blue eagle garm-
ent label as a boon to the consumer as
well as the needleworker, said Mrs.
Cooney. 1T makes it possible for us
to know what we are buying. 1t is a
badge of honor on all decently made
coats and suits and other wearing ap-
parel."
Mrs. Cooney makes a plea to the
women of Montana to look for the
label in all the clothes they buy, not
only for the sake Of the workers in the
Industry, but for their wi sakes.
NO thinking woman wants to buy
clothes that have been made at too
great a human cost to the worker, ;"
she said. LAS a safeguard to her fam
ily's health she wants also to be sure
that every garment she and her hus-
band and children wear is made under
sanitary conditions"
Asked whether there is any relation
between the cost of the garment and
the label, Mrs. Cooney said:
II am glad to have that point raised.
Women with meager incomes, who
are having a hard time to make ends
meet these days, may be fearful that
the garment label will increase the
cost of the clothes they buy. This is
not necessarily so. | am assured by
the Women's Advisory Committee Of
the National Garment Label Campaign
which is headed by Mrs. Franklin D.
Roosevelt, that it is possible to make
an inexpensive garment and still OBJ
serve all the regulations as to hours
and wages and decent working condi-
tions laid down by the Codes. But
you cannot know that this is true OF
any given garment unless it bears its
Code label"
The label campaign was inaugural
ed on October 18th Of last year, when
Mrs. Roosevelt sewed the first label OF
the Coat and Suit Code into her winter
coat at an impressive ceremony. Since
then labels have been put in mems and
boys clothing, dresses, infants and
~children's wear, knitted outerwear, and
many other types of wearing apparel
It is issued only to those manufact-
urers who sign a certificate of com
pliance. Investigations of factories and
records follow. Men familiar with the
lCIQlIWOlR llhuoAJ y CAAho ONNfN'
Of workers, capacity of machines, and
payrolls, are alert for the slightest
semblance of violation. They guard
the label jealousy. Unless it is SO
guarded it could very easily cease to
be the badge OF honor and become a
racket.
The Committee maintains national
headquarters in the offices Of the Coat
and Suit Code Authority, 1872 West 81
st Street, New York City.
Mrs. Cooney urges the men and wo-
men of Montana to let the merchants
who are observing the label regulations
know that they are conscious OF the
labels in the clothes.
Look for the label and distrust all
garments in which you do not find IT,
she said. protect the men who run
your stores, against the v~iolators, and
let them know that you appreciate then
strict observance Of the LABEL